Protocol (advanced)

Most apps should use @omnychat/client and skip this page. Read on only if you are building a custom client.

OmnyChat speaks Protobuf over WebSocket binary frames. One WebSocket message = one Envelope.

Schema: proto/omnychat/v1/omnychat.proto

Framing

• Binary WebSocket frames only (not text/JSON)
• Max size defaults to 1 MiB (OMNYCHAT_MAX_FRAME_BYTES)
• Server sends WebSocket pings; reply with pong

Common payloads

Direction	Type	Purpose
Client → server	Auth	JWT on first frame
Server → client	AuthOK	Authenticated; includes user_id
Client → server	JoinRoom / LeaveRoom	Subscribe to a room
Client → server	SendMessage	room_id, client_msg_id, body
Client → server	EditMessage / DeleteMessage	Author-only
Server → client	MessageAck / MessageEvent	Confirm + fan-out
Client → server	Typing / ReadReceipt / SyncRoom	Presence + catch-up
Server → client	Error	code + message

Happy path

1. Connect → Auth → AuthOK
2. JoinRoom → JoinOK
3. SendMessage → MessageAck (+ MessageEvent to the room)

REST bootstrap

POST /v1/rooms
Authorization: Bearer <JWT>
{"id":"lobby","name":"Lobby"}

Same JWT keys as WebSocket auth. App integration: Getting started.