Orderbook + DLOB websocket

The DLOB (Decentralized Limit Order Book) server powers the UI orderbook and trades feed. It provides both a websocket interface for real-time updates and REST endpoints for snapshots.

REST endpoints (recommended starting point)

Before wiring up websockets, you can fetch orderbook snapshots via simple HTTP requests. This is useful for polling-based UIs or quick prototyping.

L2 orderbook (aggregated by price level)

GET https://dlob.drift.trade/l2?marketName=SOL-PERP&depth=10&includeVamm=true&includeIndicative=true

Query parameters:

• marketName , Market symbol (e.g. SOL-PERP, BTC-PERP, SOL)
• depth , Number of price levels per side (default: all)
• includeVamm , Include AMM liquidity in the book (true/false)
• includeIndicative , Include indicative (non-firm) quotes (true/false)
• grouping , Price grouping in ticks (e.g. 10 for 0.01 increments)

Response shape:

{
  "bids": [
    { "price": "123.45", "size": "100.5" },
    { "price": "123.40", "size": "250.0" }
  ],
  "asks": [
    { "price": "123.50", "size": "80.2" },
    { "price": "123.55", "size": "150.0" }
  ],
  "slot": 250000000
}

L3 orderbook (individual orders)

GET https://dlob.drift.trade/l3?marketName=SOL-PERP&includeVamm=true

Returns every individual order with maker address and order ID , useful for building order-level analytics or matching simulations.

WebSocket connection

For real-time streaming, connect to the DLOB websocket:

• Base URL: wss://dlob.drift.trade/ws

Subscribe to channels

Supported channels: orderbook, trades

const ws = new WebSocket("wss://dlob.drift.trade/ws");
 
ws.onopen = () => {
  // Subscribe to orderbook updates with full liquidity
  ws.send(JSON.stringify({
    type: "subscribe",
    channel: "orderbook",
    marketType: "perp",
    market: "SOL-PERP",
    grouping: 10,            // Price grouping (0.01 increments)
    includeVamm: true,       // Include AMM liquidity
    includeIndicative: true  // Include indicative quotes
  }));
 
  // Subscribe to trades
  ws.send(JSON.stringify({
    type: "subscribe",
    channel: "trades",
    marketType: "perp",
    market: "SOL-PERP"
  }));
};
 
ws.onmessage = (event) => {
  const message = JSON.parse(event.data);
 
  // The channel in responses includes market info, e.g.:
  //   "orderbook_perp_0_grouped_10"
  //   "trades_perp_0"
  const channel = message.channel;
 
  // IMPORTANT: The `data` field is often a double-encoded JSON string.
  // You need a second JSON.parse() to get the actual object.
  const data = typeof message.data === "string"
    ? JSON.parse(message.data)
    : message.data;
 
  if (channel && channel.startsWith("orderbook_")) {
    console.log("Bids:", data.bids);
    console.log("Asks:", data.asks);
  }
 
  if (channel && channel.startsWith("trades_")) {
    console.log("New trade:", data);
  }
};
 
// Handle connection lifecycle
ws.onerror = (error) => console.error("DLOB WS error:", error);
ws.onclose = () => {
  console.log("DLOB WS closed ,  implement reconnection logic here");
};

Response channel format

The channel field in websocket responses is not the same as the channel you subscribed to. It includes the market type, market index, and grouping:

For example, subscribing to orderbook for SOL-PERP with grouping: 10 produces responses with channel orderbook_perp_0_grouped_10.

Double-encoded data field

The data field in websocket messages is frequently a JSON string inside a JSON string. Always check whether data is a string before using it:

// Raw message from WS:
// { "channel": "orderbook_perp_0_grouped_10", "data": "{\"bids\":[...],\"asks\":[...]}" }
 
const parsed = JSON.parse(event.data);       // First parse: message envelope
const book = typeof parsed.data === "string"
  ? JSON.parse(parsed.data)                  // Second parse: actual orderbook
  : parsed.data;

Map symbols consistently

Market symbols (e.g. SOL-PERP) match the UI. The market index in response channels corresponds to the SDK’s marketIndex , keep your market list in sync with the SDK’s market metadata to avoid mismatches.