Laravel Reverb: WebSocket Server

Laravel Reverb promises native WebSocket support without external services like Pusher or Ably. Self-hosted real-time capabilities reduce costs and dependencies. At ZIRA Software, we're excited about first-party WebSocket infrastructure.

Why Reverb Matters

Current options:

• Pusher: Easy but costly at scale
• Socket.io: Requires separate Node server
• Laravel WebSockets: Community package, maintenance concerns

Reverb benefits:

• Official Laravel package
• No external services
• Horizontal scaling support
• Native integration with Echo

Expected Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│   Laravel App   │────▶│  Reverb Server  │
│  (HTTP + API)   │     │  (WebSocket)    │
└─────────────────┘     └────────┬────────┘
                                 │
                    ┌────────────┼────────────┐
                    │            │            │
                    ▼            ▼            ▼
               Client 1    Client 2    Client 3

Broadcasting Setup (Preview)

// config/broadcasting.php
'connections' => [
    'reverb' => [
        'driver' => 'reverb',
        'app_id' => env('REVERB_APP_ID'),
        'key' => env('REVERB_APP_KEY'),
        'secret' => env('REVERB_APP_SECRET'),
        'host' => env('REVERB_HOST', 'localhost'),
        'port' => env('REVERB_PORT', 8080),
        'scheme' => env('REVERB_SCHEME', 'http'),
    ],
],

# .env
BROADCAST_DRIVER=reverb
REVERB_APP_ID=my-app
REVERB_APP_KEY=my-key
REVERB_APP_SECRET=my-secret
REVERB_HOST=localhost
REVERB_PORT=8080

Events and Broadcasting

// app/Events/MessageSent.php
class MessageSent implements ShouldBroadcast
{
    use Dispatchable, InteractsWithSockets, SerializesModels;

    public function __construct(
        public Message $message,
        public User $user,
    ) {}

    public function broadcastOn(): array
    {
        return [
            new PrivateChannel('chat.' . $this->message->conversation_id),
        ];
    }

    public function broadcastWith(): array
    {
        return [
            'id' => $this->message->id,
            'content' => $this->message->content,
            'user' => [
                'id' => $this->user->id,
                'name' => $this->user->name,
            ],
            'sent_at' => $this->message->created_at->toISOString(),
        ];
    }
}

Laravel Echo Integration

// resources/js/bootstrap.js
import Echo from 'laravel-echo';

window.Echo = new Echo({
    broadcaster: 'reverb',
    key: import.meta.env.VITE_REVERB_APP_KEY,
    wsHost: import.meta.env.VITE_REVERB_HOST,
    wsPort: import.meta.env.VITE_REVERB_PORT,
    forceTLS: false,
    enabledTransports: ['ws', 'wss'],
});

// Listening to events
Echo.private(`chat.${conversationId}`)
    .listen('MessageSent', (e) => {
        console.log('New message:', e.message);
        appendMessage(e);
    })
    .listenForWhisper('typing', (e) => {
        showTypingIndicator(e.user);
    });

// Sending client events
Echo.private(`chat.${conversationId}`)
    .whisper('typing', {
        user: currentUser.name
    });

Presence Channels

// routes/channels.php
Broadcast::channel('chat.{conversationId}', function ($user, $conversationId) {
    if ($user->canAccessConversation($conversationId)) {
        return [
            'id' => $user->id,
            'name' => $user->name,
            'avatar' => $user->avatar_url,
        ];
    }
});

// Frontend presence handling
Echo.join(`chat.${conversationId}`)
    .here((users) => {
        setOnlineUsers(users);
    })
    .joining((user) => {
        addOnlineUser(user);
    })
    .leaving((user) => {
        removeOnlineUser(user);
    });

Expected Scaling Strategy

# docker-compose.yml for horizontal scaling
services:
  app:
    image: laravel-app
    deploy:
      replicas: 3

  reverb:
    image: laravel-reverb
    deploy:
      replicas: 2
    environment:
      - REVERB_SCALING_DRIVER=redis
      - REDIS_HOST=redis

  redis:
    image: redis:alpine

  nginx:
    image: nginx
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "8080:8080"

Current Alternatives

While waiting for Reverb, use these solutions:

# Laravel WebSockets (community package)
composer require beyondcode/laravel-websockets

# Soketi (open-source Pusher alternative)
npm install -g @soketi/soketi
soketi start

Conclusion

Laravel Reverb will provide official WebSocket support for self-hosted real-time applications. The integration with Echo and broadcasting events promises seamless adoption.

Need real-time features now? Contact ZIRA Software for WebSocket implementation.