Centrifugo
Centrifugo is an open-source realtime messaging server that instantly delivers messages to application users connected over WebSocket, HTTP-streaming, SSE, WebTransport, or GRPC. It handles persistent connections and efficient broadcasting for chat, multiplayer games, live comments, and collaborative tools.
Overview
| Category | Realtime |
| Ecosystem | Language-agnostic |
| Self-Hostable | Yes |
| On-Prem | No |
| Best For | startup, growth, enterprise |
| Last Verified | 2026-02-13 |
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths:- performance
- customization
- dx
- Self-hosted only - requires operational overhead
When to Use
Best when:- You need a self-hosted realtime pub/sub server
- You require multiple transport protocols support
- You want language-agnostic real-time infrastructure
- You prefer fully managed cloud services
- You need out-of-the-box user management and authentication