WebSocket

Vaxtly supports WebSocket connections as a first-class feature. You can create, connect, send messages, and inspect responses — all within the same collection and folder structure you use for HTTP requests.

Creating a WebSocket Connection

There are two ways to create a WebSocket connection:

1. From a collection: Right-click a collection in the sidebar → Add WebSocket
2. From a folder: Right-click a folder → Add WebSocket

A new entry appears in the sidebar with a WS badge in teal.

Connection Bar

The connection bar at the top of the WebSocket view has:

• Protocol badge — Shows WS or WSS based on the URL scheme
• URL input — Supports {{variable}} substitution from your active environment
• Connect / Disconnect button — Press Enter in the URL input to toggle connection
• Save button — Persists the URL and headers (Cmd+S)

TIP

You can use environment variables in the URL, e.g. wss://{{host}}/ws. Variables are resolved when you connect.

Sending Messages

Once connected, use the message composer at the bottom of the Messages tab:

• Text mode — Plain text input
• JSON mode — Full CodeMirror editor with syntax highlighting and a Format button to pretty-print
• Press Enter to send, Shift+Enter for a new line

NOTE

{{variable}} references in your message are resolved on the server side when the message is sent.

Message Log

All sent and received messages appear in the message log:

• ↑ (teal) — Messages you sent
• ↓ (blue) — Messages received from the server
• Each entry shows the message preview, size, and timestamp
• Click a message to expand it — JSON messages render in a syntax-highlighted CodeMirror viewer
• Use the Clear button to remove all messages from the log

Messages are persisted to the database (up to 500 per connection) so they survive app restarts.

Headers

Switch to the Headers sub-tab to configure custom headers sent during the WebSocket handshake. This uses the same key-value editor as HTTP requests.

Headers also support {{variable}} substitution.

Testing

Here are some public echo servers you can use to test:

• wss://echo.websocket.org
• wss://ws.postman-echo.com/raw
• wss://socketsbay.com/wss/v2/1/demo/

These servers echo back whatever you send, which is useful for verifying your connection and message flow.

How It Works

WebSocket connections are managed in Vaxtly's main process using the ws library. This means:

• Connections stay alive even if you switch tabs
• SSL verification respects your global Verify SSL setting
• URL schemes are auto-corrected: https:// → wss://, http:// → ws://
• WebSocket entries are stored as requests with method WEBSOCKET, so they inherit collections, folders, drag-and-drop, and remote sync