Does Azure support OpenAI realtime API with websockets and ephemeral tokens?

Question

Does Azure support OpenAI realtime API with websockets and ephemeral tokens?

Christian Saiki 5

Hi I saw in the docs the Realtime WebRTC supports ephemeral tokens but I'm not being able to find/connect to WebSockets with an ephemeral token.
Do you support it? Is just that OpenAI API does provide it.
Thank you!

santoshkc 15,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-05-30T13:13:45.3633333+00:00

Hi @Christian Saiki,

The response shared below is helpful and correctly explains that Azure supports ephemeral tokens for WebSocket connections, but the setup differs from OpenAI. And, if you have any further query do let us know. Thank you.
santoshkc 15,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-04T09:43:41.49+00:00

Hi @Christian Saiki,

We have noticed that you rated an answer as not helpful. We appreciate your feedback and are committed to improving your experience with the Q&A.

Azure supports OpenAI’s real-time API via WebSockets and ephemeral tokens, but the implementation is slightly different from OpenAI’s native API. Azure’s GPT-4o real-time models, such as gpt-4o-realtime-preview and gpt-4o-mini-realtime-preview, can be accessed through the /openai/realtime WebSocket endpoint. This allows real-time, asynchronous communication for audio-based conversational interactions.

Authentication for the WebSocket connection can be done using ephemeral tokens provided through Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). These tokens are passed using the Authorization: Bearer <token> header and serve the same purpose as ephemeral tokens in OpenAI’s implementation. Alternatively, API key authentication is also supported, either via a query string or in the connection headers (the latter only works in non-browser environments).

While WebSocket is supported and suitable for server-to-server communication, Azure recommends using WebRTC for low-latency, real-time streaming in client-side applications such as browsers or mobile apps. WebRTC is optimized for such use cases and handles media transmission more efficiently in real-time scenarios.

For more info: Realtime API via WebSocket.

If the information is helpful, please click on "Upvote". If you have any further queries, please let us know. Thank you.
Prashanth Veeragoni 4,930 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-05T09:50:57.9366667+00:00

Hi @Christian Saiki,

I just wanted to follow up on the solution provided by santoshkc regarding the Azure OpenAI real-time API via WebSockets and authentication methods. I wanted to check if the information addressed your query and helped resolve the issue you were facing.

Please let us know if you need any further clarification or if there's anything else we can assist you with.

Thank you!
Christian Saiki 5 Reputation points

2025-06-05T22:22:32.4766667+00:00

No, sorry, it was not helpful.
As per https://github.com/Azure-Samples/aoai-realtime-audio-sdk/issues/123 Azure doesn't support ephemeral tokens for the OpenAI realtime websockets connection yet. So I'll have to try to implement via WebRTC instead
santoshkc 15,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-10T12:07:36.2133333+00:00

Hi @Christian Saiki,

While Azure's documentation outlines support for ephemeral tokens in general, ephemeral token authentication is currently not supported for the /openai/realtime WebSocket endpoint specifically, as confirmed in this GitHub issue.

Given that, your approach to use WebRTC instead is the right move for now, especially for client-side, low-latency scenarios. If you're building a browser-based or mobile app, WebRTC is optimized for that kind of real-time media streaming.

Than you.
Christian Saiki 5 Reputation points

2025-06-10T22:33:06.13+00:00

Hi @santoshkc I tried using webrtc to get the transcription with the ephemeral tokens but unfortunately it's also not working for me. I just keep getting errors like this
Christian Saiki 5 Reputation points

2025-06-10T22:34:41.1366667+00:00

I created a separate question here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-in/answers/questions/2280938/how-to-get-a-working-realtime-transcription-with-w
But also didn't get a helpful answer

1 answer

Your answer

santoshkc 15,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-05-30T13:13:45.3633333+00:00

Hi @Christian Saiki,

The response shared below is helpful and correctly explains that Azure supports ephemeral tokens for WebSocket connections, but the setup differs from OpenAI. And, if you have any further query do let us know. Thank you.
santoshkc 15,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-04T09:43:41.49+00:00

Hi @Christian Saiki,

We have noticed that you rated an answer as not helpful. We appreciate your feedback and are committed to improving your experience with the Q&A.

