WebSocket API

ProductFlo implements a robust WebSocket system that supports both native WebSocket and Socket.IO protocols for real-time bidirectional communication. This unified interface powers various interactive features including chat, AI interactions, collaborative editing, and system notifications.

Connection Endpoints

Main WebSocket

/ws - Primary WebSocket endpoint (no authentication required)

Secure WebSocket

/ws/secure - Authenticated WebSocket endpoint requiring token

Socket.IO

/ws - Socket.IO compatible endpoint (conditionally mounted at runtime)

Message Structure

All WebSocket messages follow a consistent structure:

{
  "code": "chat",           // Required: Message type (from CodeType enum)
  "user_id": "user-123",    // Required: Sender user ID
  "room_id": "room-456",    // Optional: Target room for broadcasting
  "timestamp": "2024-05-19T10:30:45Z", // Optional: ISO timestamp (auto-added if omitted)
  "data": {                 // Required: Message content
    // Type-specific payload
  }
}

Connection Examples

Standard WebSocket (Non-Authenticated)

// Connect to standard WebSocket endpoint
const socket = new WebSocket('wss://api.productflo.io/ws');

// Handle connection open
socket.onopen = () => {
  console.log('Connection established');
};

// Listen for messages
socket.onmessage = (event) => {
  const data = JSON.parse(event.data);
  console.log('Received:', data);
};

// Send a message
function sendMessage(message) {
  socket.send(JSON.stringify({
    code: "chat",
    user_id: "user-123", // Use the user_id assigned by server or provided
    room_id: "product-456",
    data: {
      message: message,
      sender: "user-123"
    }
  }));
}

Secure WebSocket (Authenticated)

// Connect to secure WebSocket endpoint with authentication
const socket = new WebSocket('wss://api.productflo.io/ws/secure?access_token=YOUR_JWT_TOKEN');

// Handle connection open
socket.onopen = () => {
  console.log('Authenticated connection established');
};

// Listen for messages
socket.onmessage = (event) => {
  const data = JSON.parse(event.data);
  console.log('Received:', data);
};

// Send a message
function sendMessage(message) {
  socket.send(JSON.stringify({
    code: "chat",
    user_id: "user-123", // This should match the authenticated user ID
    room_id: "product-456",
    data: {
      message: message,
      sender: "user-123"
    }
  }));
}

Socket.IO Client

import { io } from 'socket.io-client';

// Connect to Socket.IO endpoint
const socket = io('https://api.productflo.io', {
  path: '/ws',
  extraHeaders: { 'User-ID': 'user-123' }, // Optional user ID
  auth: { token: 'YOUR_JWT_TOKEN' }, // Optional token for authentication
  reconnection: true
});

// Handle connection
socket.on('connect', () => {
  console.log('Connected to Socket.IO');
});

// Listen for message events
socket.on('message', (data) => {
  console.log('Message received:', data);
  
  // Handle different message types
  if (data.data && data.data.code) {
    switch(data.data.code) {
      case 'chat_response':
        handleChatResponse(data.data);
        break;
      case 'system':
        handleSystemMessage(data.data);
        break;
      // Handle other message types
    }
  }
});

// Send a message
function sendMessage(message) {
  socket.emit('message', {
    code: "chat",
    user_id: "user-123",
    room_id: "product-456",
    data: {
      message: message,
      sender: "user-123"
    }
  });
}

Authentication

WebSocket connections support multiple authentication methods:

Secure Endpoint

For authenticated connections, use the /ws/secure endpoint which requires a token:

// Using query parameter
const socket = new WebSocket('wss://api.productflo.io/ws/secure?access_token=YOUR_JWT_TOKEN');

// OR using cookies (if token was set in cookies during login)
const socket = new WebSocket('wss://api.productflo.io/ws/secure');

Non-Authenticated Connection

For connections that don’t require authentication, use the standard /ws endpoint:

const socket = new WebSocket('wss://api.productflo.io/ws');

The system will assign a unique user ID if none is provided.

Socket.IO Authentication

When using Socket.IO, provide authentication information in headers or cookies:

const socket = io('https://api.productflo.io', {
  path: '/ws',
  extraHeaders: { 'User-ID': 'user-123' }, // Optional user ID
  auth: { token: 'YOUR_JWT_TOKEN' } // Optional token
});

Message Types (CodeType)

The WebSocket system uses a set of predefined message types through the CodeType enum:

Sending Types (Client to Server)

string

Regular chat messages

string

AI assistant chat interaction

string

Product idea generation

string

Document generation request

string

Engineering-specific requests

Receiving Types (Server to Client)

string

Response to chat messages

string

Product idea generation response

string

Document generation response

string

Engineering-specific responses

string

System notifications and status updates

string

User notifications

string

Debug and process logs

Status Types

All responses include a status field:

string

Operation completed successfully

string

Error occurred during operation

string

Operation is still in progress

Basic Usage Examples

Chat Message

// Send a chat message
socket.send(JSON.stringify({
  code: "chat",
  user_id: "user-123",
  room_id: "product-456",
  data: {
    message: "Has anyone reviewed the latest design update?",
    sender: "user-123"
  }
}));

AI Assistant Interaction

// Send a message to the AI assistant
socket.send(JSON.stringify({
  code: "haitch_chat",
  user_id: "user-123",
  room_id: "product-456",
  data: {
    message: "What materials would be best for a waterproof enclosure?",
    sender: "user-123"
  }
}));

