RSS vs. The Emerging Web Standards - Which Will Reign Supreme?

While RSS has been a widely adopted web feed format for over two decades, there are concerns that it may become obsolete in the face of emerging technologies and trends. In this article, we will explore some of the newest, modern, emerging web standards that could potentially replace RSS in the years to come.

1. JSON Feed

JSON Feed is a relatively new web feed format that has gained popularity in recent years. It uses the JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) data format instead of XML, which makes it easier to read and write by developers. JSON Feed also supports multimedia content, such as podcasts and videos, which makes it more versatile than RSS.

JSON Feed: https://jsonfeed.org/

2. WebSub

WebSub (formerly known as PubSubHubbub) is a protocol for delivering real-time content updates to subscribers. It is designed to replace the polling mechanism used by RSS and other web feed formats, which can be inefficient and resource-intensive. With WebSub, publishers can push updates to subscribers in real-time, which enables faster and more efficient content delivery.

WebSub: https://www.w3.org/TR/websub/

3. ActivityPub

ActivityPub is a decentralized social networking protocol that allows different social networking platforms to communicate with each other. It is designed to replace centralized social networking platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, with a more open and decentralized model. ActivityPub supports the syndication of web feeds, which makes it a potential alternative to RSS for content distribution.

ActivityPub: https://www.w3.org/TR/activitypub/

4. GraphQL

GraphQL is a query language for APIs that enables more efficient data retrieval and manipulation. It allows developers to specify exactly what data they need, which reduces the amount of data transferred over the network. GraphQL can be used to retrieve web feed data, which makes it a potential alternative to RSS for content distribution.

GraphQL: https://graphql.org/

5. AMP

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is a web page format designed for fast and efficient mobile browsing. It uses a subset of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to deliver lightweight and streamlined web pages. AMP includes support for web feeds, which makes it a potential alternative to RSS for content distribution on mobile devices.

AMP: https://amp.dev/