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What channels are

Channels are stream pipes between iii workers. They let one function write bytes while another function reads those bytes in real time, even when the functions run in different processes or languages.

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The model

The key idea is that refs travel through regular function calls, but the data itself travels over the channel.

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Why channels exist

Function invocations are JSON messages. That is perfect for structured events and command payloads, but it is the wrong approach for large files, media, streaming responses (agents, chats), and long-running partial output. Channels split coordination from data transfer:
  • A function call coordinates the work.
  • A channel carries the stream.
  • The engine tracks tracing and routing.

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Runtime flow

The producer creates a channel and passes readerRef to the consumer. Node and Python materialize that ref into a live reader before the handler runs. Rust receives the ref as JSON and constructs a ChannelReader from it. The producer writes chunks into its local writer, and the consumer reads those chunks from its local reader.

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Backpressure and lifecycle

Channel streams connect lazily. Creating a channel allocates refs, but the WebSocket stream connects when one side starts reading or writing. Backpressure is handled by the SDK stream implementation so writers can pause when readers cannot keep up. When the writer closes, the reader receives the stream end. When a worker disconnects, its channel connections close with it.

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Channel ownership

A channel belongs to the worker that called engine::channels::create (for example through worker.createChannel()). When that worker disconnects, the engine releases the channel:
  • Ends that no worker has attached yet are dropped. A later attempt to attach with that ref fails with HTTP 404.
  • A reader already waiting on the channel receives the end of the stream.
  • Streams with both ends already attached keep running until they complete.
If a worker creates a channel and hands a writerRef or readerRef to another worker, the creating worker must stay connected until the other worker attaches to its end.

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Releasing a channel

The engine releases a channel as soon as either side leaves:
  • When the reader finishes or disconnects, the engine removes the channel. An end that was never attached goes with it.
  • When the reader is gone, the engine closes an attached writer right away, even if the writer is idle, instead of waiting for its next write.
For bidirectional communication, create two channels: one for each direction.