# WebSocket JSON

Consume Polyester realtime channels with JSON payloads alongside a REST integration.

WebSocket JSON is the realtime companion for integrations that use REST and JSON tooling. It delivers selected live market and account events without changing the REST request-response workflow.

> **Session behavior is shared**
>
> Connection tokens, private subscription authorization, reconnects, and state reconciliation follow the [WebSocket session model](https://testnet.polyester.com/docs/developer-docs/shared-concepts/websocket-session-model).

## When to use JSON channels

Choose WebSocket JSON when:

- your integration already uses JSON models and tooling
- readable payloads are more important than compact binary encoding
- the required channel publishes a JSON variant
- you are building a custom client rather than an official SDK realtime client

JSON support is channel-specific. Some account and configuration streams are Protobuf-only.

## Channel implementation

1. Choose a JSON channel

   Confirm that the required product stream publishes a JSON variant and use its exact channel name and schema.

2. Decode the channel payload

   Validate each message against the channel's JSON contract. Do not infer a JSON shape from a Protobuf-only channel.

> **Prefer Protobuf for official SDKs**
>
> Official SDK realtime clients use typed Protobuf channels. See [WebSocket Protobuf](https://testnet.polyester.com/docs/developer-docs/connectrpc/websocket-protobuf) when using an official SDK or generated message types.