Welcome to the Benzinga WebSocket API documentation. This guide will help you get started with accessing Benzinga’s real-time data streams, enabling you to subscribe to continuous updates on financial data, including live market quotes, trades, news, and other key insights.

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WebSocket Endpoint

All WebSocket connections can be established using the following endpoint:

wss://api.benzinga.com

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Authentication

The Benzinga WebSocket API requires bearer authentication. When initiating a WebSocket connection, include your API token in the connection URL as a query parameter in the following format: you must include your API token in the token query param in the format token: <token>.

Refer to the Authentication page for more information on obtaining and managing your API token.

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Subscribing to Streams

Once connected, you can subscribe to specific data streams based on your requirements, such as stock quotes, trade data, or news updates. Each subscription requires a unique identifier and specific parameters depending on the data type.

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Example Subscription Message

To subscribe to a live stock quote stream, send a JSON message formatted as follows:

{
  "action": "subscribe",
  "symbol": "AAPL",
  "type": "quote"
}

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Heartbeat Mechanism

To maintain a healthy connection and ensure that the client and server remain synchronized, the Benzinga WebSocket API includes a heartbeat mechanism.

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Client-Side Heartbeat

  • If you send a ping message as a plain text frame (e.g., the string ping), the server will respond with a pong message as plain text (e.g., the string pong).

  • This can be used to verify that the connection is still active and responsive.

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Example

  • Client sends: ping

  • Server responds: pong

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Server-Side Heartbeat

  • The server will automatically send a ping frame to the client every 10 seconds to ensure the connection remains active.

  • Clients are expected to respond to this ping frame (automatically handled by most WebSocket libraries).

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Handling Heartbeats

  • Most WebSocket client libraries (e.g., those in JavaScript, Python, or Go) automatically handle incoming pings from the server and respond with a pong.

  • However, if you are implementing a custom WebSocket client, ensure that it properly responds to the server’s ping frames to prevent the connection from being terminated.

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Rate Limiting

Please note that the Benzinga API has rate limits to prevent abuse and ensure service stability. Only 1 connection per API token is allowed at a time. If you exceed the rate limit, you will receive an error response.

We hope this guide helps you get started with the Benzinga APIs. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team.

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