Azure supports OpenAI’s real-time API via WebSockets and ephemeral tokens, but the implementation is slightly different from OpenAI’s native API. Azure’s GPT-4o real-time models, such as gpt-4o-realtime-preview and gpt-4o-mini-realtime-preview, can be accessed through the /openai/realtime WebSocket endpoint. This allows real-time, asynchronous communication for audio-based conversational interactions.

Authentication for the WebSocket connection can be done using ephemeral tokens provided through Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). These tokens are passed using the Authorization: Bearer <token> header and serve the same purpose as ephemeral tokens in OpenAI’s implementation. Alternatively, API key authentication is also supported, either via a query string or in the connection headers (the latter only works in non-browser environments).

While WebSocket is supported and suitable for server-to-server communication, Azure recommends using WebRTC for low-latency, real-time streaming in client-side applications such as browsers or mobile apps. WebRTC is optimized for such use cases and handles media transmission more efficiently in real-time scenarios.

For more info: Realtime API via WebSocket.

If the information is helpful, please click on "Upvote". If you have any further queries, please let us know. Thank you.
Prashanth Veeragoni 4,930 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-05T09:50:57.9366667+00:00

Hi @Christian Saiki,

I just wanted to follow up on the solution provided by santoshkc regarding the Azure OpenAI real-time API via WebSockets and authentication methods. I wanted to check if the information addressed your query and helped resolve the issue you were facing.

Please let us know if you need any further clarification or if there's anything else we can assist you with.

Thank you!
Christian Saiki 5 Reputation points

2025-06-05T22:22:32.4766667+00:00

No, sorry, it was not helpful.
As per https://github.com/Azure-Samples/aoai-realtime-audio-sdk/issues/123 Azure doesn't support ephemeral tokens for the OpenAI realtime websockets connection yet. So I'll have to try to implement via WebRTC instead
santoshkc 15,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-10T12:07:36.2133333+00:00

Hi @Christian Saiki,

While Azure's documentation outlines support for ephemeral tokens in general, ephemeral token authentication is currently not supported for the /openai/realtime WebSocket endpoint specifically, as confirmed in this GitHub issue.

Given that, your approach to use WebRTC instead is the right move for now, especially for client-side, low-latency scenarios. If you're building a browser-based or mobile app, WebRTC is optimized for that kind of real-time media streaming.

Than you.
Christian Saiki 5 Reputation points

2025-06-10T22:33:06.13+00:00

Hi @santoshkc I tried using webrtc to get the transcription with the ephemeral tokens but unfortunately it's also not working for me. I just keep getting errors like this
Christian Saiki 5 Reputation points

2025-06-10T22:34:41.1366667+00:00

I created a separate question here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-in/answers/questions/2280938/how-to-get-a-working-realtime-transcription-with-w
But also didn't get a helpful answer

Answer 1

Hello Christian Saiki,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Azure's WebRTC real-time communication does support ephemeral tokens for secure WebSocket connections, but implementation differs from OpenAI's API. While OpenAI generates ephemeral tokens directly for WebSocket auth, Azure requires explicit token service integration (e.g., Azure Communication Services or custom token providers) to issue short-lived credentials.

To connect via WebSockets you may try below configs:

Use Azure Communication Services (ACS) or Azure SignalR for built-in token generation (CommunicationUserToken).
Configure CORS and auth policies in your WebSocket server to validate tokens.
Leverage Azure AD B2C for custom ephemeral tokens if using third-party WebRTC solutions.

For gaps in documentation, file a feature request or check ACS SDK samples for WebSocket workflows.

Some documentations for reference:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-signalr/signalr-concept-authenticate-oauth

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/communication-services/concepts/authentication

If the above answer helped, please do not forget to "Accept Answer" as this may help other community members to refer the info if facing a similar issue. Your contribution to the Microsoft Q&A community is highly appreciated.

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Does Azure support OpenAI realtime API with websockets and ephemeral tokens?

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