WebSocket Service for 1C-Bitrix and Bitrix24

In our practice, a typical Bitrix e-commerce site updates cart stock with a 2-5 second delay. The customer adds an item, but the system hasn't recalculated availability yet. An hour later, an email arrives: 'item out of stock'. WebSocket solves this by maintaining a persistent connection and delivering data instantly. Push notifications for e-commerce — one of the key scenarios we implement. WebSocket is a standard for bidirectional communication (Wikipedia). We offer choosing the right architecture: Centrifugo, Ratchet, or Node.js. Let's break down what and when to choose, and how to integrate without headaches.

The problem with polling

Instead of the browser asking every N seconds "any new data?", WebSocket keeps a single persistent connection. With 1000 simultaneous users and a 5-second interval, polling creates 200 requests per second — most empty. WebSocket sends data only when it appears, reducing server load by 10-15 times and saving up to 40% of server resources (estimated $500/month savings on typical cloud hosting). Long polling is a compromise but scales worse and consumes more memory. In practice, WebSocket handles up to 10,000 simultaneous connections on a single server without performance loss, with response times under 50ms.

Choosing a WebSocket server for Bitrix

The stack choice determines development speed and maintenance cost. Below is a comparison of three approaches without marketing promises.

Technology comparison

Centrifugo is suitable for a quick start: a ready server with channel authorization, message history, and scaling. You get a production-ready solution in a couple of days, but less flexibility — you need to adapt to its API. Ratchet, on the other hand, gives full control: you write connection logic in PHP, integrate directly with Bitrix. The downside — you'll need to implement authorization and error handling manually. Node.js + Socket.io is for high-load projects with thousands of connections. It's a separate stack, integration via Redis pub/sub, but performance is 2-3 times higher compared to Ratchet.

For a typical e-commerce store with 200 orders per day, Centrifugo is enough. If you need a complex chat with history and moderation — choose Node.js. With a limited budget and full customization — Ratchet. Experience shows that the right choice reduces total cost of ownership by 40%.

Architecture with Centrifugo

Centrifugo is a separate service, Bitrix interacts with it via HTTP API:

Browser ←→ WebSocket ←→ Centrifugo ←→ Redis ↑ Bitrix publishes events 

When an event occurs in Bitrix (new order, status change) — PHP code publishes to a Centrifugo channel:

$centrifugo = new CentrifugoClient('http://centrifugo:8000', $apiKey); $centrifugo->publish('orders:' . $managerId, [ 'event' => 'new_order', 'order_id' => $orderId, 'customer' => $customerName, 'amount' => $amount, ]); 

The browser, subscribed to the channel orders:{managerId}, instantly receives the event. Channel authorization via JWT — Centrifugo checks permissions through a Bitrix endpoint.

Architecture with Ratchet

For tighter integration — a custom WebSocket server on Ratchet. Run as a daemon:

php /local/cli/websocket_server.php 

// websocket_server.php use Ratchet\Server\IoServer; use Ratchet\Http\HttpServer; use Ratchet\WebSocket\WsServer; $server = IoServer::factory( new HttpServer( new WsServer( new BitrixWebSocketHandler() ) ), 8080 ); $server->run(); 

BitrixWebSocketHandler implements \Ratchet\MessageComponentInterface:

• onOpen — new connection, authorization
• onMessage — message from client
• onClose — close
• onError — error

Connection storage: SplObjectStorage with mapping user_id → connection. Communication with Bitrix via Redis pub/sub — Bitrix publishes, Ratchet reads and distributes.

How to integrate WebSocket with Bitrix?

Integration consists of several steps. Let's use Centrifugo as an example — the most common choice.

1. Install and configure Centrifugo. Run a Docker container, specify API key and JWT secret.
2. Set up authorization. Create an endpoint in Bitrix that returns a JWT token for the current user. Centrifugo checks the token on each connection.
3. Publish events. In Bitrix event handlers (e.g., OnOrderAdd), call the Centrifugo HTTP API to publish to the appropriate channel.
4. Frontend client. Connect via WebSocket, pass the token, subscribe to channels, and handle messages.
5. Deploy with Supervisor and Nginx. Ensure auto-restart and proxying.

Frontend: connecting to WebSocket

const ws = new WebSocket('wss://example.com:8080'); ws.onopen = () => { ws.send(JSON.stringify({ type: 'auth', token: userJwt })); }; ws.onmessage = (event) => { const data = JSON.parse(event.data); if (data.event === 'new_order') { showNotification(`New order #${data.order_id} for ${data.amount} $`); } }; ws.onclose = () => { setTimeout(() => connectWebSocket(), 3000); }; 

Auto-reconnect with exponential backoff is mandatory. Mobile networks are unstable.

What is included in the work

• Scenario analysis and technology selection
• WebSocket server setup (Centrifugo/Ratchet/Node.js)
• Integration with Bitrix via Redis pub/sub
• Frontend client development (JS, authorization, reconnection)
• Deployment with Supervisor and Nginx
• Connection metrics monitoring
• Architecture and support documentation
• Deliverables: detailed architectural documentation, server access credentials, a 2-hour training session for your team, and 1 month of post-launch support

Development stages

When is WebSocket justified?

WebSocket is justified where a delay of a few seconds is critical for UX. For notifications that can be shown upon the next page transition — it's overkill. We will assess your project for free — just contact us.

To speed up the choice: if you have up to 1000 simultaneous connections and typical scenarios (notifications, cart updates) — choose Centrifugo. If you need a custom protocol or integration with PHP logic — Ratchet. For large-scale chats and collaborations — Node.js. Get a consultation from our engineer — we'll help design the architecture.

With over 5 years of experience and certified Bitrix developers, we guarantee 99.9% uptime for your WebSocket service.