Explain the role of WebSockets in real-time web applications and the challenges associated with maintaining a persistent connection.

WebSockets provide a full-duplex communication channel over a single TCP connection, enabling real-time data transfer between clients and servers. This is essential for applications like chat apps, live updates, and online gaming. Challenges include managing connection states, handling network interruptions, ensuring security with proper authentication and encryption, and scaling WebSocket servers to handle numerous concurrent connections efficiently.