Squawk - Listener Documentation

Authentication

All connections require a valid JWT token. Obtain a token by logging in via POST /api/auth/login with username and password. The token must be included in all requests:

WebSocket Connections

Append ?token=<jwt> to the WebSocket URL:

const wsUrl = 'wss://example.com/api/ws?token=' + encodeURIComponent(token)
const client = new SquawkWebSocket(wsUrl, audioContext)

HTTP API Requests

Include an Authorization: Bearer <jwt> header. The built-in API client handles this automatically when a token is stored in sessionStorage.

Get a Token

SquawkWebSocket Library

The easiest way to integrate with Squawk is using the SquawkWebSocket library. This standalone ES module handles WebSocket connections, audio playback, and stream management.

Library Location: https://example.com/lib/listener_websocket.js

Quick Start

import { SquawkWebSocket } from 'https://exmaple.com/lib/listener_websocket.js'

const token = 'your_jwt_token'
const audioContext = new (window.AudioContext || window.webkitAudioContext)()
const client = new SquawkWebSocket('wss://example.com/api/ws?token=' + encodeURIComponent(token), audioContext)

client.on('connected', () => {
  console.log('Connected!')
  client.subscribe(['asset:equities'])
})

client.on('stream_start', (msg) => {
  console.log('Stream started:', msg.keywords)
})

client.connect()

API Reference

Constructor

new SquawkWebSocket(url: string, audioContext: AudioContext)

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`url`	string	Required	WebSocket endpoint URL
`audioContext`	AudioContext	Required	Browser AudioContext instance for audio playback

Methods

Method	Parameters	Description
`connect()`	none	Connect to the WebSocket server
`disconnect()`	none	Disconnect from the server
`subscribe()`	keywords: string[]	Subscribe to keywords
`unsubscribe()`	keywords: string[]	Unsubscribe from keywords
`ping()`	none	Send a keepalive ping
`get_status()`	none	Get current connection status
`unlock_audio()`	none	Unlock audio after user gesture (call in response to click/tap)
`is_audio_locked()`	none	Check if audio is locked due to autoplay policy
`on()`	event: string, handler: function	Listen for events

Events

Event	Data	Description
`connected`	none	WebSocket connected
`disconnected`	CloseEvent	WebSocket disconnected. Check `event.code` — 4003 means auth failed
`stream_start`	StreamStartMessage	Audio stream started (receives StreamStartMessage)
`stream_end`	{ session_id: string }	Audio stream ended
`subscribed`	{ keywords: string[] }	Subscription confirmed
`clip_received`	ClipMessage	Historical clip received
`audio_locked`	none	Autoplay blocked - user interaction needed. Call unlock_audio() after user gesture.
`audio_unlocked`	none	Audio successfully unlocked after user interaction
`error`	Error	Error occurred
`status_change`	ConnectionStatus	Connection status changed

WebSocket Endpoint

WS /api/ws

Connect to this endpoint to establish a WebSocket connection for receiving audio streams. The server accepts text commands (JSON) and sends both text messages (JSON metadata) and binary messages (audio data).

Client-to-Server Messages

Subscribe

Subscribe to one or more keywords to receive matching audio streams.

{
  "type": "subscribe",
  "keywords": ["asset:equities", "region:us"]
}

Unsubscribe

Remove subscriptions for specific keywords.

{
  "type": "unsubscribe",
  "keywords": ["asset:equities"]
}

Ping

Keep the connection alive. The server will respond with a pong.

{
  "type": "ping"
}

Server-to-Client Messages

Stream Start

Sent when a broadcaster starts streaming audio matching your subscribed keywords.

{
  "type": "stream_start",
  "session_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "keywords": ["asset:equities"],
  "content_type": "audio/webm;codecs=opus",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}

Stream End

Sent when the broadcaster stops streaming.

{
  "type": "stream_end",
  "session_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000"
}

Clip

Sent when a historical clip is available. Followed by binary audio data.

{
  "type": "clip",
  "clip_id": "clip-123",
  "keywords": ["asset:equities"],
  "content_type": "audio/webm",
  "size_bytes": 102456,
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:00:00Z"
}

Subscribed

Confirmation that your subscription was registered.

{
  "type": "subscribed",
  "keywords": ["asset:equities"]
}

Error

Sent when an error occurs.

{
  "type": "error",
  "message": "Invalid message format"
}

Binary Audio Data

After a stream_start message, the server sends binary audio chunks as ArrayBuffer messages. The SquawkWebSocket library automatically handles these and feeds them to the audio element.

Similarly, after a clip message, the next binary message contains the complete clip audio data.

Live Demo

This demo uses the SquawkWebSocket library to connect to /api/ws and subscribes to asset:equities. When a broadcaster transmits with this keyword, audio will play automatically.

Disconnected