Setup Zoom Websockets

/setup-zoom-websockets

Background reference for persistent Zoom event streams. Prefer workflow routing first, then use this file when WebSockets are plausibly better than webhooks.

WebSockets vs Webhooks

| Aspect | WebSockets | Webhooks |

|--------|------------|----------|

| Connection | Persistent, bidirectional | One-time HTTP POST |

| Latency | Lower (no HTTP overhead) | Higher (new connection per event) |

| Security | Direct connection, no exposed endpoint | Requires endpoint validation, IP whitelisting |

| Model | Pull (you connect to Zoom) | Push (Zoom connects to you) |

| State | Stateful (maintains connection) | Stateless (each event independent) |

| Setup | More complex (access token, connection) | Simpler (just endpoint URL) |

Choose WebSockets when:

• Real-time, low-latency updates are critical
• Security is paramount (banking, healthcare, finance)
• You don't want to expose a public endpoint
• You need bidirectional communication

Choose Webhooks when:

• Simpler setup is preferred
• Small number of event notifications
• Existing HTTP infrastructure

Prerequisites

• Server-to-Server OAuth app in Zoom Marketplace
• Account ID, Client ID, and Client Secret
• WebSocket subscription with events enabled

> Need help with S2S OAuth? See the zoom-oauth skill for complete authentication flows.

> Start troubleshooting fast: Use the 5-Minute Runbook before deep debugging.

Quick Start

1. Create Server-to-Server OAuth App

• Go to Zoom Marketplace
• Create a Server-to-Server OAuth app
• Copy Account ID, Client ID, Client Secret

2. Enable WebSocket Subscription

• In your app, go to Feature → Event Subscriptions
• Add an Event Subscription
• Select WebSockets as the method type
• Select events to subscribe to (e.g., meeting.created, meeting.started)
• Save - an endpoint URL will be generated

3. Connect via WebSocket

const WebSocket = require('ws');
const axios = require('axios');

// Step 1: Get access token
async function getAccessToken() {
  const credentials = Buffer.from(`${CLIENT_ID}:${CLIENT_SECRET}`).toString('base64');
  
  const response = await axios.post(
    'https://zoom.us/oauth/token',
    new URLSearchParams({
      grant_type: 'account_credentials',
      account_id: ACCOUNT_ID
    }),
    {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Basic ${credentials}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded'
      }
    }
  );
  
  return response.data.access_token;
}

// Step 2: Connect to WebSocket
async function connectWebSocket() {
  const accessToken = await getAccessToken();
  
  // WebSocket URL from your subscription settings
  const wsUrl = `wss://ws.zoom.us/ws?subscriptionId=${SUBSCRIPTION_ID}&access_token=${accessToken}`;
  
  const ws = new WebSocket(wsUrl);
  
  ws.on('open', () => {
    console.log('WebSocket connection established');
  });
  
  ws.on('message', (data) => {
    const event = JSON.parse(data);
    console.log('Event received:', event.event);
    
    // Handle different event types
    switch (event.event) {
      case 'meeting.started':
        console.log(`Meeting started: ${event.payload.object.topic}`);
        break;
      case 'meeting.ended':
        console.log(`Meeting ended: ${event.payload.object.uuid}`);
        break;
      case 'meeting.participant_joined':
        console.log(`Participant joined: ${event.payload.object.participant.user_name}`);
        break;
    }
  });
  
  ws.on('close', (code, reason) => {
    console.log(`Connection closed: ${code} - ${reason}`);
    // Implement reconnection logic
  });
  
  ws.on('error', (error) => {
    console.error('WebSocket error:', error);
  });
  
  return ws;
}

connectWebSocket();

Event Format

Events received via WebSocket have the same format as webhook events:

{
  "event": "meeting.started",
  "event_ts": 1706123456789,
  "payload": {
    "account_id": "abcD3ojkdbjfg",
    "object": {
      "id": 1234567890,
      "uuid": "abcdefgh-1234-5678-abcd-1234567890ab",
      "host_id": "xyz789",
      "topic": "Team Standup",
      "type": 2,
      "start_time": "2024-01-25T10:00:00Z",
      "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles"
    }
  }
}

Common Events

| Event | Description |

|-------|-------------|

| meeting.created | Meeting scheduled |

| meeting.updated | Meeting settings changed |

| meeting.deleted | Meeting deleted |

| meeting.started | Meeting begins |

| meeting.ended | Meeting ends |

| meeting.participant_joined | Participant joins meeting |

| meeting.participant_left | Participant leaves meeting |

| recording.completed | Cloud recording ready |

| user.created | New user added |

| user.updated | User details changed |

Connection Management

Keep-Alive

WebSocket connections require periodic heartbeats. Zoom will close idle connections.

// Send ping every 30 seconds
setInterval(() => {
  if (ws.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {
    ws.ping();
  }
}, 30000);

Reconnection

Implement automatic reconnection for reliability:

function connectWithReconnect() {
  const ws = connectWebSocket();
  
  ws.on('close', () => {
    console.log('Connection lost. Reconnecting in 5 seconds...');
    setTimeout(connectWithReconnect, 5000);
  });
  
  return ws;
}

Single Connection Limit

Important: Only ONE WebSocket connection can be open per subscription at a time. Opening a new connection will close the existing one.

Detailed References

• references/connection.md - Connection lifecycle, authentication, error handling
• references/events.md - Complete event types reference

Troubleshooting

• troubleshooting/common-issues.md - Subscription URL confusion, disconnects, no-events debugging

Sample Repositories

Official / Community

| Type | Repository | Description |

|------|------------|-------------|

| Node.js | just-zoomit/zoom-websockets | WebSocket sample with S2S OAuth |

WebSockets vs RTMS

Don't confuse WebSockets with RTMS (Realtime Media Streams):

| Feature | WebSockets | RTMS |

|---------|------------|------|

| Purpose | Event notifications | Media streams |

| Data | Meeting events, user events | Audio, video, transcripts |

| Use case | React to Zoom events | AI/ML, live transcription |

| Skill | This skill | rtms |

For real-time audio/video/transcript data, use the rtms skill instead.

Resources

• WebSockets docs: https://developers.zoom.us/docs/api/websockets/
• Webhooks comparison: https://www.zoom.com/en/blog/a-guide-to-webhooks-and-websockets/
• Developer forum: https://devforum.zoom.us/

Environment Variables

• See references/environment-variables.md for standardized .env keys and where to find each value.