Subject: [hybi] Subprotocol rationale

From: Dario Crivelli <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:50:41 +0100

Hi,

May anyone provide me with a clarification on the WebSocket protocol?
I would like to leverage the "subprotocol" feature to let a client and a
server agree on the way they will be interacting on a WebSocket.
I see that the specification states that the "subprotocol names should be
registered", though it is said within a "non normative" section.

My aim, on the other hand, is to use custom subprotocol names, as I
understand that subprotocols are only known to the server and to the client
application.
In fact, nowhere do I see in the specification that a subprotocol name
should be accepted only if it is registered.
This makes me assume that a server is allowed to define custom subprotocols
with the same degree of freedom with which it decides which
"resource-names" it can supply.

However, I would like to be assured that this is your express will;
in other words: that no one between the client application and the
WebSocket server (and the browser, in particular)
a) may reject a request because of the protocol name only;
b) may do any protocol-specific processing, even in case of a registered
protocol name.

Thanks
--
Dario Crivelli
Software Architect
www.lightstreamer.com :: Weswit Srl <[email-masked]>