json-socket-server

Standalone Websocket Server for json-file based data storage.
Use for fake api, testing and mocking applications.

Table of contents

• Install and run
• Connect with Websocket
• Connect and Read data from a collection
• Create a new document
• Update a document
• Delete a document
• Notify from the server

Install and run

Install JSON Server

npm install -g json-socket-server

Create a db.json file with some data

{
  "users": [
    { "id": 1, "name": "Joel", "age": 23 }
  ]
}

Start JSON Server

json-socket-server db.json

Now the server is running on ws://localhost:8080

Connect with Websocket

This server only handles the Websocket connections!

Client side:

// Connect to the server.
const socketUrl = "ws://localhost:8080";
let exampleSocket = new WebSocket(socketUrl);

// Listen connection events.
exampleSocket.onopen = (ev) => {
    console.log('Socket opened: ', ev);
};
exampleSocket.onmessage = (m) => {
    let message = JSON.parse(m.data);
    console.log('Message: ', message);
};
exampleSocket.onclose = (ev) => {
    console.log('Socket closed: ', ev);
};

The full native .js example is in the examples/vanilla-js.html file.

Connect and Read data from a collection

If you connect to a collection, the server will notify you when it is changed.
Client side JAVASCRIPT code:

exampleSocket.send(JSON.stringify({type: 'read', path: 'users'}));

When collection data will changes on the server, you will get a message from it
in the onopen event.

Get one document by id

exampleSocket.send(JSON.stringify({type: 'read', path: 'users', id: 1}));

You will get a message with the selected document.

Create a new document

The code below will create a new user on the server,
then the server will save it into the .json file.

exampleSocket.send(
    JSON.stringify(
        {
            type: 'create', 
            path: 'users', 
            data: {
                name: 'Paco Rabanne',
                email: '[email protected]'
            }
        }
    )
);

If you are connected with the specified path,
the server will notify you from updates.

Update a document

The code below will update an existing document by id.

exampleSocket.send(
    JSON.stringify(
        {
            type: 'update', 
            path: 'users', 
            id: 5, 
            data: {
                id: 5, 
                name: 'Josh', 
                age: 20
            } 
        }
    )
);

If you are connected with the specified path,
the server will notify you from updates.

Delete a document

The code below will delete a document by id.

exampleSocket.send(JSON.stringify({type: 'delete', path: 'users', id: 9}));

If you are connected with the specified path,
the server will notify you from updates.

Notify from the server

When you send a create|update|delete message to the server,
the server notifies all client for the changes, if they are connected for
the updated collection. The below example shows a typical update message.

{
    type: "update",
    path: "users",
    data: [
        {
            id: 2,
            name: "Paco Rabanne",
        }
    ]
}

Don't forget to connect the collection.