An asynchronous WebSocket client for PHP built on ReactPHP.
Pawl is an asynchronous WebSocket client library for PHP that enables non-blocking communication with WebSocket servers. It provides a promise-based API for establishing connections and handling messages efficiently in event-driven applications, solving the problem of blocking I/O in real-time PHP applications.
PHP developers building real-time, event-driven applications such as chat systems, live notifications, or data dashboards that require efficient WebSocket communication without blocking operations.
Developers choose Pawl for its seamless integration with ReactPHP's event loop, offering a promise-based API that simplifies asynchronous WebSocket handling, and its PSR-7 compatibility for standardized HTTP handshake management.
Asynchronous WebSocket client
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Uses promises for non-blocking WebSocket connections, simplifying async handling as shown in examples where connect() returns a promise for message events.
Provides PSR-7 request and response objects for HTTP handshake headers, ensuring standardized and customizable header handling in WebSocket connections.
Integrates directly with ReactPHP's event loop for efficient event-driven applications, demonstrated in the in-depth example using Connector with a custom loop.
Supports negotiation of sub-protocols and setting custom headers like Origin during handshake, as specified in the Connector class parameters.
Handles binary messages through dedicated interfaces like MessageInterface, allowing data-intensive applications to process binary data efficiently.
Lacks built-in features for automatic reconnection or heartbeat, requiring developers to implement these manually for reliable long-lived connections.
Heavily reliant on ReactPHP's event loop, making it unsuitable for projects not using this ecosystem and adding setup complexity for newcomers.
The README provides basic examples but lacks comprehensive API docs, troubleshooting guides, or advanced usage scenarios, which can hinder adoption.
Focuses on core WebSocket operations, so teams needing abstractions like channel management or event broadcasting must build additional layers on top.