# websocket

> 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: websocket
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/websocket
page-component-name: connect
page-version: master
page-component-version: master
page-component-title: Connect
page-relative-src-path: inputs/websocket.adoc
page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/rp-connect-docs/edit/main/modules/components/pages/inputs/websocket.adoc
page-git-created-date: "2024-05-24"
page-git-modified-date: "2026-05-26"
---

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

**Type:** Input ▼

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

**Available in:** Self-Managed

Connects to a websocket server and continuously receives messages.

#### Common

```yml
inputs:
  label: ""
  websocket:
    url: "" # No default (required)
    auto_replay_nacks: true
```

#### Advanced

```yml
inputs:
  label: ""
  websocket:
    url: "" # No default (required)
    proxy_url: "" # No default (optional)
    open_message: "" # No default (optional)
    open_message_type: binary
    auto_replay_nacks: true
    tls:
      enabled: false
      skip_cert_verify: false
      enable_renegotiation: false
      root_cas: ""
      root_cas_file: ""
      client_certs: []
    connection:
      max_retries: "" # No default (optional)
    oauth:
      enabled: false
      consumer_key: ""
      consumer_secret: ""
      access_token: ""
      access_token_secret: ""
    basic_auth:
      enabled: false
      username: ""
      password: ""
    jwt:
      enabled: false
      private_key_file: ""
      signing_method: ""
      claims: {}
      headers: {}
```

It is possible to configure an `open_message`, which when set to a non-empty string will be sent to the websocket server each time a connection is first established.

## [](#fields)Fields

### [](#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`

### [](#basic_auth)`basic_auth`

Allows you to specify basic authentication.

**Type**: `object`

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

Whether to use basic authentication in requests.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#basic_auth-password)`basic_auth.password`

A password to authenticate with.

> ⚠️ **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**: `""`

### [](#basic_auth-username)`basic_auth.username`

A username to authenticate as.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#connection)`connection`

Customise how websocket connection attempts are made.

**Type**: `object`

### [](#connection-max_retries)`connection.max_retries`

An optional limit to the number of consecutive retry attempts that will be made before abandoning the connection altogether and gracefully terminating the input. When all inputs terminate in this way the service (or stream) will shut down. If set to zero connections will never be reattempted upon a failure. If set below zero this field is ignored (effectively unset).

**Type**: `int`

```yaml
# Examples:
max_retries: -1

# ---

max_retries: 10
```

### [](#jwt)`jwt`

Beta

Configure JSON Web Token (JWT) authentication. This feature is in beta and may change in future releases. JWT tokens provide secure, stateless authentication between services.

**Type**: `object`

### [](#jwt-claims)`jwt.claims`

A value used to identify the claims that issued the JWT.

**Type**: `object`

**Default**: `{}`

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

Whether to use JWT authentication in requests.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#jwt-headers)`jwt.headers`

Additional key-value pairs to include in the JWT header (optional). These headers provide extra metadata for JWT processing.

**Type**: `object`

**Default**: `{}`

### [](#jwt-private_key_file)`jwt.private_key_file`

Path to a file containing the PEM-encoded private key using PKCS#1 or PKCS#8 format. The private key must be compatible with the algorithm specified in the `signing_method` field.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#jwt-signing_method)`jwt.signing_method`

The cryptographic algorithm used to sign the JWT token. Supported algorithms include RS256, RS384, RS512, and EdDSA. This algorithm must be compatible with the private key specified in the `private_key_file` field.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#oauth)`oauth`

Configure OAuth version 1.0 authentication for secure API access.

**Type**: `object`

### [](#oauth-access_token)`oauth.access_token`

A value used to gain access to the protected resources on behalf of the user.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#oauth-access_token_secret)`oauth.access_token_secret`

A secret provided in order to establish ownership of a given access token.

> ⚠️ **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**: `""`

### [](#oauth-consumer_key)`oauth.consumer_key`

A value used to identify the client to the service provider.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#oauth-consumer_secret)`oauth.consumer_secret`

A secret used to establish ownership of the consumer key.

> ⚠️ **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**: `""`

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

Whether to use OAuth version 1 in requests.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#open_message)`open_message`

An optional message to send to the server upon connection.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#open_message_type)`open_message_type`

An optional flag to indicate the data type of open\_message.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `binary`

| Option | Summary |
| --- | --- |
| binary | Binary data open_message. |
| text | Text data open_message. The text message payload is interpreted as UTF-8 encoded text data. |

### [](#proxy_url)`proxy_url`

An optional HTTP proxy URL.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#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`

### [](#url)`url`

The URL to connect to.

**Type**: `string`

```yaml
# Examples:
url: ws://localhost:4195/get/ws
```