Is there any option for setInterval()?

Question

I am reading a file continuously after a some time as

setInterval(function(){
    $.getJSON("json/someFile.json", function(data){
        // Some code
    });
}, 5000);

I am reading this file continuously after a delay as it is getting updated in other part of the code. I want to avoid using setInterval().

Is there any way, by which I will be able to know that the file is updated and read it only when it is updated.

Answer 1

Firstly, setInterval is a native JavaScript method. It does not come from jQuery. Second what you've done is called polling. Meaning that you request some information periodically in order to keep it up to date. The alternative is using a WebSockets. Websockets are a two way connection between the client and the server, which can both push and receive messages. This way, you can send a socket message to the client whenever the file is updated in the backend.