Socket IO : When to use rooms and when to use namespace?

Question

Socket IO : When to use rooms and when to use namespace?

I am building an Node.js application for collaboratively editing documents. Each document will have a separate private chat (which is build using Socket.IO).

Now I am unclear on which is the correct method for restricting each chats to only the members currently editing that particular document.

Should i be using separate rooms:

io.sockets.on('connection', function (socket) {
      socket.join(documentId);
      socket.broadcast.to(documentId).emit('new member');
    });

or should i be dividing each document chat into new namespaces:

var chat = io
    .of('/chat/' + documentId)
    .on('connection', function (socket) {...}

Or is there a 3rd method that better suits my need?

node.js
socket.io

Answer 1

Socket.IO namespaces are for controlling the conduits of communication between the server and client. This would allow you to effectively use the same connection for multiple purposes.

You outline a good way to use rooms and namespaces. These should be used together in your case. It is not a one-or-the-other situation.

Finally, if you find that the built-in segmentation of messaging doesn't meet your needs, you can always write your own and simply emit when needed. I often end up going this route.