> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.squarecloud.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Real-time stream

> Subscribe to live application events through a Server-Sent Events (SSE) stream.

`api.ApplicationRealtime(appID)` opens a [Server-Sent Events](https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/API/Server-sent_events) stream and returns a `*rest.RealtimeStream`. Iterate it with `stream.Next()` until `io.EOF`.

```go theme={null}
client := rest.NewClient(os.Getenv("SQUARECLOUD_API_KEY"))
defer client.Close()

api := rest.New(client)
```

## Consuming the stream

```go theme={null}
stream, err := api.ApplicationRealtime("abc123def456abc123def456")
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}
defer stream.Close()

for {
	event, err := stream.Next()
	if err == io.EOF {
		break // stream ended (e.g. 10-minute TTL reached)
	}
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}

	fmt.Println(event.Name, string(event.Data))
}
```

Always `defer stream.Close()` — an unclosed stream keeps one of your account's connection slots occupied.

## Event shape

The stream emits two kinds of frames:

* **System events** — connection lifecycle messages: `REALTIME_CONNECTING`, `REALTIME_TIMEOUT`, `REALTIME_DISCONNECTED`, `REALTIME_RECONNECT` and `REALTIME_ERROR`.
* **`message` events** — the application payload. `Data` is opaque to the SDK, usually JSON — unmarshal it yourself:

```go theme={null}
if event.Name == "message" {
	var payload map[string]any
	if err := json.Unmarshal(event.Data, &payload); err == nil {
		fmt.Println(payload)
	}
}
```

## Connection limits

<Warning>
  A single account can keep at most **5 simultaneous connections** open, and each connection lasts up to **10 minutes** (its TTL). When the TTL is reached the stream ends with `io.EOF` — reconnect in a loop to stay subscribed.
</Warning>

```go theme={null}
for {
	stream, err := api.ApplicationRealtime("abc123def456abc123def456")
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}

	for {
		event, err := stream.Next()
		if err != nil {
			break // io.EOF on TTL — reconnect
		}
		fmt.Println(event.Name, string(event.Data))
	}

	stream.Close()
}
```

## Cancellation

Attach a `context.Context` with `rest.WithContext` to stop the stream from the outside:

```go theme={null}
ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
defer cancel()

stream, err := api.ApplicationRealtime("abc123def456abc123def456", rest.WithContext(ctx))
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}
defer stream.Close()

// cancel() from another goroutine ends the stream
```