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Comparison guide

Faye-websocket vs Ws

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Ws

241.0 B gzipped

Most Popular

Ws

327.0M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Ws

100/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Faye-websocket

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Ws

Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality

  1. faye-websocket

    Standards-compliant WebSocket server and client

    36.9M weekly downloads · 15.2 KB gzip · Health 61/100

    0
  2. ws

    Simple to use, blazing fast and thoroughly tested websocket client and server for Node.js

    327.0M weekly downloads · 241.0 B gzip · Health 85/100

    0

Choosing between Faye-websocket and Ws? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.

Downloads & Popularity

Ws leads with 327.0M weekly downloads — roughly 8.9x more. Faye-websocket has 36.9M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Ws has the smallest gzipped bundle at 241.0 B. Faye-websocket comes in at 15.2 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Ws has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Faye-websocket has an overall health score of 61/100 (good), with strong security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose Faye-websocket if you value massive community and ecosystem, strong security track record. Choose Ws if you value massive community and ecosystem, minimal bundle footprint, actively maintained, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Faye-websocket and Ws are solid choices for JavaScript development. Ws has the edge in overall health score (85/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is faye-websocket better than ws?
It depends on your needs. Faye-websocket has a health score of 61/100 while Ws scores 85/100. Ws has more recorded weekly downloads (327.0M). Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, faye-websocket or ws?
Ws has the smaller gzipped bundle at 241.0 B. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use faye-websocket vs ws?
Ws has more recorded weekly downloads (327.0M). Download counts reflect package installations, not unique developers.
Which is better maintained, faye-websocket or ws?
Ws has a maintenance score of 100/100. Faye-websocket scores 20/100 and Ws scores 100/100 on maintenance.

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