---
title: Server-Sent Events (SSE) with Bun
sidebarTitle: Server-Sent Events
mode: center
---

[Server-Sent Events](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Server-sent_events) let you push a stream of text events to the browser over a single HTTP response. The client consumes them with [`EventSource`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/EventSource).

To implement an SSE endpoint in Bun, return a `Response` whose body is a streaming source and set the `Content-Type` header to `text/event-stream`.

<Note>
  `Bun.serve` closes idle connections after **10 seconds** by default. A quiet SSE stream counts as idle, so the
  examples below call `server.timeout(req, 0)` to disable the timeout for the stream. See
  [`idleTimeout`](/runtime/http/server#idletimeout) for details.
</Note>

## Using an async generator

In Bun, `new Response` accepts an async generator function directly; this is usually the simplest way to write an SSE endpoint. Each `yield` flushes a chunk to the client, and if the client disconnects, the generator's `finally` block runs so you can clean up.

```ts server.ts icon="/icons/typescript.svg"
Bun.serve({
  port: 3000,
  routes: {
    "/events": (req, server) => {
      // SSE streams are often quiet between events. By default,
      // Bun.serve closes connections after 10 seconds of inactivity.
      // Disable the idle timeout for this request so the stream
      // stays open indefinitely.
      server.timeout(req, 0);

      return new Response(
        async function* () {
          yield `data: connected at ${Date.now()}\n\n`;

          // Emit a tick every 5 seconds until the client disconnects.
          // When the client goes away, the generator is returned
          // (cancelled) and this loop stops automatically.
          while (true) {
            await Bun.sleep(5000);
            yield `data: tick ${Date.now()}\n\n`;
          }
        },
        {
          headers: {
            "Content-Type": "text/event-stream",
            "Cache-Control": "no-cache",
          },
        },
      );
    },
  },
});
```

## Using a `ReadableStream`

If your events originate from callbacks (message brokers, timers, external pushes) rather than a linear `await` flow, a `ReadableStream` often fits better. When the client disconnects, Bun calls the stream's `cancel()` method automatically, so you can release any resources you set up in `start()`.

```ts server.ts icon="/icons/typescript.svg"
Bun.serve({
  port: 3000,
  routes: {
    "/events": (req, server) => {
      server.timeout(req, 0);

      let timer: Timer;
      const stream = new ReadableStream({
        start(controller) {
          controller.enqueue(`data: connected at ${Date.now()}\n\n`);

          timer = setInterval(() => {
            controller.enqueue(`data: tick ${Date.now()}\n\n`);
          }, 5000);
        },
        cancel() {
          // Called automatically when the client disconnects.
          clearInterval(timer);
        },
      });

      return new Response(stream, {
        headers: {
          "Content-Type": "text/event-stream",
          "Cache-Control": "no-cache",
        },
      });
    },
  },
});
```
