The whole team sees the update.
Publish the application change to subscribed views so a shared workspace can stay current.
Realtime Messaging: Pub/Sub & Presence
Realtime messaging.
Keep everyone in the moment.
Keep booking screens, order updates and shared application views in sync. Publish an event once and let connected customers see the change.
Your server / Published updateExample · no request is madechannel: private-studio event: studio-visits.updatedevent: job.updated record: FN–1042record: JOB–42 RequestedConfirmedQueued · 0%Rendering · 50%Complete · 100% · revision 0
Customer view needs recoveryTwo current application views
Customer appSTUDIO VISIT / FN–1042RENDER JOB / JOB–42SUBSCRIPTION REFUSED
Friday, 14:00
Studio film export
Private view unavailable
Alex Lee · Two people
Preview render · authored example
Sign in with an eligible account.
RequestedConfirmedQueued · 0%Rendering · 50%Complete · 100%Access denied · revision 0 · staleAccess deniedDisconnected · staleSubscription requiredSubscribed · staleConnected · current
Studio dashboardSTUDIO VISIT / FN–1042RENDER JOB / JOB–42
Friday, 14:00
Studio film export
Alex Lee · Two people
Preview render · authored example
RequestedConfirmedQueued · 0%Rendering · 50%Complete · 100% · revision 0Application record · revision 0
Example content and data. Explore the workflow below; nothing is sent or changed in a live account.
Companies that trust Bird across their communications.
Read Bird customer storiesBIRD REALTIMEA connection with context.
DOCUMENTED OPERATING BEHAVIORA connection can recover.
A connection can recover.
Your state must, too.
The client reconnects and resubscribes after an unexpected interruption. Private channels need fresh authorization; your application then fetches current business state. Reconnection does not replay missed events.
Read the connection lifecycle ↗Source checked 18 September 2026. Local examples show the method, not measured latency, a live service result or guaranteed delivery. Confirm current account access and region.REALTIME / TRY IT YOURSELFConnections change.
Connections change.
Keep the state understandable.
Disconnect an example subscriber, update the booking, then reconnect and refresh from your application. See the difference between an event and authoritative state.
Inspect the result below after each action.Read the result and next step ↗
Inspect the result below after each action.Read the result and next step ↗
STUDIO DASHBOARD / APPLICATION RECORD
STUDIO VISIT / FN–1042RENDER JOB / JOB–42Friday, 14:00
Studio film export
Illustrative application record
RequestedConfirmedQueued · 0%Rendering · 50%Complete · 100% · revision 0CUSTOMER APP / SUBSCRIBED VIEW
STUDIO VISIT / FN–1042RENDER JOB / JOB–42SUBSCRIPTION REFUSEDFriday, 14:00
Studio film export
Private view unavailable
Illustrative application record
RequestedConfirmedQueued · 0%Rendering · 50%Complete · 100%Access denied · revision 0 · staleAccess deniedDisconnected · staleSubscription requiredSubscribed · staleConnected · current
No event publishedHTTP 200 · edge accepted revision 0 · no per-client receiptTwo authorized views begin at revision 0. Choose an action; no request is made.
The simulated notification reaches the customer app. Both views now show application revision 0.
The application saved revision 0. This client missed the update or is awaiting its state fetch. It must not claim to be current.
Connection lost. The customer view is stale; the studio can continue saving changes.
New connection → fresh channel authorization → subscription succeeded. Fetch current application state next; no missed events were replayed.
403 · subscription refused. Sign in with an eligible account before retrying; the public app key grants no private access.
403 · application refused this private subscriber. Its private view is cleared. No subscription or state read is permitted.
Eligible application session restored. Reauthorize and subscribe before fetching state.
State read blocked. Restore the connection and an authorized subscription first.
Application state read failed. Keep the stale label; retry this read, not the business mutation.
Fetched current application revision 0. Future notifications may update this view; missing history was not replayed.
Repeated or older application revision ignored. This application uses its own revision policy; Bird does not promise ordered or exactly-once delivery.
Illustrative only · no publish, account action or live connection. Application revisions are our example policy. HTTP 200 means edge acceptance, not client receipt. Work the recovery procedure ↗
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR CUSTOMERWhen something changes,
When something changes,
everyone can move with it.
Bring shared activity, presence, and application progress into the same moment. Publish from your server and keep the connected experience useful for the people watching.
Know who is here.
Use presence to show connected members in the experience your application controls.
Make the work understandable.
Let your server publish progress into a live interface while your application remains responsible for the underlying job.
FIND YOUR WAY IN
Publish from your server. Authorize in your app.
