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Real-Time Updates (Live Messages & Notifications)

Real-time updates let order messages and notification badges appear instantly, without a page refresh. This feature is disabled by default and requires a WebSocket connection you configure.

How It Works

Section titled “How It Works”

When enabled, the plugin opens a private, authenticated WebSocket channel for each logged-in user. Two events are delivered live:

  • message.created – A new order message appears in the conversation immediately.
  • notification.created – The notification bell badge increments and the new alert appears without reload.

When disabled, the marketplace behaves exactly as before – messages and notifications appear on the next page load or navigation. No third-party connection is made in disabled state.

Enabling Real-Time Updates

Section titled “Enabling Real-Time Updates”
  1. Go to Sell Services > Settings
  2. Click the Advanced tab
  3. Find the Real-time (WebSockets) card
  4. Toggle Enable to on
  5. Fill in the connection fields (see below)
  6. Save settings

Real-time settings card

Connection Options

Section titled “Connection Options”

The plugin speaks the Pusher protocol. You can connect to either a hosted service or your own server – the settings fields are the same for both.

Option 1: Pusher.com (Hosted)

Section titled “Option 1: Pusher.com (Hosted)”
  1. Create a free account at pusher.com and create a new Channels app
  2. Copy your App ID, Key, Secret, and Cluster from the Pusher dashboard
  3. Paste them into the settings fields
  4. Leave the Host field blank – the plugin connects to Pusher.com automatically

Option 2: Self-Hosted (Soketi or Compatible Server)

Section titled “Option 2: Self-Hosted (Soketi or Compatible Server)”

Soketi is a free, open-source, self-hostable Pusher-compatible server.

  1. Set up your Soketi instance and note the App ID, Key, and Secret you configured on it
  2. Paste those credentials into the settings fields
  3. Enter your server’s hostname in the Host field (e.g., wss-server.example.com)
  4. Set the Port to match your server (default 443)
  5. Ensure Use TLS is on if your server uses HTTPS/WSS

Settings Reference

Section titled “Settings Reference”
Field Default Description
Enable Off Activates the WebSocket layer
App ID – Your Pusher / Soketi App ID
Key – Your Pusher / Soketi Key (sent to browser)
Secret – Your Pusher / Soketi Secret (server-only, stored masked)
Host Blank Leave blank for Pusher.com; enter hostname for self-hosted
Cluster mt1 Pusher.com cluster (ignored for self-hosted)
Port 443 WebSocket port
Use TLS On Connect over WSS (recommended)

Note on the Secret field: once saved, the secret is displayed as masked dots. Leave the field blank when saving other settings to keep the existing secret value.

Security

Section titled “Security”
  • The App Secret never leaves the server and is never sent to the browser.
  • WebSocket channels are private and per-user. A buyer or vendor only receives events for their own account.
  • Order message events are only delivered to participants of that specific order (buyer, vendor, and admins).
  • Private channel subscriptions are authorized server-side via POST /wpss/v1/realtime/auth after an ownership check.

How It Behaves for Users

Section titled “How It Behaves for Users”

Buyers and vendors do not need to configure anything. When real-time is active and they are logged in:

  • New messages in an order conversation appear immediately in the thread.
  • The notification bell updates its badge count and shows the new notification without requiring a page reload.

Real-time only works for logged-in users. Guests are unaffected.

Privacy Note

Section titled “Privacy Note”

When real-time is enabled, message and notification metadata transits the configured WebSocket provider.

  • Pusher.com is a third-party service with its own data processing terms. Review their privacy policy if this matters for your site’s compliance.
  • Self-hosted Soketi keeps all traffic on infrastructure you control. No data leaves your servers.

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Live updates are not appearing

  • Confirm the Enable toggle is on and all credentials (App ID, Key, Secret) are filled in.
  • The user must be logged in – real-time is not active for guests.
  • Open your browser’s developer console and look for WebSocket connection errors.

Pusher.com not connecting

  • Confirm the Cluster field matches the cluster shown in your Pusher app dashboard (e.g., us2, eu, mt1).
  • Confirm your Pusher app is in Channels mode (not Beams).

Self-hosted server not connecting

  • Confirm the Host field contains only the hostname (e.g., wss-server.example.com), not the full URL.
  • Confirm the Port is open and reachable over TLS from the browser.
  • Check that your Soketi instance is running and its credentials match what you entered.
Section titled “Related Guides”