Websocat

Judgement

What it is

Developer tool

What it does

A command-line WebSocket client and server, like netcat or curl for ws:// URLs, with socat-style options to bridge sockets, TCP and processes.

Adopt it when

You need to test, debug or script against a WebSocket endpoint from the terminal.

Watch out

The many address types and options take reading to use well, and it is largely a one-person project.

Ready for

Usable

Runs as

Command line

Built with

Rust and Tokio

How established

Established: started 10 years ago, latest release v1.14.1.

What the license allows

You can build it into a product you sell, as long as you keep its copyright notice.

Judged on 2026-11-06 from the project's README and GitHub data. The license and age lines are worked out directly.

Built from

Follow it down: Websocat → Rust → runs on a microchip

How compilers were built, back to punched paper tape

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