Building a Real-Time Dashboard with Nexbic

Introduction

Real-time dashboards are essential for monitoring key metrics and making data-driven decisions. In this tutorial, we'll walk through building a real-time analytics dashboard using Nexbic's WebSocket API.

By the end of this guide, you'll have a fully functional dashboard that updates in real time, complete with authentication, live data streams, and reactive visualizations.

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you have:

• A Nexbic account (free tier works fine)
• Node.js 18+ installed
• Basic familiarity with JavaScript and React

Setting Up Your Nexbic Project

First, create a new project in the Nexbic dashboard. Navigate to the API Keys section and generate a new key with WebSocket access enabled. This key will authenticate your real-time connections.

Next, install the Nexbic client SDK in your project:

npm install @nexbic/sdk

Creating the WebSocket Connection

With your API key ready, establish a WebSocket connection to the Nexbic real-time endpoint. The SDK handles reconnection, heartbeats, and backpressure automatically.

The connection will stream events as they happen, with automatic fallback to polling if WebSockets are unavailable. This ensures your dashboard stays up to date regardless of network conditions.

Building the Dashboard UI

With real-time data flowing in, we can build reactive components that update instantly. Use your favorite frontend framework to create charts, tables, and metrics that respond to live data.

Nexbic's SDK includes React hooks for seamless integration, but you can use any framework or vanilla JavaScript.

Conclusion

You now have a real-time dashboard powered by Nexbic. The same pattern works for live chat, monitoring tools, collaborative apps, and more. Check out the SDK documentation for advanced features like presence detection and message persistence.