subscriptions-transport-ws
A websocket transport for GraphQL subscriptions
About
A websocket transport for GraphQL subscriptions
Live mirror of the GitHub README. Updated whenever the repo's default branch changes.
subscriptions-transport-ws is no longer maintained
subscriptions-transport-ws was the first implementation of a WebSocket-based GraphQL subscriptions transport in TypeScript. It was created in 2016 and was largely unmaintained after 2018.
Users should migrate to graphql-ws, a newer actively-maintained implementation of a similar protocol.
Note that the packages implement distinct protocols, so you must migrate all clients and servers.
If you're using subscriptions with the Apollo platform, the Apollo Server docs show how to use graphql-ws with Apollo Server, Apollo Studio Explorer, Apollo Client Web, Apollo iOS, and Apollo Kotlin. If you have more questions about using graphql-ws with the Apollo platform, file an issue on the corresponding repository or post in the community.
The graphql-ws README shows how to integrate graphql-ws with other software.
If you have not yet migrated off of subscriptions-transport-ws and need to learn more about it, you can read the previous version of this file.
Quick facts
npm install subscriptions-transport-wsCommon pairings
Packages this one expects to find in the same project. Each is also a Sourcemap Explorer detection target.
How Sourcemap Explorer detects subscriptions-transport-ws
We catch subscriptions-transport-ws from two complementary signals: bundled source paths and the embedded package.json. Modern bundlers (webpack, Vite, esbuild, Rollup, Turbopack) preserve the original node_modules/subscriptions-transport-ws/ paths inside the JavaScript sourcemap's sources[] array — that's the canonical signal. When the matching package.json is also captured in sourcesContent[], we read the exact version field — patch number included. No regex guessing, no version inference.
- 1
Confirm the site exposes sourcemaps
In DevTools Network, check the response headers of any application script for `SourceMap` or `X-SourceMap`. Failing that, fetch the script's last 4 KB and look for a `//# sourceMappingURL=` comment.
- 2
Find the package in the bundle
Open DevTools → Network → reload. Click any application script and look at its sourcemap. Inside, search `sources[]` for entries matching `node_modules/subscriptions-transport-ws/` — every match confirms the package is bundled. The matching `sourcesContent[i]` for `node_modules/subscriptions-transport-ws/package.json` gives you the exact installed version.
- 3
Read the version directly from package.json
Run `jq -r '. as $m | $m.sources | to_entries[] | select(.value | endswith("node_modules/subscriptions-transport-ws/package.json")) | $m.sourcesContent[.key] | fromjson | .version' bundle.js.map`. Sourcemap Explorer automates the same query in the popup.
Recent versions
FAQ
What is subscriptions-transport-ws used for?
A websocket transport for GraphQL subscriptions
How can I tell if a website is using subscriptions-transport-ws?
Open the page in Chrome with the Sourcemap Explorer extension installed and read the Stack tab. We catch `subscriptions-transport-ws` from two complementary signals: `node_modules/subscriptions-transport-ws/` paths inside the JavaScript sourcemap, and the embedded `package.json` we read for exact-version detection. Without the extension you can do the same lookup manually in DevTools — the steps are listed in the "How Sourcemap Explorer detects" section above.
What is the latest version of subscriptions-transport-ws?
0.11.0, as published on the npm registry. The "Recent versions" table on this page lists the most recent 8 releases with their release dates. Sourcemap Explorer reports the version actually bundled into a site, which can lag the latest release by months on real-world deployments.
Where can I read more?
Project homepage: https://github.com/apollostack/subscriptions-transport-ws#readme. Source code: https://github.com/apollostack/subscriptions-transport-ws. Published on npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/subscriptions-transport-ws. Licensed as MIT.
Detected by Sourcemap Explorer
When a bundle ships sourcemaps, we read the embedded package.json for subscriptions-transport-ws and report the precise version. Without sourcemaps, an import / require in the page's scripts is enough to flag it.