Monday, August 31, 2026
REST vs WebSocket vs Webhooks vs MCP: Which to Use
REST vs WebSocket vs Webhooks vs MCP: Which to Use
finlight delivers the same structured, enriched news four different ways. They aren't competitors; they're tools for different jobs. Picking the right one keeps your system simpler and your data fresher. Here's how they compare and when to reach for each.
At a glance
| Method | Model | Best for | Latency | You run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| REST | pull (request/response) | search, backfill, scheduled jobs | on demand | a caller |
| WebSocket | push (persistent stream) | live dashboards, signals | real time | a long-lived client |
| Webhooks | push (event to your URL) | automations, alerts | real time | an HTTPS endpoint |
| MCP | AI assistant access | research, ad-hoc questions | interactive | nothing |
REST: when you ask for it
REST is a pull model. You send a request with your filters and get a page of matching articles back. It's the simplest place to start and the right choice for search, historical backfills, and dashboards that refresh on a schedule. The trade-off: to find out about new articles, you have to poll again.
Start here: the Quick Start guide.
WebSocket: a live stream
WebSocket is a push model over a persistent connection. finlight sends each matching article the moment it's published, with no polling. It's ideal for live dashboards, monitoring, and trading signals where seconds matter. You keep a long-lived client connected; the official SDKs handle reconnection for you. It comes in enhanced (full enrichment) and raw (lightweight) variants.
Webhooks: push to your endpoint
With webhooks, finlight calls your HTTPS endpoint the moment an article matches your filters. This is the best fit for event-driven automations and alerts, where you don't want to hold a connection open or poll on a timer. You operate a small endpoint, and deliveries are signed so you can verify they came from finlight. Enriched and raw variants are available.
MCP server: for AI assistants
The MCP server connects finlight to an AI assistant like Claude or ChatGPT, so you can ask for market news in plain language. It's the right tool for research and ad-hoc analysis when you'd rather ask a question than write code.
How to choose
- Need results on demand, search, or history? REST.
- Need new articles instantly inside an app? WebSocket.
- Want news pushed into a pipeline or alert without polling? Webhooks.
- Want to ask questions in natural language? MCP.
Many production setups combine them: REST for the initial backfill, then WebSocket or webhooks for everything live.
Where to go next
- What the finlight API Can Do.
- Full documentation for the WebSocket, webhook, and MCP guides.