WebSocket

A WebSocket request opens a lasting connection and shows every message in both directions. You connect once, then send as many messages as you like from the composer.

Create a WebSocket request

In the Collection sidebar, open the New menu (+) and choose New WebSocket. The request has these tabs: Params, Headers, Auth, Settings and Docs. There is no Body tab: messages are typed in the composer below the message log. There are no scripts either; scripts run for HTTP requests only.

URL

URL	Connection
`ws://host[:port]/path`	Plain WebSocket (port 80 by default).
`wss://host[:port]/path`	WebSocket over TLS (port 443 by default).
`http://…`, `https://…`	Treated as `ws://` and `wss://`.
`host/path`	No scheme means `ws://`.

Anything after # is dropped. {{variables}} and query parameters work as in HTTP requests.

Connect and disconnect

Press Connect (or Mod+Enter). The log shows Connecting to …, then Connected · 101 Switching Protocols · 38 ms, or the error. Disconnect sends a close frame with code 1000; when the server doesn’t answer it within 5 seconds, the connection is dropped anyway.

The status next to the log reads Not connected, Connecting…, Connected or Disconnected, with counts of sent and received messages. When the server closes the connection, the log shows it with the close code and reason, for example Disconnected by server (code 1001 · going away).

The upgrade request

Connecting sends an HTTP GET upgrade request. Its headers are:

Header	Value
`Host`	The URL’s host (and port), or your own `Host` header.
`Connection`, `Upgrade`	`Upgrade`, `websocket`.
`Sec-WebSocket-Version`, `Sec-WebSocket-Key`	`13` and a fresh key.
Your headers	Everything from the Headers tab, the folder and workspace headers, and the Auth header. `Connection`, `Upgrade`, `Sec-WebSocket-Version`, `Sec-WebSocket-Key` and `Content-Length` from your headers are ignored.
`User-Agent`	Zorvik’s, unless you set one or default headers are off in Settings.
`Cookie`	Cookies from the cookie jar for this host (unless you set a `Cookie` header). `Set-Cookie` on the upgrade response is saved to the jar.

To ask for a subprotocol, add a Sec-WebSocket-Protocol header, for example graphql-transport-ws or mqtt. To send an Origin, add an Origin header.

Sending messages

The composer at the bottom has three modes:

Mode	Sends	Notes
Text	A text frame	`{{variables}}` are replaced when you send.
JSON	A text frame	Like Text, with JSON highlighting.
Binary (hex)	A binary frame	Type hex bytes such as `48 65 6c 6c 6f`, `48:65:6c` or `0x48,0x65`. Variables are not replaced.

Press Send or Mod+Enter. Send is available while connected and the composer is not empty. The composer text is saved with the request, so it is still there next time.

The message log

Each row shows the direction (sent or received), the time, a binary, ping or pong badge where it applies, the start of the payload and its size. Click a row to see the whole payload: JSON is pretty-printed, binary data is shown as hex, and a copy button copies it. The filter box searches the payloads; the bin icon clears the log.

Pings from the server are answered automatically, and show up in the log.

Limits and network

Message size: incoming messages up to 64 MB, frames up to 16 MB.
Timeout: the request’s timeout (in its Settings tab, or the app default) limits connecting and the handshake. An open connection has no time limit.
Proxy: when an HTTP proxy applies to the host, both ws:// and wss:// go through a CONNECT tunnel.
TLS: wss:// is verified like HTTPS, with this computer’s trusted certificates and Settings → Certificates (including a client certificate for mutual TLS). See TLS & certificates.

Saved format

name: Chat
kind: websocket
url: wss://chat.example.com/socket?room=general
headers:
  - key: Sec-WebSocket-Protocol
    value: chat.v1
body:
  type: text
  text: '{"type": "hello", "user": "{{userName}}"}'

body.text holds the composer text and body.type the composer mode (text or json).