Document Generation Request

// Request document generation
socket.send(JSON.stringify({
  code: "documentation",
  user_id: "user-123",
  room_id: "product-456",
  data: {
    message: "Generate a technical specification document for our thermostat",
    sender: "user-123",
    attached_files: ["requirements.pdf"]
  }
}));

Event Handling Example

// Set up event handling for different message types
socket.onmessage = (event) => {
  const data = JSON.parse(event.data);
  
  switch(data.code) {
    case "chat_response":
      displayChatMessage(data);
      break;
    
    case "idea_response":
      showIdeaResults(data);
      break;
    
    case "documentation_response":
      handleDocumentGeneration(data);
      break;
    
    case "engineering_response":
      processEngineeringResponse(data);
      break;
    
    case "system":
      handleSystemMessage(data);
      break;
    
    case "notification":
      showNotification(data);
      break;
      
    case "error":
      handleError(data);
      break;
      
    default:
      console.log("Unhandled message type:", data);
  }
};

Error Handling

Error responses follow a standardized format:

{
  "status": "error",
  "code": "system",
  "user_id": "user-123",
  "timestamp": "2024-05-19T10:30:45Z",
  "data": {
    "message": "Error message here",
    "details": {
      "error_code": "SPECIFIC_ERROR_CODE",
      "message": "Detailed error message"
    }
  }
}

Common error codes:

MESSAGE_CODE_REQUIRED: Missing message code
UNSUPPORTED_MESSAGE_TYPE: Unknown message type
ROOM_ID_REQUIRED: Room ID not provided
FAILED_TO_PROCESS_MESSAGE: General processing error

Connection Lifecycle

The WebSocket connection follows a distinct lifecycle:

Connection: Client establishes connection with optional authentication
Welcome: Server sends a system message confirming connection
Cookie: Server sets a user ID cookie if not present
Interaction: Exchange of messages based on application needs
Disconnection: Triggered by client disconnect or timeout

When a client connects, they’ll receive a welcome message:

{
  "status": "success",
  "code": "system",
  "user_id": "user-123",
  "timestamp": "2024-05-19T10:30:45Z",
  "data": {
    "message": "Connected to ProductFlo WebSocket server",
    "details": {
      "user_id": "user-123",
      "timestamp": "2024-05-19T10:30:45Z"
    }
  }
}

Implementation Details

The WebSocket system is built on three key components:

WebSocketManager (utils/websocket_manager.py): Central component for connection management, message routing, and broadcasting
Message Types (models/websocket.py): Pydantic models for typed message validation
Route Handlers (api/routes/websocket.py): FastAPI WebSocket endpoint definitions

The implementation supports both direct point-to-point messages and room-based broadcasting patterns.

Best Practices

When implementing client applications:

Reconnection Logic: Implement automatic reconnection with exponential backoff
Message Validation: Validate outgoing messages against the API schema
Error Handling: Process error responses and retry when appropriate
Event Delegation: Use an event-based architecture to handle different message types
Typing Indicators: Send typing indicators for improved user experience

Next Steps

Message Types

View detailed message type documentation

Chat

Learn about chat-specific features

AI Communication

Explore AI integration capabilities

API Introduction

Authentication

Core Resources

File Management

AI Features

Integrations

WebSockets

Payments

WebSocket Introduction

WebSocket API

Connection Endpoints

Main WebSocket

Secure WebSocket

Socket.IO

Message Structure

Connection Examples

Standard WebSocket (Non-Authenticated)

Secure WebSocket (Authenticated)

Socket.IO Client

Authentication

Secure Endpoint

Non-Authenticated Connection

Socket.IO Authentication

Message Types (CodeType)

Sending Types (Client to Server)

Receiving Types (Server to Client)

Status Types

Basic Usage Examples

Chat Message

AI Assistant Interaction

Document Generation Request

Event Handling Example

Error Handling

Connection Lifecycle

Implementation Details

Best Practices

Next Steps

Message Types

Chat

AI Communication

​WebSocket API

​Connection Endpoints

Main WebSocket

Secure WebSocket

Socket.IO

​Message Structure

​Connection Examples

​Standard WebSocket (Non-Authenticated)

​Secure WebSocket (Authenticated)

​Socket.IO Client

​Authentication

​Secure Endpoint

​Non-Authenticated Connection

​Socket.IO Authentication

​Message Types (CodeType)

​Sending Types (Client to Server)

​Receiving Types (Server to Client)

​Status Types

​Basic Usage Examples

​Chat Message

​AI Assistant Interaction

​Document Generation Request

​Event Handling Example

​Error Handling

​Connection Lifecycle

​Implementation Details

​Best Practices

​Next Steps

Message Types

Chat

AI Communication

WebSocket API

Connection Endpoints

Message Structure

Connection Examples

Standard WebSocket (Non-Authenticated)

Secure WebSocket (Authenticated)

Socket.IO Client

Authentication

Secure Endpoint

Non-Authenticated Connection

Socket.IO Authentication

Message Types (CodeType)

Sending Types (Client to Server)

Receiving Types (Server to Client)

Status Types

Basic Usage Examples

Chat Message

AI Assistant Interaction

Document Generation Request

Event Handling Example

Error Handling

Connection Lifecycle

Implementation Details

Best Practices

Next Steps