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

1. Go to Zoom Marketplace
2. Create a Server-to-Server OAuth app
3. Copy Account ID, Client ID, Client Secret

2. Enable WebSocket Subscription

1. In your app, go to Feature → Event Subscriptions
2. Add an Event Subscription
3. Select WebSockets as the method type
4. Select events to subscribe to (e.g., meeting.created, meeting.started)
5. 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.