WebSockets vs get_states API for real-time tracking data
Question
WebSockets vs tracker/get_states. Which should I use for real-time tracking data?
Answer
Developing third‑party software may require reading real-time tracking data. There are two main methods you can use:
WebSockets
tracker/get_states API method
In most cases, WebSockets is what you want to implement. WebSockets natively support real‑time connections for reading GPS-related device data.
The get_states method is more for getting the last known valid GPS data. However, if you cannot use WebSockets in your application for some reason, you can set up polling for GPS data using get_states.
WebSockets
Pros:
Natively supports real‑time connections
A fast and reliable way of getting real‑time tracking data
Doesn’t load the API in terms of requests per second (unlike polling)
Cons:
May be harder to implement compared to a simple HTTP request API usage
get_states
Pros:
Simple HTTP request
Cons:
Doesn’t support real‑time updates (requires polling)
In a real‑time scenario, each API call loads the platform in terms of allowed requests per second
