# Webhook vs WebSocket vs SSE: How to Choose

Pick a webhook when one server needs to notify another that an event happened. Pick SSE when a server needs to stream one-way updates to a connected client such as a browser. Pick a WebSocket when a client and server need continuous two-way communication. The deciding factors are direction, whether a persistent connection is needed, and whether the consumer is a backend or a browser.

## Webhooks vs SSE vs WebSockets at a glance

|  | Webhooks | SSE | WebSockets |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Direction | Server to server | Server to client (one-way) | Two-way (full duplex) |
| Connection | None, per-event HTTP | One held HTTP connection | One persistent connection |
| Best consumer | A backend service | A browser | A browser or app needing interaction |
| Classic use | Payment, order, CI events | Live feeds, progress, notifications | Chat, presence, collaboration, trading |
| Main infra concern | Delivery reliability, retries | Reconnect handling | Managing many open connections |
| Initiated by | The source | The client (then server streams) | The client (then either can send) |

## Rule of thumb

Use a webhook for backend-to-backend events, SSE for a one-way live feed to a browser, and a WebSocket for an interactive two-way session. Many real systems use more than one: webhooks bring events into your backend, then SSE or WebSockets push the resulting updates to users.

## How Hookdeck fits

Of the three, webhooks are the one where reliability is genuinely on you, because there is no open connection to recover a dropped event and the sender's retry behavior is out of your control. Hookdeck's Event Gateway is the managed layer for that side: it receives, verifies, queues, retries, and gives you searchable history for every inbound webhook, so the events feeding your real-time features are never silently lost. [Start for free](https://dashboard.hookdeck.com/signup) or try the [CLI](https://hookdeck.com/docs/cli) locally.

## Related questions

* [Webhook vs WebSocket](/webhooks/faq/webhook-vs-websocket)
* [Webhook vs Server-Sent Events (SSE)](/webhooks/faq/webhook-vs-sse)
* [When to use webhooks](/webhooks/guides/when-to-use-webhooks)