Registry / messaging / node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket

node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket

library1.1.1jsnpmunverified

A Node-RED custom node that establishes and manages WebSocket connections with dynamic URL switching at runtime. Version 1.1.1 requires Node >=18.0.0. Unlike the built-in WebSocket node, this node allows changing the WebSocket URL mid-flow via msg.url, supports authentication (basic, token, custom headers), advanced reconnection with exponential backoff, and message transformation with validation. It also handles self-signed certificates and binary data. The node has one input and three outputs (received messages, connection status, connection errors). It persists the last connected URL across Node-RED restarts.

messaging

npm install node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · NODE-RED-CONTRIB-D

node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket

messagingjavascriptv1.1.1

harness data pending

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

No compatibility data collected yet for this library.

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

node installation

✓ npm install node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket

✗ npm install dynamic-websocket

The package is a Node-RED node; install via npm in your Node-RED user directory or use the palette manager.

module import (for flow function nodes)

✓ const DynamicWebsocket = require('node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket');

✗ import { DynamicWebsocket } from 'node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket';

Node-RED uses CommonJS require; ESM imports will fail in Node-RED context.

node registration (module export)

✓ module.exports = function(RED) { require('node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket')(RED); }

✗ export default function(RED) { ... }

Node-RED expects CommonJS module exports; ESM export syntax is not supported.

Sample Node-RED flow: inject sets URL, dynamic-websocket connects, outputs to three debug nodes for messages, status, and errors.

// Node-RED flow JSON example (deploy via clipboard) [ { "id": "inject1", "type": "inject", "payload": "ws://echo.websocket.org", "payloadType": "str", "topic": "url", "name": "Set URL" }, { "id": "dynamic-websocket1", "type": "dynamic-websocket", "name": "Dynamic WebSocket", "defaultUrl": "ws://echo.websocket.org", "allowSelfSigned": false, "autoReconnect": true, "reconnectAttempts": 5, "reconnectInterval": 3000, "useExponentialBackoff": true, "wires": [["debug1"], ["debug2"], ["debug3"]] }, { "id": "debug1", "type": "debug", "name": "Messages", "active": true, "console": "false", "complete": "payload" }, { "id": "debug2", "type": "debug", "name": "Status", "active": true, "console": "false", "complete": "payload" }, { "id": "debug3", "type": "debug", "name": "Errors", "active": true, "console": "false", "complete": "payload" } ]

Debug

Known issues

breakingNode.js version requirement: >=18.0.0

fix

Upgrade Node.js to version 18 or later.

affects: 1.x

gotchaNode-RED restart may cause the node to attempt reconnection to the last URL; if the URL is no longer valid, it may fail repeatedly.

fix

Send msg.close to clear the stored URL before redeploy or restart.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchamsg.payload is always stringified before sending; sending objects directly will result in [object Object].

fix

Use msg.message property to send raw data (string or Buffer) or enable binary support for Buffers.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaSelf-signed certificate support is disabled by default; connections to wss:// with self-signed certs will fail silently.

fix

Set allowSelfSigned: true in node config or via msg.allowSelfSigned.

affects: >=1.0.0

deprecatedThe package does not support ESM; only CommonJS require() works in Node-RED.

fix

Use require() and avoid import/export syntax.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaAuto-parse JSON may fail if the server sends malformed JSON; the raw string will be emitted as payload.

fix

Check for string payloads if you expect objects; set msg.payload to parse manually.

affects: >=1.0.0

breakingMinimum Node-RED version not specified; may be incompatible with very old Node-RED versions (<1.0).

fix

Use Node-RED 1.0.0 or later.

affects: >=1.1.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: listen EADDRINUSE :::1880

Node-RED port already in use (another instance running).

fix

Kill other Node-RED process or change port in settings.js.

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'type')

Missing required property 'type' in node configuration (e.g., loading flow without node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket installed).

fix

Install the package via npm install node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket and restart Node-RED.

Error: self signed certificate in certificate chain

WebSocket server uses a self-signed certificate but allowSelfSigned is false.

fix

Set allowSelfSigned: true in node configuration or set msg.allowSelfSigned = true before connecting.

Error: connect ECONNREFUSED ws://example.com:8080

WebSocket server is not running or unreachable.

fix

Check server address and port, ensure server is running.

Error: Invalid WebSocket frame: invalid opcode

Received binary data but binary support not enabled, or corrupt data.

fix

Enable binary support in node config or disable binary sending from server.

Upgrade

Version history

1.1.1latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

node-redrequiredRuns as a Node-RED custom node; requires Node-RED runtime to be installed.

Agent activity

11 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/Hindurable/node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket ↗

packagenode-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket ↗

homepagehttps://github.com/Hindurable/node-red-contrib-dynamic-websocket ↗