.. image:: logo/horizontal.svg
:width: 480px
:alt: websockets
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:target: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/websockets
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:target: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/websockets
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:target: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/websockets
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:target: https://github.com/aaugustin/websockets/actions/workflows/tests.yml
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:target: https://websockets.readthedocs.io/
What is websockets?
websockets is a library for building WebSocket servers_ and clients_ in
Python with a focus on correctness and simplicity.
.. _servers: https://github.com/aaugustin/websockets/blob/main/example/server.py
.. _clients: https://github.com/aaugustin/websockets/blob/main/example/client.py
Built on top of asyncio, Python's standard asynchronous I/O framework, it
provides an elegant coroutine-based API.
Documentation is available on Read the Docs. <https://websockets.readthedocs.io/>_
Here's how a client sends and receives messages:
.. copy-pasted because GitHub doesn't support the include directive
.. code:: python
#!/usr/bin/env python
import asyncio
from websockets import connect
async def hello(uri):
async with connect(uri) as websocket:
await websocket.send("Hello world!")
await websocket.recv()
asyncio.run(hello("ws://localhost:8765"))
And here's an echo server:
.. code:: python
#!/usr/bin/env python
import asyncio
from websockets import serve
async def echo(websocket, path):
async for message in websocket:
await websocket.send(message)
async def main():
async with serve(echo, "localhost", 8765):
await asyncio.Future() # run forever
asyncio.run(main())
Does that look good?
Get started with the tutorial! <https://websockets.readthedocs.io/en/stable/intro.html>_
.. raw:: html
<hr>
<img align="left" height="150" width="150" src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aaugustin/websockets/main/logo/tidelift.png">
<h3 align="center"><i>websockets for enterprise</i></h3>
<p align="center"><i>Available as part of the Tidelift Subscription</i></p>
<p align="center"><i>The maintainers of websockets and thousands of other packages are working with Tidelift to deliver commercial support and maintenance for the open source dependencies you use to build your applications. Save time, reduce risk, and improve code health, while paying the maintainers of the exact dependencies you use. <a href="https://tidelift.com/subscription/pkg/pypi-websockets?utm_source=pypi-websockets&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=readme">Learn more.</a></i></p>
<hr>
<p>(If you contribute to <code>websockets</code> and would like to become an official support provider, <a href="https://fractalideas.com/">let me know</a>.)</p>
Why should I use websockets?
The development of websockets is shaped by four principles:
-
Simplicity: all you need to understand is
msg = await ws.recv()and
await ws.send(msg);websocketstakes care of managing connections
so you can focus on your application. -
Robustness:
websocketsis built for production; for example it was
the only library tohandle backpressure correctly_ before the issue
became widely known in the Python community. -
Quality:
websocketsis heavily tested. Continuous integration fails
under 100% branch coverage. Also it passes the industry-standardAutobahn Testsuite_. -
Performance: memory usage is configurable. An extension written in C
accelerates expensive operations. It's pre-compiled for Linux, macOS and
Windows and packaged in the wheel format for each system and Python version.
Documentation is a first class concern in the project. Head over to Read the Docs_ and see for yourself.
.. _Read the Docs: https://websockets.readthedocs.io/
.. _handle backpressure correctly: https://vorpus.org/blog/some-thoughts-on-asynchronous-api-design-in-a-post-asyncawait-world/#websocket-servers
.. _Autobahn Testsuite: https://github.com/aaugustin/websockets/blob/main/compliance/README.rst
Why shouldn't I use websockets?
- If you prefer callbacks over coroutines:
websocketswas created to
provide the best coroutine-based API to manage WebSocket connections in
Python. Pick another library for a callback-based API. - If you're looking for a mixed HTTP / WebSocket library:
websocketsaims
at being an excellent implementation of :rfc:6455: The WebSocket Protocol
and :rfc:7692: Compression Extensions for WebSocket. Its support for HTTP
is minimal — just enough for a HTTP health check. - If you want to use Python 2:
websocketsbuilds uponasynciowhich
only works on Python 3.websocketsrequires Python ≥ 3.7.
What else?
Bug reports, patches and suggestions are welcome!
To report a security vulnerability, please use the Tidelift security contact_. Tidelift will coordinate the fix and disclosure.
.. _Tidelift security contact: https://tidelift.com/security
For anything else, please open an issue_ or send a pull request_.
.. _issue: https://github.com/aaugustin/websockets/issues/new
.. _pull request: https://github.com/aaugustin/websockets/compare/
Participants must uphold the Contributor Covenant code of conduct_.
.. _Contributor Covenant code of conduct: https://github.com/aaugustin/websockets/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
websockets is released under the BSD license_.
.. _BSD license: https://github.com/aaugustin/websockets/blob/main/LICENSE