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Pushpin

A proxy server that pins client connections open to make building realtime API endpoints

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Pushpin is a proxy server for realtime APIs that keeps client connections open so backends can stream responses. It supports HTTP streaming, HTTP long-polling, and WebSockets, and can translate from SockJS for older browsers. Clients continue to communicate using your API contract, so Pushpin remains a server-side detail that can be added or removed without breaking clients.

Because it sits in front of your web service, the backend can be written in any language or framework, with convenience libraries available for integration. Pushpin interprets Grip headers such as Grip-Hold and Grip-Channel without exposing them to clients, and a push command publishes data to channels. It can also work with API management systems for authentication and analytics, and supports stateless development, microservices with per-service instances, and horizontal scaling by adding instances. Source code is available for download, with documentation and community resources linked from the site.

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