websocat
A command-line WebSocket client and server, like netcat or curl for ws:// with socat-style features.
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1 more ways to get websocat
Package managers
- Homebrew
brew install websocat
About websocat
websocat connects to WebSocket endpoints from the terminal, so you can type messages and see replies, pipe data in and out, or script tests against a ws:// or wss:// server. It works like netcat or curl for WebSockets, and adds socat-style functions for connecting WebSockets to other kinds of sockets and streams.
It is written in Rust and can also run from a Docker image. It suits developers and administrators debugging WebSocket services or bridging them to other tools.
Strengths
- Quick interactive testing of WebSocket endpoints
- Works in pipes and shell scripts
- Socat-like bridging between WebSockets and other streams
Limitations
- Command line only
- Advanced options take time to learn
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source.
- License
- Open source, license not stated
- Developer
- Vitaly Shukela
- Platforms
- Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Best suited for
- Debugging and scripting WebSocket connections from a terminal
- Categories
- Network tools, API clients, Developer tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to websocat
Compare allSoftware that can replace websocat for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
WebSocket King
A web-based client for connecting to, testing and debugging WebSocket servers.
WebSocket King tests WebSocket servers in the browser with nothing to install, but is not open source and cannot be used in pipes or shell scripts.
Hoppscotch
A fast API client that runs in a browser tab, with a self-hostable workspace if you want one.
Hoppscotch tests WebSocket endpoints from a browser tab or desktop app under MIT, but offers no piping into shell scripts or socat-style stream bridging.
Firecamp
An open-source API client for testing REST, GraphQL, WebSocket and Socket.IO requests in the browser.
Firecamp is an open-source browser client covering WebSocket and Socket.IO with a guest mode, trading scripting in pipes for a graphical interface.
Insomnia
An API client for REST, GraphQL and gRPC that can keep everything local or sync through Git instead of a cloud.
Insomnia is a graphical Apache-2.0 client supporting WebSockets alongside REST, GraphQL and gRPC, though it cannot act as a WebSocket server or work in pipes.
Yaak
An offline-first API client for REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSockets and SSE, with requests stored as files you can commit to git.
Yaak is an MIT-licensed desktop client with WebSocket support plus REST, GraphQL and gRPC, trading command-line scripting for a graphical interface.
kulala.nvim
A Neovim plugin for sending HTTP, GraphQL, gRPC and WebSocket requests from .http files.
kulala.nvim sends WebSocket requests from .http files inside Neovim under MIT, keeping work in the editor but losing server mode and shell pipelines.
Kreya
Desktop client for gRPC, REST, GraphQL, WebSocket and SSE APIs.
Kreya is a closed-source freemium desktop client supporting WebSocket along with gRPC, REST and SSE, using a graphical interface instead of the terminal.
websocat as an alternative
Listings that name websocat as an alternative.
netcat
The original TCP and UDP swiss army knife.
websocat applies the netcat model to WebSocket connections, with socat-style bridging between WebSockets and other streams from the command line.
Packet Sender
A utility for sending and receiving TCP, UDP, SSL and DTLS packets to test network services.
websocat covers WebSocket connections specifically from the command line, working in pipes and scripts, rather than plain TCP, UDP, SSL and DTLS packets.
socat
Multipurpose relay that connects almost any two data channels.
websocat offers socat-style bridging focused on WebSockets, useful for ws:// endpoints in scripts, rather than connecting arbitrary channel types.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
curl
Command-line tool for transferring data with URLs, supporting dozens of protocols.
MQTTX
A desktop, web and command-line MQTT client for testing brokers, topics and messages.
HTTPie
Human-friendly command line HTTP client with colourised output.
grpcurl
Call gRPC services from the terminal using JSON input.
