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This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- developers:websocket [2025/03/14 02:56] – chad
+++ developers:websocket [2025/03/14 19:15] (current) – [Message Structure Overview] chad
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== Getting Started ======
+===== WebSocket API Introduction =====
-To begin integrating, visit the [[getting_started|Getting Started]] guide for **connection details, authentication steps, and demo projects**.
+The WebSocket API provides a high-performance, low-latency communication channel for real-time trading data and order execution. This section introduces the key technologies used in the API: **WebSockets** and **Google Protocol Buffers (Protobuf)**.
+==== WebSockets ====
+WebSockets establish a persistent, full-duplex connection between the client and server, allowing for continuous bi-directional message exchange. This ensures minimal latency, making it ideal for market data feeds and order updates.
+**Key Advantages:**
+  * Persistent connection reduces handshake overhead
+  * Low-latency, real-time data exchange
+  * Efficient bandwidth usage compared to REST APIs
+==== Google Protocol Buffers (Protobuf) ====
+The API utilizes Protobuf for efficient, compact, and high-speed message serialization. Unlike JSON or XML, Protobuf messages are smaller and faster to parse, making them well-suited for high-frequency trading applications.
+**Why Protobuf?**
+  * **Compact Encoding:** Reduces message size for faster transmission
+  * **High Performance:** Faster serialization/deserialization than JSON
+  * **Schema Evolution:** Backward-compatible changes allow for future expansion without breaking existing clients
+==== Communication Model ====
+The API follows a structured messaging approach:
+  * **Client Messages:** Requests sent from clients to the server (e.g., order submission, subscription requests)
+  * **Server Messages:** Responses and real-time updates sent from the server (e.g., trade confirmations, market data)
+==== Message Structure Overview ====
+All messages sent to the server must be wrapped in a **ClientMessage** envelope, and all messages received from the server will be contained within a **ServerMessage** envelope. This ensures a consistent structure and simplifies message parsing.
+=== Client Message Structure ===
+A **ClientMessage** is the top-level wrapper for all messages sent to the server. It contains fields for various message types, such as authentication requests, order submissions, and subscription requests.
+Example **ClientMessage**:
+<code>
+message ClientMessage {
+  oneof payload {
+    AuthenticationRequest authentication_request = 1;
+    MarketSubscription market_subscription = 2;
+    OrderRequest order_request = 3;
+    // ... other client messages
+  }
+}
+</code>
+=== Server Message Structure ===
+A **ServerMessage** is the top-level wrapper for all responses and updates from the server. It encapsulates messages related to market data, account updates, and execution reports.
+Example **ServerMessage**:
+<code>
+message ServerMessage {
+  oneof payload {
+    AuthenticationResponse authentication_response = 1;
+    MarketSnapshot market_snapshot = 2;
+    OrderUpdate order_update = 3;
+    // ... other server messages
+  }
+}
+</code>
+=== Message Tools ===
+The [[https://github.com/CTS-Futures/t4-api-tools|T4 API Tools repository]] has code that makes wrapping messages from your client very easy.
+<bootnote>
+Reach out to support if you would like a API tool's for a language we have not covered yet.
+</bootnote>
+^ **Platform** ^ **Client Message Helper** ^
+| **.Net** | [[https://github.com/CTS-Futures/t4-api-tools|ClientMessageHelper.cs]]|
-For a detailed breakdown of all available messages, see the [[message_reference|Message Reference]].
-----
-💡 **Tip:** Use WebSocket clients like `wscat` or our sample SDKs to test the API before building your integration.
-===== Next Steps =====
-  * Connect and Authenticate to **market data streams** ([[api:websocket:connecting|Connecting and Authenticating]]).