Websocat

WebSocat

• WebSocket is a two-way communication protocol over a TCP.
• Websocat is a tool that allows to use WebSocket client or server via command line.
• It can operate in client mode and connect to WebSocket server or operate in server mode and accept connections from WebSocket clients.

Installation

1. Install Websocat
   • Download the latest Websocat executable file from the releases page in GitHub repository:

     sudo wget -qO /usr/local/bin/websocat https://github.com/vi/websocat/releases/latest/download/websocat.x86_64-unknown-linux-musl
     

2. Set execute permission:

   sudo chmod a+x /usr/local/bin/websocat
   

3. Now websocat will be available for all users as a system-wide command. Check the version using the below command:

   websocat --version
   

Testing Websocat

• We can run the websocat command and provide WebSocket server URL as argument to connect to the server.
• For example, the following command connects to public WebSocket echo server:

  websocat wss://echo.websocket.events
  

• Now you can type something and press the Enter key. A server will send the same message back.

user@linuxhost:~$ websocat wss://echo.websocket.events
echo.websocket.events sponsored by Lob.com
Hellow
Hellow
ABC
ABC

Press CTRL+C to quit.

Testing Locally:

1. The -s option can be used to start WebSocket server. Provide the port number as argument.

   websocat -s 8080
   

2: Now open another terminal on your system and run the following command to connect to local WebSocket server:

websocat ws://127.0.0.1:8080

Uninstall Websocat

• If you wish to remove Websocat, delete the executable file:

  sudo rm -rf /usr/local/bin/websocat