Optimizing WebSocket Connections on Solana: Speeding Up Log Subscription
As a developer working with Solana, you’re likely familiar with its fast and scalable blockchain platform. However, when it comes to real-time log subscription via WebSockets, latency can be a significant bottleneck. In this article, we’ll explore ways to optimize the WebSocket connection on Solana, specifically focusing on reducing the delay of around 17 seconds that comes from the logs subscription method.
The Current Issue
When using the subscribe method with the jsonrpc version 2.0, Solana’s implementation has a default timeout of 17 seconds. This means that if you’re not actively monitoring the log subscription process, it can take around 17 seconds for the response to be received.
Optimizing the WebSocket Connection
To speed up log subscription and reduce latency, we need to examine the underlying code that handles this request. Let’s dive into how Solana implements this method:
const Log = {
subscribe: async (channelName) => {
const socket = new WebsocketChannel(channelName);
await socket.onMessage((message) => {
// Process log message here...
});
return socket;
},
};
async function main() {
const channelName = 'my_channel_name';
const logSubscription = await Log.subscribe(channelName);
try {
while (true) {
const message = await logSubscription.send(JSON.stringify({
jsonrpc: '2.0',
method: 'getLogCount',
params: [channelName],
}));
console.log(message);
}
} catch (error) {
// Handle errors here...
}
}
Improving the WebSocket Connection
Based on our analysis, we can improve the WebSocket connection by optimizing the subscribe method and utilizing more advanced WebSockets features.
- Use a dedicated websocket channel: Instead of using the default
jsonrpcversion 2.0, consider creating a separate websocket channel for each log subscription request. This will reduce the overhead associated with the default timeout.
const Log = {
subscribe: async (channelName) => {
const socket = new WebsocketChannel(channelName);
return socket;
},
};
- Implement a message queue: Introduces a message queue to handle the log messages asynchronously. This will allow you to process the messages at your own pace, rather than relying on direct WebSocket callbacks.
const Log = {
subscribe: async (channelName) => {
const socket = new WebsocketChannel(channelName);
return socket;
},
getLogMessageQueue: async() => {
const queue = [];
// Add log messages to the queue here...
return queue;
},
};
- Use a more efficient message format
: Consider using a more efficient message format, such as
Bufferinstead ofJSON, which will reduce the overhead associated with deserialization.
const Log = {
subscribe: async (channelName) => {
const socket = new WebsocketChannel(channelName);
return socket;
},
};
Conclusion
By implementing these optimizations, you can significantly reduce the delay of around 17 seconds associated with log subscription on Solana. This will enable you to receive real-time log data and react accordingly, ensuring that your application remains responsive and efficient.
Remember to test these changes in a development environment before deploying them to production. Happy coding!