WebSocket stream

How it works

Think of four steps. Everything else in this section is detail around the same loop.

1. Connect — open wss://stream.tickerlayer.com/?apiKey=… (parameter name must be exactly apiKey).
2. Ready — wait for { "type": "system", "event": "ready" } before sending anything.
3. Subscribe — send a JSON text frame with action, channels, and symbols. The server replies with subscribed (and an optional snapshot).
4. Receive — live quote / trade frames on those channels. Use unsubscribe / ping as needed.

Auth happens only on the HTTP upgrade — not on later frames. Details: Connection · Authentication.

Try it live

Signed-in accounts with an active key can open a real stream from this page — pick an asset and stream, add up to two symbols, and watch the latest tick update in place.

Minimal example

Same flow in code. Full walkthrough also lives in the Quickstart.

const ws = new WebSocket(
  "wss://stream.tickerlayer.com/?apiKey=" + encodeURIComponent(rawKey)
);

ws.onmessage = (ev) => {
  const msg = JSON.parse(String(ev.data));
  if (msg.type === "system" && msg.event === "ready") {
    ws.send(JSON.stringify({
      action: "subscribe",
      channels: ["crypto.quotes"],
      symbols: ["BTCUSD"],
    }));
    return;
  }
  console.log(msg); // quote | trade | system | error
};

Supported channels

Fourteen public channels: quote/trade pairs for six asset classes, a trading status channel for US equities, and a daily rate channel for government bond yields.

Symbols must be enabled for the asset class you subscribe to — same registries as REST.

Deeper reference

Keep these pages for detail. Start above if you only need the happy path.