Veksi.org

Technology description

Info

This site shows how to initiate a message from the web server side. Typically the Internet operates in a way that you send a request to a web page and then you will receive the response.

This site works the same way until you click the Join the conversation button. As soon you have clicked the join button your browser starts to listen the Veksi.org webserver for more information. As other participants send messages you will receive the messages immediately.

Environment description

This site runs on Apache webserver and the content is delivered you by Tomcat Servlet engine. Regular web pages such as this one for this site are delivered to you by Apache server, which fetches the contents from Tomcat by AJP communication protocol.

As you click the join button the browser start to listen the server messages, which happen through the WebSocket protocol. The Apache-Tomcat connection does not support this.

Protocol change

The Websocket communication requires a protocol change. This is handled by HTTP response code 101 and it is not supported by AJP communication protocol between Apache and Tomcat.

Thus the javascript component initiated by the index.jsp communicates directly to the Tomcat servlet engine through different port ie. 8443.

Security and SSL

This site uses AutoSSL certificates, which are automatically updated. The automatic SSL certificates work only with Apache webserver. Tomcat certificates require a manual update, which will expire by the end of May 2024.