Getting Started with Litestar WebSockets
Litestar is a new Python ASGI framework focused on performance and developer experience. Unlike other frameworks, it offers various WebSocket implementation patterns for different use cases.
Litestar's WebSocket offers a type-safe approach and automatic data serialization. It supports simple bidirectional communication or complex multi-client broadcasting with inter-process support, scaling from prototype to production without architectural changes.
This practical guide explores Litestar's WebSocket capabilities through hands-on examples.
Prerequisites
To use Litestar WebSockets effectively, ensure you have Python 3.8 or newer installed. Familiarity with Python's async/await syntax and type hints will help you take full advantage of Litestar's type-safe features. You don't need to know ASGI in detail, but understanding the basics of HTTP request handling can be helpful.
Setting up your Litestar WebSocket project
In this section, you will establish a clean project structure that illustrates Litestar's approach to WebSocket development.
To begin, run the following commands to set up your development environment with proper isolation, preventing dependency conflicts:
Install Litestar and a production-ready ASGI server:
Create your first Litestar WebSocket application:
Litestar's websocket_listener decorator transforms ordinary functions into WebSocket handlers with automatic data parsing and serialization. The type annotations (data: str -> str) tell Litestar how to handle incoming and outgoing data, eliminating manual JSON parsing and validation.
Create a WebSocket client interface to test your application:
Create templates/index.html:
This interface features Litestar's signature gradient design and includes automatic reconnection logic. The WebSocket client sends raw text data and displays responses with visual distinction between sent and received messages.
Add a route to serve the HTML interface by updating your app.py:
The highlighted code include the template engine imports, a new HTTP route to serve the HTML interface, and the template configuration that tells Litestar where to find your HTML files and which template engine to use.
Install the required template dependency:
Start your Litestar development server:
Navigate to http://localhost:8000 to see your WebSocket interface. The status should show "Connected to Litestar server" once the WebSocket establishes successfully.
Working with WebSocket listeners
Litestar's websocket_listener approach treats WebSocket communication like regular function calls—you receive typed data, process it, and return typed responses. This abstraction eliminates the complexity of manual connection management while providing full control when needed.
Let's enhance your listener with proper data validation and multiple data types:
This demonstrates Litestar's type-safe WebSocket handling:
- String handlers work with raw text data and return processed strings
- JSON handlers automatically parse incoming JSON and serialize return dictionaries
- Command processing shows how to build interactive WebSocket applications
Create an enhanced client interface to test different endpoints:
The enhanced interface lets you test different WebSocket endpoints with appropriate input handling. The JSON endpoint automatically wraps plain text in JSON structure, while the chat endpoint shows command functionality.
Restart your server and test the different endpoints:
Visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/:
The type annotations guide Litestar's automatic data handling, eliminating manual parsing while providing robust error handling and validation.
Broadcasting with WebSocket streams
Most real-time applications need to push data proactively to clients without waiting for incoming messages. Litestar's WebSocket streams use async generators to continuously send data, perfect for live dashboards, notifications, or real-time monitoring systems.
Create streaming handlers that demonstrate continuous data broadcasting:
WebSocket streams use AsyncGenerator type hints to define continuous data flow. Litestar automatically serializes yielded values and manages the connection lifecycle.
Create a client interface to display streaming data:
This client interface creates a dashboard with three distinct sections: live metrics display, news feed, and interactive echo testing. The streams object manages multiple concurrent WebSocket connections, each handling different data types and update patterns.
The handleStreamMessage() function routes incoming data based on stream type, parsing JSON for metrics, displaying raw text for news, and formatting echo responses. Status indicators show connection health for each stream, while the interface automatically connects to all endpoints when the page loads.
Restart your server and open the streaming dashboard:
Navigate to http://127.0.0.1:8000 to see live data streaming from multiple endpoints:
Type a message in the echo test section and press Enter to see the bidirectional communication:
The interface demonstrates concurrent WebSocket streams with different data types and update frequencies. Each stream operates independently while maintaining efficient resource usage, and the echo functionality shows how listeners and streams can coexist in the same application.
You've successfully implemented real-time data streaming with Litestar WebSockets!
Final thoughts
You've just built a complete real-time application with Litestar WebSockets! From simple echo handlers to live streaming dashboards, you've seen how Litestar's type-safe approach makes WebSocket development both powerful and straightforward.
To learn more, check out the Litestar WebSocket docs for advanced features, and don't forget to explore the dependency injection system