SSE
Server-Sent Events
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
SSE is just the abbreviation for Server-Sent Events. Same thing — the server streams updates to you over a persistent connection. You've seen this if you've used ChatGPT: those words appearing one by one are SSE messages streaming from the server.
Real Talk
SSE is the abbreviated form of Server-Sent Events. The EventSource API is the browser interface for consuming SSE. It automatically handles reconnection with a Last-Event-ID header. Supported natively in all modern browsers without extra libraries.
When You'll Hear This
"The AI response uses SSE to stream tokens." / "EventSource is the browser API for consuming SSE."
Related Terms
Long Polling
Long polling is a hack to fake real-time updates before WebSocket existed. Your client asks 'any new messages?
Server-Sent Events
Server-Sent Events (SSE) is like subscribing to a news feed from the server.
WebSocket
WebSocket is like upgrading a walkie-talkie from push-to-talk to a full phone call.