# gobwas/ws

A tiny WebSocket library for Go.

Repository: https://github.com/gobwas/ws
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/gobwas-ws
Language: Go
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: go, websocket, rfc-6455, golang, fast
Last push: 2026-02-12T17:07:49+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 53/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 67, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3510, "days_push": 202, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 6464, forks 384 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:43.643213+00:00)

## What it is
A tiny, fast WebSocket library for Go implementing RFC 6455 with a zero-copy, low-level API plus higher-level helpers in the wsutil package. It passes the Autobahn Test Suite and is designed for efficient buffer reuse across connections.

## Use cases
- build a websocket server in go
- handle websocket connections with minimal allocations
- implement custom websocket frame handling
- upgrade http connections to websocket
- stream websocket messages with buffer reuse
- write a high-performance realtime backend in go

## When to choose
- you need maximum performance and control over websocket I/O buffers
- you want a dependency-light RFC 6455 implementation in Go
- you need low-level frame access to build custom protocol logic

## When to avoid
- you want a batteries-included websocket framework with rooms, pub/sub, or automatic reconnection
- you prefer a simpler high-level API like gorilla/websocket or nhooyr/websocket

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: websocket, http-server, serialization
- domain: web-development, backend, networking
- platform: go, cross-platform
- tags: rfc6455, zero-copy, low-level, performance, real-time

## Member repositories
- gobwas/ws (main) score 53

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:43.643213+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:44:37.078803+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/gobwas/ws (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:43.643213+00:00, sha 7e775adf33ee)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.