Hibira vs Laravel Reverb
Reverb is the WebSocket server you run yourself; Hibira is the hosted option for the same Laravel Echo code. When each one fits.
Laravel Reverb is the first-party WebSocket server for Laravel, which you run on your own servers. Hibira is a hosted service for the same code: both speak the Pusher protocol, so Laravel Echo, routes/channels.php and your broadcast events stay the same either way.
At a glance
| Laravel Reverb | Hibira | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | You | Hibira |
| Cost | Free software, plus your servers and time | Free plan, then from $35/month |
| Setup | Process manager, TLS proxy, open-file limits, Redis for more than one server | .env values |
| Where events go | Stay on your infrastructure | Pass through Hibira's Hong Kong cluster |
| Monitoring | Laravel Pulse cards | Dashboard, debug console, webhooks |
| Push notifications | Not included | Included (Beams-compatible API) |
| Switching | Change BROADCAST_CONNECTION and Echo's broadcaster | The same, in reverse |
Reverb details are from the Laravel documentation.
When Reverb is the better fit
- You already run servers with monitoring, and one more daemon is little work.
- Broadcast events must not leave your infrastructure.
- Your users are close to your servers.
When Hibira is the better fit
- You deploy where long-running processes are awkward, such as serverless or some PaaS plans.
- Nobody wants to be paged for the WebSocket server.
- Your app is hosted far from your users in Asia; a WebSocket server near them shortens every event.
The Laravel guide has the full setup for Hibira, and the free plan covers development and small apps.
Laravel Reverb is a trademark of its owner.