# WebSocket Tester

Connect to any WebSocket (ws:// or wss://) endpoint from your browser, send and receive messages, and inspect open/close/error events with codes — ideal for debugging real-time APIs and sockets

> Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/websocket-tester

- **Category:** Development

- **Keywords:** websocket, ws, socket, socket tester, realtime, wss, ws client, websocket client, socket debug, live message, events

## Overview

The WebSocket Tester is an interactive browser-based client that allows you to establish connections to any ws:// or wss:// endpoint. It enables you to send and receive real-time messages, configure subprotocols, toggle auto-reconnection, and inspect connection events like open, close, and error codes directly from your browser.

## Inputs

- **WebSocket URL** (text): wss://echo.websocket.events
- **Subprotocol (optional)** (text): e.g. chat, graphql-ws
- **Auto-reconnect on unexpected close** (checkbox)

## When to use

- When developing or debugging real-time APIs, chat applications, or live data feeds that rely on WebSocket connections.
- When you need to verify if a remote WebSocket server is reachable and accepting connections without writing custom client-side code.
- When testing how your WebSocket server handles connection drops, subprotocol negotiations, or specific payload formats.

## How it works

- Enter the target WebSocket URL (starting with ws:// or wss://) and optionally specify a subprotocol.
- Click connect to establish a live connection, with the option to enable auto-reconnect if the connection drops unexpectedly.
- Send text payloads directly to the server and view incoming messages, connection status changes, and error events in the real-time log.

## Use cases

- Testing a real-time chat server by sending JSON payloads and verifying immediate broadcast responses.
- Debugging a live financial data feed to ensure the connection remains stable and correctly parses incoming updates.
- Verifying subprotocol negotiation on a custom GraphQL subscription endpoint.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I connect to both secure and insecure WebSocket endpoints?

Yes, the tool supports both unencrypted ws:// and secure encrypted wss:// protocols.

### What is the purpose of the subprotocol option?

It allows you to specify application-level protocols (like graphql-ws or chat) that the server and client agree to use during the handshake.

### How does the auto-reconnect feature work?

If enabled, the client will automatically attempt to re-establish the connection if the socket closes unexpectedly.

### Can I inspect connection errors and close codes?

Yes, the event log displays connection status changes, including specific close codes and error events.

### Does this tool send my WebSocket data to a third-party server?

No, the connection is established directly from your browser to the specified WebSocket endpoint.

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## Samples

- [WebSocket Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/websocket): Real-time communication examples using WebSocket protocol including chat, notifications, and live data streaming
- [Web Image Processing Python Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/web-image-processing-python): Web Python image processing examples using PIL/Pillow including reading, saving, resizing, and format conversion
- [Android Image Processing Java Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/android-image-processing-java): Android Java image processing examples including reading/saving images, scaling, and format conversion
- [Android Image Processing Kotlin Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/android-image-processing-kotlin): Android Kotlin image processing examples including reading/saving images, scaling, and format conversion

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