Transports
Ways to call the API
REST, server-sent events, WebSocket, MQTT, webhooks and MCP reach the same operations with the same token and scopes. What each one is for and when to pick it.
Every way in reaches the same operations, with the same token, the same scopes, the same errors and the same usage. What changes is how a call travels. Start with REST; pick another way when your program has to listen, hold a connection open or let an assistant do the calling.
| You want to | Use |
|---|---|
| call an operation and read the answer | REST |
| follow one stream of events from a request | Server-sent events |
| run many calls and streams on one connection | WebSocket |
| use an MQTT client or broker you already run | MQTT |
| be told when something happens, with no client | Webhooks |
| let an assistant call the API for you | MCP (assistants) |
REST
A request and a JSON answer, on every route in the API reference.
Pick it first: it works from any language, from curl and from the reference's
playground, and every SDK speaks it.
Server-sent events
A request that answers with a stream: routes whose path ends in /events keep the
connection open and send each event as it happens. Pick it when one program follows one
stream, such as the account's events or an incident's timeline, over plain HTTP.
WebSocket
One socket that carries any call by name, several at once, with the same JSON as REST. Pick it for a browser or a long-lived client that runs many calls and streams together and should send its token only once.
MQTT
MQTT 5 over a secure WebSocket: every stream is a topic and any call is a publish. Pick it when your devices or services already speak MQTT and should not learn another protocol.
Webhooks
The platform calls your HTTPS endpoint when something happens, with a signed event that carries ids, never content. Pick it for a server that should react to events without holding a connection open.
MCP for assistants
The API as tools for an assistant, over the Model Context Protocol. Pick it when an assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT should read and act on your account in your name, within the scopes you allow.