> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/ably/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ably Realtime Platform

> Build realtime experiences with enterprise-grade messaging infrastructure

# Build Realtime Experiences at Scale

Ably is a highly-scalable serverless WebSocket platform that powers realtime digital experiences. Stream data between any internet-connected device with guaranteed delivery, low latency, and automatic scaling.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Pub/Sub Messaging" icon="satellite-dish" href="/pubsub/introduction">
    Realtime messaging with channels, presence, and message history
  </Card>

  <Card title="Chat SDK" icon="messages" href="/chat/introduction">
    Purpose-built chat APIs with rooms, typing indicators, and reactions
  </Card>

  <Card title="Spaces" icon="users" href="/spaces/introduction">
    Collaborative features with live cursors, avatars, and component locking
  </Card>

  <Card title="LiveObjects" icon="database" href="/liveobjects/introduction">
    Synchronized state with distributed counters and maps
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI Transport" icon="brain-circuit" href="/ai-transport/introduction">
    Stream AI responses with token-level delivery and session management
  </Card>

  <Card title="LiveSync" icon="arrows-rotate" href="/livesync/introduction">
    Database synchronization with conflict resolution
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Quick Start

Get started with Ably in your preferred language:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="JavaScript">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Install the SDK">
        <CodeGroup>
          ```bash npm theme={null}
          npm install ably
          ```

          ```bash yarn theme={null}
          yarn add ably
          ```

          ```bash pnpm theme={null}
          pnpm add ably
          ```
        </CodeGroup>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Initialize the client">
        ```javascript theme={null}
        import * as Ably from 'ably';

        const client = new Ably.Realtime({ key: 'your-api-key' });
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Subscribe to messages">
        ```javascript theme={null}
        const channel = client.channels.get('my-channel');

        channel.subscribe('event', (message) => {
          console.log('Received:', message.data);
        });
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Python">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Install the SDK">
        ```bash theme={null}
        pip install ably
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Initialize the client">
        ```python theme={null}
        from ably import AblyRealtime

        client = AblyRealtime('your-api-key')
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Subscribe to messages">
        ```python theme={null}
        channel = client.channels.get('my-channel')

        def listener(message):
            print('Received:', message.data)

        channel.subscribe('event', listener)
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Swift">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Install the SDK">
        Add Ably to your Swift package dependencies:

        ```swift theme={null}
        dependencies: [
            .package(url: "https://github.com/ably/ably-cocoa", from: "1.2.0")
        ]
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Initialize the client">
        ```swift theme={null}
        import Ably

        let client = ARTRealtime(key: "your-api-key")
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Subscribe to messages">
        ```swift theme={null}
        let channel = client.channels.get("my-channel")

        channel.subscribe("event") { message in
            print("Received: \\(message.data)")
        }
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Platform Features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Global Edge Network" icon="globe">
    700+ edge locations across 15+ datacenters for minimal latency worldwide
  </Card>

  <Card title="Enterprise Scalability" icon="chart-line">
    Auto-scaling infrastructure handling billions of messages per month
  </Card>

  <Card title="Message Guarantees" icon="shield-check">
    Delivery guarantees, message ordering, and automatic retry logic
  </Card>

  <Card title="Multi-Platform SDKs" icon="code">
    Native SDKs for JavaScript, Python, Swift, Kotlin, Java, Go, Ruby, and more
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Explore the Documentation

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Platform Overview" icon="building" href="/platform/introduction">
    Learn about Ably's architecture and infrastructure
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/pubsub/auth/overview">
    Secure your applications with basic or token auth
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="book-open" href="/api/realtime-sdk">
    Complete SDK and REST API documentation
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Get started with a free account at [ably.com](https://ably.com). No credit card required.
</Note>