How to Debug WebSocket APIs (Apidog Tutorial)

WebSocket is a bidirectional communication protocol based on the TCP protocol that allows for the establishment of a persistent connection between a client and server.

David Demir

David Demir

17 May 2025

How to Debug WebSocket APIs (Apidog Tutorial)

In version 2.2.34 of Apidog, WebSocket APIs can now be debugged!

Advantages of WebSocket:

WebSocket is a bidirectional communication protocol based on the TCP protocol that allows for the establishment of a persistent connection between a client and server. Compared to the HTTP protocol, WebSocket has several advantages:

In the latest version of Apidog, you can click the "+" button on the left side of the project and select "New WebSocket API (Beta)" to enter the URL of the WebSocket API to establish a connection, and then seamlessly send and receive messages. Let's go with the below detailed.

Create New Websocket API

4 Steps to Debugging API with Apidog

Step 1: Establish a Connection

WebSocket establishes a connection through a simple handshake process. Using Apidog, simply enter the URL in the address bar and click the "Connect" button to complete the handshake and establish a WebSocket connection.

In addition, you can also customize the parameters that need to be passed during the handshake, such as Params, Headers, and Cookies, to meet authentication or other complex scenarios.

Establish a Connection

Step 2: Send and Receive Messages

After the connection is established, you can write messages under the Message tab. In addition to directly writing text, JSON, XML, HTML and other text format messages, binary format messages can also be written using Base64 or Hexadecimal.

Apidog provides a new timeline view that displays the connection status, sent messages, and received messages in chronological order. After clicking on a message, you can easily view its details.

Send and Receive Messages

Step 3: API Documentation

Apidog's excellent API documentation functionality is inherited in WebSocket API. You can set the state, responsible person, and tags for the WebSocket API, and write detailed API instructions in Markdown format.

Of course, you can share the WebSocket API documentation with external teams and view it directly in your browser.

Interface Documentation

Step 4: Save the API

After debugging, you can click the "Save" button to save the WebSocket API to the current project so that other members of the team can debug it.

Save the Interface

Conclusion

Using Apidog to debug WebSocket API is a fast and convenient method that can help you test various functions of WebSocket API and troubleshoot issues. With the above steps, you can easily establish a WebSocket connection and test WebSocket API using Apidog. You can also learn more in the help center.

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