Building Real-Time AI Applications

Why Real-Time Matters

AI operations can take minutes. Real-time updates keep users engaged.

Approaches

1. Server-Sent Events (SSE)

Best for progress updates and one-way communication.

2. WebSockets

Best for bi-directional communication and chat.

3. Polling (Fallback)

Poll job status until complete.

Building Real-Time UI

1. Maintain state for status, progress, result
2. Open EventSource on generate
3. Listen for progress/complete events
4. Update UI based on events
5. Close connection when done

Tips

• Debounce input
• Show placeholders
• Optimistic UI
• Handle disconnects

Next Steps

• Video latency
• Node.js patterns