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Use InsForge Realtime when your app needs to update without a page refresh. Clients subscribe to channels such as order:123 or chat:room-1, then receive database changes, broadcasts, and presence updates over WebSockets. Channels can also fan out the same messages to webhook URLs when another service should receive the event.
InsForge Realtime dashboard
Need server-side code to run after a database change? Put that business logic in an Edge Function and invoke it from a database trigger. Use Realtime when the change should be delivered to connected clients or configured webhook endpoints.

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Features

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Channels

Channels are named topics that clients can join. Use exact names for shared rooms, or patterns like order:% when every record needs its own live stream.

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Database changes

Use database changes when a table write should become a live app event. Create a trigger on the table you want to watch. In its trigger function, call the predefined realtime.publish(channel, event, payload) function to decide which channel receives the message, which event name clients handle, and what payload they receive. For a channel pattern such as order:%, a trigger can publish one event per order: 
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.notify_order_status()
RETURNS TRIGGER AS $$
BEGIN
  PERFORM realtime.publish(
    'order:' || NEW.id::text,
    'status_changed',
    jsonb_build_object(
      'id', NEW.id,
      'status', NEW.status,
      'updatedAt', NEW.updated_at
    )
  );

  RETURN NEW;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql SECURITY DEFINER;

CREATE TRIGGER order_status_realtime
  AFTER UPDATE OF status ON public.orders
  FOR EACH ROW
  WHEN (OLD.status IS DISTINCT FROM NEW.status)
  EXECUTE FUNCTION public.notify_order_status();
Then subscribe from the app with the SDK: 
const channel = `order:${orderId}`;

await insforge.realtime.connect();

const subscription = await insforge.realtime.subscribe(channel);
if (!subscription.ok) {
  throw new Error(subscription.error.message);
}

insforge.realtime.on('status_changed', (message) => {
  renderOrderStatus(message.status);
});

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Client broadcasts

Clients can publish messages to channels they have already joined. Use this for chat, typing indicators, cursors, collaborative editing signals, and other user-to-user updates that do not need to start from a database write. 
await insforge.realtime.publish(`chat:${roomId}`, 'typing', {
  userId,
  isTyping: true
});

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Webhooks

Attach webhook URLs to a channel when another service should receive each message. InsForge posts the event payload to every configured URL, includes headers for the event name, channel, and message ID, retries transient network failures, and records webhook delivery counts in message history.

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Presence

Presence tracks who is online in a channel. Clients receive the current member snapshot when they subscribe, then presence:join and presence:leave events as members come and go. Store durable room membership, roles, and permissions in your own tables; presence is only online state. 
const response = await insforge.realtime.subscribe(`chat:${roomId}`);

if (response.ok) {
  renderOnlineMembers(response.presence.members);
}

insforge.realtime.on('presence:join', (message) => {
  addOnlineMember(message.member);
});

insforge.realtime.on('presence:leave', (message) => {
  removeOnlineMember(message.member.presenceId);
});

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Row-level security

Realtime can be open while prototyping, then locked down with Postgres RLS. Use SELECT policies on realtime.channels to control who can subscribe, and INSERT policies on realtime.messages to control who can publish from a client. This policy lets authenticated users subscribe to order:<id> channels only when the order belongs to them: 
ALTER TABLE realtime.channels ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

CREATE POLICY "users_subscribe_own_orders"
ON realtime.channels
FOR SELECT
TO authenticated
USING (
  pattern = 'order:%'
  AND EXISTS (
    SELECT 1
    FROM public.orders
    WHERE id = NULLIF(split_part(realtime.channel_name(), ':', 2), '')::uuid
      AND user_id = auth.uid()
  )
);
Use realtime.channel_name() in subscribe policies because clients subscribe to resolved channels such as order:123, while realtime.channels stores patterns such as order:%.

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Message history

Every delivered event is recorded with WebSocket and webhook delivery counts. The dashboard can inspect recent messages, delivery stats, and retention settings when you need to debug live behavior.

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Build with it

TypeScript SDK

Subscribe to channels, publish events, and track presence from Node, browser, and edge.

Swift SDK

Native Swift realtime client for iOS and macOS.

Kotlin SDK

Coroutines-first realtime client for Android and JVM.

REST and WebSocket API

Use the raw Socket.IO contract from any language.

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Next steps

  • Set up the CLI to link your project.
  • Create channels in the Realtime dashboard.
  • Use the TypeScript SDK reference for client subscriptions.
  • Add webhook URLs to a channel when another service needs the same event stream.