# socket

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [connect-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect-full.txt)

---
title: socket
latest-connect-version: 4.93.0
latest-operator-version: v26.1.4
latest-console-tag: v3.7.3
latest-redpanda-tag: v26.1.9
docname: inputs/socket
page-component-name: connect
page-version: master
page-component-version: master
page-component-title: Connect
page-relative-src-path: inputs/socket.adoc
page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/rp-connect-docs/edit/main/modules/components/pages/inputs/socket.adoc
page-git-created-date: "2024-05-24"
page-git-modified-date: "2026-05-26"
---

<!-- Source: https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/components/inputs/socket.md -->

**Type:** Input ▼

[Input](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/components/inputs/socket/)[Output](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/components/outputs/socket/)

**Available in:** Self-Managed

Connects to a tcp or unix socket and consumes a continuous stream of messages.

```yml
inputs:
  label: ""
  socket:
    network: "" # No default (required)
    address: "" # No default (required)
    auto_replay_nacks: true
    open_message_mapping: "" # No default (optional)
    scanner:
      lines: {}
```

## [](#fields)Fields

### [](#address)`address`

The address to connect to.

**Type**: `string`

```yaml
# Examples:
address: /tmp/benthos.sock

# ---

address: 127.0.0.1:6000
```

### [](#auto_replay_nacks)`auto_replay_nacks`

Whether messages that are rejected (nacked) at the output level should be automatically replayed indefinitely, eventually resulting in back pressure if the cause of the rejections is persistent. If set to `false` these messages will instead be deleted. Disabling auto replays can greatly improve memory efficiency of high throughput streams as the original shape of the data can be discarded immediately upon consumption and mutation.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `true`

### [](#network)`network`

A network type to assume (unix|tcp).

**Type**: `string`

**Options**: `unix`, `tcp`

### [](#open_message_mapping)`open_message_mapping`

An optional [Bloblang mapping](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/guides/bloblang/about/) which should evaluate to a string which will be sent upstream before the downstream data flow starts.

**Type**: `string`

```yaml
# Examples:
open_message_mapping: root = "username,password"
```

### [](#scanner)`scanner`

The [scanner](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/components/scanners/about/) by which the stream of bytes consumed will be broken out into individual messages. Scanners are useful for processing large sources of data without holding the entirety of it within memory. For example, the `csv` scanner allows you to process individual CSV rows without loading the entire CSV file in memory at once.

Requires version 4.25.0 or later.

**Type**: `scanner`

**Default**:

```yaml
lines: {}
```

### [](#tls)`tls`

Custom TLS settings can be used to override system defaults.

**Type**: `object`

### [](#tls-client_certs)`tls.client_certs[]`

A list of client certificates to use. For each certificate either the fields `cert` and `key`, or `cert_file` and `key_file` should be specified, but not both.

**Type**: `object`

**Default**: `[]`

```yaml
# Examples:
client_certs:
  - cert: foo
    key: bar

# ---

client_certs:
  - cert_file: ./example.pem
    key_file: ./example.key
```

### [](#tls-client_certs-cert)`tls.client_certs[].cert`

A plain text certificate to use.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-cert_file)`tls.client_certs[].cert_file`

The path of a certificate to use.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-key)`tls.client_certs[].key`

A plain text certificate key to use.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-key_file)`tls.client_certs[].key_file`

The path of a certificate key to use.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-password)`tls.client_certs[].password`

A plain text password for when the private key is password encrypted in PKCS#1 or PKCS#8 format. The obsolete `pbeWithMD5AndDES-CBC` algorithm is not supported for the PKCS#8 format.

Because the obsolete pbeWithMD5AndDES-CBC algorithm does not authenticate the ciphertext, it is vulnerable to padding oracle attacks that can let an attacker recover the plaintext.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

```yaml
# Examples:
password: foo

# ---

password: ${KEY_PASSWORD}
```

### [](#tls-enable_renegotiation)`tls.enable_renegotiation`

Whether to allow the remote server to repeatedly request renegotiation. Enable this option if you’re seeing the error message `local error: tls: no renegotiation`.

Requires version 3.45.0 or later.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#tls-enabled)`tls.enabled`

Whether custom TLS settings are enabled.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#tls-root_cas)`tls.root_cas`

An optional root certificate authority to use. This is a string, representing a certificate chain from the parent trusted root certificate, to possible intermediate signing certificates, to the host certificate.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

```yaml
# Examples:
root_cas: |-
  -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
  ...
  -----END CERTIFICATE-----
```

### [](#tls-root_cas_file)`tls.root_cas_file`

An optional path of a root certificate authority file to use. This is a file, often with a .pem extension, containing a certificate chain from the parent trusted root certificate, to possible intermediate signing certificates, to the host certificate.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

```yaml
# Examples:
root_cas_file: ./root_cas.pem
```

### [](#tls-skip_cert_verify)`tls.skip_cert_verify`

Whether to skip server side certificate verification.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`