Connecting

How to establish and manage WebSocket connections.

URL Format

WebSocket URLs use special schemes instead of http:// or https://:

ws://Unencrypted WebSocket (like HTTP). Use for local development.
wss://Encrypted WebSocket over TLS (like HTTPS). Use for production.

Example URLs:

wss://echo.websocket.org

ws://localhost:8080/ws

wss://api.example.com/graphql

Connection States

WebSocket connections go through several states during their lifecycle:

idle
Start
→
connecting
Handshake
→
connected
Active
→
disconnected
Closed
idleInitial state. No connection established. URL field is editable.
connectingTCP connection established, performing WebSocket handshake. Button shows "Disconnect", URL is locked.
connectedWebSocket connection active. You can now send and receive messages.
disconnectedConnection closed (by you or the server). Can reconnect by clicking Connect again.
errorConnection failed. Check the URL, network, or server availability.

Authentication

WebSocket authentication happens during the initial HTTP handshake. Tigrister supports three authentication methods in the Auth tab:

Bearer Token

Sends an Authorization: Bearer <token> header.

Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...
Basic Auth

Sends username and password as Base64-encoded Authorization: Basic <base64> header.

Authorization: Basic dXNlcjpwYXNzd29yZA==
API Key

Sends API key as a custom header. Configure the header name (e.g., X-API-Key).

X-API-Key: your-api-key-here

Note: Authentication headers are only sent during the initial handshake. If you need to authenticate after connecting, send an authentication message through the WebSocket itself (server-specific implementation).

Connection Info

After a successful connection, Tigrister displays negotiated protocol information in the footer:

Status: Connected (graphql-ws) ID: ws-1706789123456
  • •Status: Current connection state
  • •Protocol: Negotiated subprotocol (e.g., graphql-ws, chat). Shown in parentheses if available.
  • •ID: Unique connection identifier for this session

Quick Connect

  1. 1Enter the WebSocket URL (ws:// or wss://)
  2. 2(Optional) Configure authentication in the Auth tab
  3. 3Click Connect or press Enter
  4. 4Wait for status to turn Connected
The InterfaceMessages