Open Source Rust WebSocket Servers

Netcat, curl and socat for WebSockets. Command-line client for WebSockets, like netcat (or curl) for ws:// with advanced socat-like functions. Connecting to and serving WebSockets from the command line. Executing external program and making it communicate to WebSocket using stdin/stdout. Text and binary modes, converting between lines (or null-terminated records) and messages. Inetd mode, UNIX sockets (including abstract namespaced on Linux). Integration with Nginx using TCP or UNIX sockets. Directly using unauthenticated SOCKS5 servers for connecting to WebSockets and listening WebSocket connections. Auto-reconnect and connection-reuse modes. Linux, Windows, and Mac support, with pre-built executables. Low-level WebSocket clients and servers with an overridable underlying transport connection, e.g. calling an external program to serve as a transport for websocat (for SSL, proxying, etc.).

tokio-tungstenite is a Rust library that connects the Tungstenite WebSocket implementation with the Tokio asynchronous runtime. It lets developers build non-blocking WebSocket clients and servers using Tokio’s async networking model. The crate wraps asynchronous TCP streams and upgrades them into WebSocket streams that integrate naturally with Rust futures and async tasks. It is useful for real-time services, streaming applications, chat systems, gateways, backend infrastructure, and any Rust project that needs WebSocket communication without blocking threads. Because it builds on Tungstenite, it inherits a standards-focused WebSocket protocol foundation while adding Tokio compatibility. It is a practical choice for Rust developers who need efficient, event-driven WebSocket networking.