Ajax instant messaging (web-based)

Question

Just wondering: Would it be acceptable to start some simple Ajax instant messaging (web-based) for a large social network service (considering thousands of registered users)? I am new to this, so I'm just wondering. What if to check for a new message every two or three seconds?

Edited: Could a plain shared server handle so many requests every so often? And yes, I would roll my own program.

Answer 1

It doesn't make sense to write your own, unless you have some unique requirements, but whether the server can handle this largely depends on the server language and webserver setup, as to how well it scales.

You will need to do some heavy load testing, to ensure that the high load that is expected will work, as your traffic will be very heavy. For example, if your social networking site is soccer related, then during the World Cup you may expect to see more traffic than Wed mornings.

If you asked the question with:

1. I want to use language X.
2. I want to use webserver Y.
3. I am using this framework for the webservice.
4. I would like to accept voice recordings and webcam recordings over IM, as well as text.

How well will this scale on my one 1GHz server?

Answer 2

If you manage to make a peer-to-peer (P2P) browser-embedded chat, than even a shared hosting will do for dozens of thousands of simultaneous users :) :)

Answer 3

There're many web im client based on standard XMPP protocol. You could try iJab[code.google.com/p/ijab/] or JWChat[www.jwchat.org].