Multiplayer rooms without the socket infrastructure.
A stream is a realtime WebSocket gateway for your game or live app. Players join rooms, messages fan out instantly, presence is built in — and any channel can trigger a workflow, a server function, or an AI agent that answers the room as an in-game character. You bring the game; FlowFn brings the backend.
match_8f3a
6 players · live
wss://stream.flowfn.com
Rex
gg — rematch?
Ana
one more, winner keeps the crown
server
match.ended · score 3:2 → channel events
workflow Leaderboard Sync started → reply on “events”
NPC Goblin
You dare return? The crown stays with me.
streaming agent replied on “ai” — this room remembers the match
Channels
state
players
chat
players
events
server → workflow
ai
FlowFn-only · NPC
Connect, join, publish. That's the whole protocol.
Clients connect to one WebSocket URL, join a room by name, and publish JSON on named channels — state, chat, events, whatever you define. Everyone in the room receives every message plus join/leave presence. No sticky sessions, no socket servers to scale, no message broker to babysit.
match_8f3a
6 players · live
wss://stream.flowfn.com
Rex
gg — rematch?
Ana
one more, winner keeps the crown
server
match.ended · score 3:2 → channel events
workflow Leaderboard Sync started → reply on “events”
NPC Goblin
You dare return? The crown stays with me.
streaming agent replied on “ai” — this room remembers the match
Channels
state
players
chat
players
events
server → workflow
ai
FlowFn-only · NPC
A realtime backend that can think.
Rooms + presence
Rooms are created by joining them. Member lists, peer-joined / peer-left events, idle-room cleanup, and per-room member caps — all built in.
Channels with authority
Named pipes with publish rules: players-channels for chat and state, server-channels only your game server may write, and FlowFn-only channels players can hear but never spoof — perfect for AI replies and system announcements.
AI NPCs in your rooms
Bind a streaming agent to a channel and it answers each room as a character — an NPC, a referee, a hint-giver. Every room keeps its own memory; JSON replies arrive as structured actions your game can execute.
Workflows from game events
A channel can start a workflow for every message — match results into leaderboards, purchases into fulfilment. Set a reply channel and the run's result publishes back into the room when it finishes.
Bring your own identity
Your server mints short-lived signed player tokens with the stream's key — verified instantly, no callbacks, no player accounts stored on FlowFn. Open-identity mode for prototyping, token mode for production.
Live view + activity feed
Watch rooms and connection counts in real time, and debug with a 3-day activity feed: connects, kicks, every automation that fired — including your server functions' own console output.
The match ends. The leaderboard updates itself.
Every channel can carry a binding: publish a message and FlowFn fires a workflow run, a stream function (backend code that lives on the stream itself), or a streaming AI agent. Your game server publishes match.ended once — FlowFn handles the leaderboard write, the reward grant, and the announcement back into the room.
Replies are loop-safe by construction: FlowFn-side publishes never re-trigger bindings, so a function answering its own channel can't recurse. Rate limits per plan and per channel keep a hot room from running up your bill.
New form submission
Contact form · 12 today
Classify intent
gpt-4o-mini · returns category
Slack · Post to #sales
Routes pricing leads to sales
NPCs that remember the match they're in.
A streaming agent bound to a channel hears player messages and answers on a FlowFn-only channel — players can read it, nobody can impersonate it. Each room gets its own conversation memory, so the goblin that taunted you in match_8f3a remembers losing the rematch.
If the agent replies with JSON, your game receives structured data — the easiest way to drive NPC actions, hints, or dynamic difficulty. A per-room cooldown keeps a busy lobby from spending agent credits faster than you intend.
match_8f3a
6 players · live
wss://stream.flowfn.com
Rex
gg — rematch?
Ana
one more, winner keeps the crown
server
match.ended · score 3:2 → channel events
workflow Leaderboard Sync started → reply on “events”
NPC Goblin
You dare return? The crown stays with me.
streaming agent replied on “ai” — this room remembers the match
Channels
state
players
chat
players
events
server → workflow
ai
FlowFn-only · NPC
Games first. Anything live, second.
Multiplayer game sessions
Lobby, match, and spectator rooms over one URL. Server-authoritative events on a server-only channel; player chat and state on player channels; per-room member caps from your plan.
In-game AI characters
Bind an NPC agent to the chat channel of every room. It banters, gives hints, referees disputes — with per-room memory and structured JSON actions your client executes.
Leaderboards & live ops
Match results trigger workflows that update leaderboards, grant rewards, and publish the outcome back into the room — no polling, no glue server.
Live collaborative apps
Auctions, watch-parties, classrooms, dashboards — anything where a group needs the same state at the same time gets rooms, presence, and fan-out for free.
Streams are included on Pro and above.
Pro unlocks streams with plan-based connection, room, and message-rate limits — plus streaming AI agents. Everything a team builds stays intact across plan changes.
Ship multiplayer this week, not this quarter.
Create a stream, define your channels, and connect from your game with a test token in minutes. The gateway, presence, fan-out, and the AI are already running.
We’re here to help you ship
Email sales for volume pricing and enterprise procurement, reach support for everything else, or drop us a message and we’ll get back to you.
Talk to sales
Volume pricing, security review, and enterprise procurement — email us and we’ll get back fast.
General inquiries
support@flowfn.com
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