Choose Realtime.
Publish events to active subscribers, with private-channel authorisation and state recovery designed into your application.
Publish your first event ↗Explore Push.
Bring customers back to a useful screen with a notification. Use Push with their permission and a registered device.
Compare the notification path ↗READY WHEN YOU ARE
One event. Two views, together.
Make the change.
Share the moment.
Publish only from your server. This example uses fictional order data on orders and presence-lobby. Public channels do not protect private data; presence subscriptions need application authorization. Acceptance is separate from client receipt.
Prepare an app and its keys with CLI or MCP, then connect your Realtime client. Publishing, subscriptions and recovery run through the SDK and WebSocket connection.
Open the implementation guide →npm install @messagebird/sdkconst result = await bird.realtime.publish("rap_01krdgeqcxet5s7t44vh8rt9mg", {
event: "order.updated",
channels: ["orders", "presence-lobby"],
data: { order_id: "ord_123", status: "shipped" },
});
console.log(result.data?.length); // one entry per channelBrowser client example
Use the same app and region as the server. This browser example listens to order.updated on the public orders channel; keep private customer data behind your application authorization and fetch current state after reconnection.
Browser clientapp.ts: Browser; public app keyimport { BirdRealtime } from "@messagebird/realtime";
const bird = new BirdRealtime({ appKey: APP_KEY, region: "us1" });
const orders = bird.subscribe("orders");
orders.bind("order.updated", (data) => {
renderOrder(data);
});
THE COMPLETE BIRD PLATFORM
Live in the app. Connected beyond it.
Use Realtime while a customer is present, then Email or messaging for useful updates outside the session.
STUDIO-VISITS.UPDATED
Booking confirmed
↓Customer app · Studio dashboard
Authorised subscribers01
Realtime This step
The studio sees Alex’s booking change in its application.
f.
FieldnotesTo: Alex Lee ⌄
Your studio visit. All in one place.
fieldnotes.BOOKING FN–1042Your studio visit.
All in one place.
Alex Lee · Friday, 14:00
Clay workshop · One guest
View your booking ↗
All in one place.
Alex Lee · Friday, 14:00Clay workshop · One guest
View your booking ↗
02
Email ↗
The server sends the updated confirmation.
12
f.Fieldnotes
Today · 9:41
Your studio visit is tomorrow at 14:00. Booking FN–1042.
Thank you. See you there!
03
SMS ↗
A consented reminder uses the same booking record.
LEARN / BUILD / OPERATEGo further with
FIELD GUIDE
Go further with
Realtime.
FIELD GUIDEPublish from your server. Authorize in your app.
A practical path through setup, implementation, and the choices that matter.
Read the field guide →Explore all resources
Quickstarts, implementation guides, comparisons and migration.
Prepare the first event
Check the complete publisher/subscriber path.
Choose channel access
Public, private, presence and latest-event cache.
Recover application state
Reauthorize, resubscribe and fetch current business state.
Represent presence
Member identities, tabs and observed departures.
Operate channel notifications
Durable acceptance and channel-state reconciliation.
REALTIME / YOUR APPLICATIONSize the live experience.
Size the live experience.
Keep room for what is next.
Start with the free preview: 100 concurrent connections and 200,000 messages per day across all apps in your workspace. Compare Realtime pricing for larger workloads, including your publications, fan-out and peak connections.
Explore Realtime pricing ↗YOUR REALTIME SETUPEvents + connections
Scope the workload and its peak activity.
- Application traffic
- Model event frequency and connected subscribers.
- Access model
- Choose public, private, or presence channels.
- Beyond the app
- Add Email and messaging where the customer journey needs them.
Realtime, answered.
A FEW USEFUL ANSWERS
Is Realtime the same as Push?
Realtime connects active application clients to live events. Push addresses notification experiences through device or browser notification services. They solve different parts of the journey.
Who authorizes access to private channels?
Your application must decide which users can access each private channel. Keep authorization and business rules on your trusted server.
What happens during a disconnected period?
The client can miss updates. Reconnect and reconcile from your application’s current state; an event stream is not the authoritative database.
Can I expose the publishing secret in the browser?
No. Keep publishing credentials server-side. Clients use the app key and supported subscription authorization for the channel type.
How do I get started or speak to sales?
Start with a Bird account and follow the setup path on this page. Our sales team can help with migration, volume, or a wider product mix. Start now or talk to sales.
In die Praxis umsetzen.
Weiter mit der Dokumentation, Anleitungen und Beispielen zu diesem Thema. Die Ressourcen sind auf Englisch.