Externa uses Reverb + Laravel Echo (laravel-echo + pusher-js) for admin realtime notifications and presence. Locally, prefer Herd Pro Reverb on :8080 (already running as a shared service). AI chat SSE is unchanged.

Upstream

Reverb · Broadcasting / presence · Fallback: Minimal vs full

What websockets cover

Covered by WebSockets	Not covered (other transport)
Private user notifications (file zip / duplication outcomes)	AI chat — browser SSE (`POST /ai/chat`), not Echo
Presence channel `online` (green dots on Users list)	Activity log flood — Spatie rows stay poll/Inertia; not broadcast per row
Connection status indicator (avatar `ConnectionDot`)	Public CMS / GraphQL / API keys — no realtime fan-out
Auth via `/broadcasting/auth` (session cookie)	Unread count when `BROADCAST_CONNECTION` is `log`/`null` — 60s poll only then

When realtime is on, the notifications bell does not poll every 60s. Poll is the fallback for the minimal stack only.

Events (notification classes that broadcast)

All four use trait App\Notifications\Concerns\BroadcastsWithDatabase:

Always database
Plus broadcast when BROADCAST_CONNECTION is not log / null / empty

Class	`data.type`	Emitted from
`FileZipReadyNotification`	`file_zip_ready`	`PrepareFilesZipJob`
`FileZipFailedNotification`	`file_zip_failed`	`PrepareFilesZipJob`
`FileDuplicationCompletedNotification`	`file_duplication_completed`	`DuplicateFilesJob`
`FileDuplicationFailedNotification`	`file_duplication_failed`	`DuplicateFilesJob`

toBroadcast() wraps the same toArray() payload as the database notification (BroadcastMessage).

Channels

Name in `routes/channels.php`	Wire / Echo name	Auth
`App.Models.User.{id}`	Private `App.Models.User.{id}`	Owner only (`(int) $user->id === (int) $id`)
`online`	Presence `presence-online` (Echo `join('online')`)	Active `User`; returns `{ id, name }`

Echo listen points (UI)

Location	Behavior
`resources/js/lib/echo.ts`	`ensureEcho()` — boots Reverb client when Inertia `realtime.enabled` is true
`resources/js/app.tsx`	Eager `ensureEcho(true)` on boot when enabled
`NotificationsBell`	`echo.private('App.Models.User.{id}').notification(...)` — bumps unread + `NOTIFICATIONS_UPDATED_EVENT`
`useOnlineUsers`	`echo.join('online')` — `.here` / `.joining` / `.leaving` → Users list green dots
`useEchoConnection` + `ConnectionDot`	Tracks Pusher connection state; rendered on sidebar avatar via `UserInfo` (`nav-user.tsx` → `showConnectionStatus`)

Connection dot tones: connected (green), connecting (amber pulse), disabled (muted), else destructive.

Herd Reverb (recommended local)

Herd Pro runs a shared Reverb on port 8080. Match credentials from Herd → Services → Reverb (defaults in externa-core/.env.example):

BROADCAST_CONNECTION=reverb

REVERB_APP_ID=1001
REVERB_APP_KEY=laravel-herd
REVERB_APP_SECRET=secret
REVERB_HOST=127.0.0.1
REVERB_PORT=8080
REVERB_SCHEME=http

VITE_REVERB_APP_KEY="${REVERB_APP_KEY}"
VITE_REVERB_HOST="${REVERB_HOST}"
VITE_REVERB_PORT="${REVERB_PORT}"
VITE_REVERB_SCHEME="${REVERB_SCHEME}"

Host for Echo must be 127.0.0.1 or localhost (not 0.0.0.0).
After changing VITE_REVERB_*, restart npm run dev (or rebuild).
Do not also run php artisan reverb:start while Herd Reverb owns :8080 — port conflict.
Auth endpoint: /broadcasting/auth (web middleware / session cookie).

Standalone Reverb (no Herd service)

php84 artisan reverb:start

Use your own REVERB_APP_* values on both the app and the Reverb process. composer run dev:full starts reverb:start for that path.

Feature detect

HandleInertiaRequests shares:

realtime: {
  enabled: boolean
  broadcaster: string
}

enabled is false when BROADCAST_CONNECTION is log or null — UI skips Echo; bell keeps the 60s unread poll.