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Streaming inbox feed

If you want to see incoming messages in near real-time you can use Mailinator's Streaming feed functionality. The feed uses a websocket-backed stream to show newly received messages without polling or refreshing the page.

When to use​

Use the live feed to observe message throughput during load tests, to visually verify that messages are arriving during a test run, or to see Mailinator’s ingest capacity. Streaming can also help tests and AI agents wait for new messages without repeatedly polling. The feed is read-only and does not expose full message content; it is intended as an operational view rather than an inspection tool.

Streaming is a good fit when you want to observe message arrival in near real-time. If you need to inspect message bodies, extract links, read OTP codes, or make assertions in a test, use the Messages API or an SDK after the message arrives.

Streaming vs polling vs webhooks​

Use the option that matches your workflow:

  1. Streaming - Best for watching incoming messages in near real-time during a test run, load test, or operational check.
  2. Polling - Best for test automation that waits for a specific email or SMS, then fetches message content through the API.
  3. Webhooks - Best when another system should push data into Mailinator or when you want event-driven workflows around incoming payloads.

How it works​

The inbox UI subscribes to a websocket channel and receives a lightweight summary for every message that lands. Messages appear almost instantly, and you can pause the feed to stop updates while you inspect results.

For programmatic access, use the Messages API and Webhooks.

Check our SDK Overview for libraries that support the streaming feed and other API functionality.