Learn · Web apps

What are real-time features, and how do they work?

Real-time features update instantly without a page refresh: live chat, notifications, collaborative editing, and live dashboards. Instead of the browser repeatedly asking the server for updates, the server pushes changes the moment they happen, so everyone sees the same thing at once.

This is usually done with a persistent connection (technologies like WebSockets) that stays open between browser and server, so data can flow both ways immediately. It's what makes a shared document update as your colleague types, or a delivery map move live.

Real-time adds genuine complexity and cost, because the server must manage many open connections and keep everyone in sync. It's worth it when immediacy is the point (messaging, live collaboration) and overkill when a normal refresh would do.

Updated July 2026

Learning Center More on web apps

How do web apps handle lots of users?
Apps handle growth by adding capacity and removing bottlenecks: running more servers, caching frequent results, optimizing the database, and using a CDN to serve content from locations near users. Modern cloud platforms can add capacity automatically as traffic rises, which is called scaling.
What is the difference between a website and a web app?
A website mainly shows information: pages you read, like a brochure, blog, or portfolio. A web app is software you use in the browser: it takes input, does something with it, and saves state, like Gmail, a bank dashboard, or a booking system. The line is interactivity and data, not looks.
What is SaaS?
SaaS (software as a service) is software you access online and pay for by subscription, instead of buying and installing it. You use it in a browser, the provider runs and updates it, and you pay monthly or yearly. Slack, Shopify, and Notion are SaaS. Most business software now works this way.
What is an MVP and why start with one?
An MVP (minimum viable product) is the smallest version of an app that delivers real value and can be put in front of users. You start with one because it gets you to real feedback fastest and cheapest, before you spend heavily building features nobody has confirmed they want.
What is user authentication?
Authentication is how an app confirms who a user is, usually a login with an email and password, a social login, or a one-time code. It's paired with authorization, which decides what that verified user is allowed to do. Together they protect accounts and control access to data.
What is a progressive web app (PWA)?
A progressive web app (PWA) is a website that behaves like an installed app: users can add it to their home screen, it can work offline, and it can send notifications, all without going through an app store. It's built with normal web technology, so one build works across devices.

Want this built, not just explained?

Start the conversation

What are real-time features, and how do they work?

How do web apps handle lots of users?

What is the difference between a website and a web app?

What is SaaS?

What is an MVP and why start with one?

What is user authentication?

What is a progressive web app (PWA)?

Want this built, not just explained?