WebSocket Support

Interactive WebSocket client with dual-pane TUI, message history, and variable resolution.

Quick Start

WEBSOCKET ws://localhost:8080
Authorization: Bearer token123

### Ping
> {"type": "ping"}
<

Execute: restcli file.ws

File Format

Connection

WEBSOCKET url
Header-Name: value
# @subprotocol protocol-name

Connection-level configuration. Headers sent during WebSocket handshake. Subprotocol negotiates application protocol.

Messages

### Message Name
# @type text|json|binary
# @timeout 30
> content
<

### separates messages
> sends message
< receives/waits for response
Type: text (default), json, binary
Timeout in seconds (optional)

TLS Configuration

# @tls.certFile path/to/cert.pem
# @tls.keyFile path/to/key.pem
# @tls.caFile path/to/ca.pem
# @tls.insecureSkipVerify true

Client certificate authentication for wss:// connections. Inherits from profile if not specified.

TUI Mode

Interactive dual-pane interface:

Left: Message history with timestamps, direction indicators
Right: Predefined messages from .ws file

Real-time updates. Connection status with color indicators:

Green (●) Connected
Yellow (◐) Connecting
Gray (○) Disconnected
Red (✖) Error

Keyboard Shortcuts

j/k, ↑/↓ - Navigate messages or scroll history
Tab - Switch focus between panes
gg - Jump to top
G - Jump to bottom
Ctrl+d - Page down
Ctrl+u - Page up

Actions

Enter - Send selected message
r - Connect/reconnect
d - Disconnect
i - Compose custom message (when connected)
c - Copy last message to clipboard
C - Clear message history (with confirmation)
e - Export history to JSON
/ - Search messages
q, Esc - Close WebSocket modal

Search Mode

Type to filter messages
Enter - Keep filter active
Esc - Clear filter

Composer Mode

Type custom message
Enter - Send
Esc - Cancel

Variable Resolution

Messages support variable substitution from profiles, sessions, and environment:

### Auth Message
> {"token": "{{auth_token}}", "user": "{{username}}"}
<

Resolution occurs at send time. Errors shown as system messages.

Profile Integration

Headers

Profile headers merge with .ws file headers. File headers override profile headers.

# profile.yaml
headers:
  Authorization: Bearer default-token

# File headers override profile
WEBSOCKET wss://api.example.com
Authorization: Bearer {{api_key}}

TLS

# @tls.certFile client.pem
# @tls.keyFile client-key.pem
# @tls.caFile ca.pem

Profile TLS configuration inherited if not specified in .ws file.

Message Types

Text

### Simple Text
> Hello, server!
<

Default type. Sent as WebSocket text frame.

JSON

### JSON Data
# @type json
> {"action": "subscribe", "channel": "updates"}
<

Validated and formatted in message history.

Binary

### Binary Data
# @type binary
> base64-encoded-data
<

Sent as WebSocket binary frame.

Subprotocols

Negotiate application protocols during handshake:

WEBSOCKET ws://localhost:8082
# @subprotocol chat

### Chat Message
> {"type": "message", "text": "Hello"}
<

Server must support requested subprotocol. Common protocols: chat, json-rpc, graphql-ws.

Advanced Features

Message Search

Press / to filter message history:

Case-insensitive search
Searches content, direction, type
Enter keeps filter
Esc clears filter

Message Export

Press e to export message history:

JSON format with timestamps
Filename: websocket-messages-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.json
Includes all sent/received/system messages
Preserves direction and type

Persistent Connections

Single connection for multiple messages:

Bidirectional real-time communication
Reconnect with r key
Clean disconnect with d key

Timeout

### Long Operation
# @timeout 60
> {"action": "process"}
<

Per-message timeout in seconds. Default: 30s.

Examples

Echo Server

WEBSOCKET ws://localhost:8080

### Echo Test
> Hello, WebSocket!
<

### JSON Echo
> {"message": "test"}
<

Authenticated Connection

WEBSOCKET wss://api.example.com
Authorization: Bearer {{access_token}}

### Subscribe
> {"action": "subscribe", "topic": "notifications"}
<

Chat Protocol

WEBSOCKET ws://localhost:8082
# @subprotocol chat

### Join
> {"type": "join", "user": "{{username}}"}
<

### Send Message
> {"type": "message", "text": "Hello"}
<

JSON-RPC

WEBSOCKET ws://localhost:8082
# @subprotocol json-rpc

### Echo Method
> {"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "echo", "params": {"msg": "test"}, "id": 1}
<

### Ping
> {"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "ping", "id": 2}
<

WebSocket