The invention includes a publish/subscribe system for publish/subscribe messaging utilizing pre-emptive subscriptions in a cluster of HTTP servers that includes load balancing. The system includes at least one HTTP client in a role of HTTP subscriber, and a set HTTP servers arranged as an HTTP server cluster in communication with each other and the at least one HTTP client in a network infrastructure, where each HTTP server is subscribed to a special topic: admin/subscriptions, maintains a subscription to requested topics for a client and a message history of messages published on that topic. Each server can serve messages to different HTTP clients at different times based on the HTTP client's “cursor” in the HTTP server's message history list, and wherein any HTTP client request for a “next” message on a given requested topic will follow their cursor progress through the message history list.