Web - Ruben's Den

WebSockets vs Server-Sent Events vs Polling: Choosing Realtime

October 30, 2026 by Ruben

Abstract dark technical illustration of real-time data streams flowing between a client and a server

WebSockets, Server-Sent Events, and polling all solve real-time updates, but they differ sharply in directionality, complexity, and infrastructure demands. This article explains how each one actually works and gives you a concrete decision framework for picking the right tool.

How HTTPS Actually Works: The TLS Handshake, Step by Step

October 27, 2026 by Ruben

A developer-level walkthrough of the TLS handshake — asymmetric vs. symmetric crypto roles, the certificate chain of trust, cipher suite anatomy, the message-by-message TLS 1.2 flow, the one-round-trip TLS 1.3 redesign, forward secrecy, session resumption, and how to inspect it yourself with openssl s_client and browser devtools.