# Connect to Realtime Data > This guide will cover connecting to Directus via WebSockets on the web, subscribing to changes, and creating new items over the connection. Instead of needing to make a request to see if data has changed, your application can receive updates in realtime over a persistent connection with Directus. All subscriptions and actions over a realtime connection use the permissions of the authenticated user, or public permissions if not authenticated. This guide will cover getting started with by connecting to Directus with the Directus SDK on the web, subscribing to changes, and creating new items. ## Before You Start You will need a Directus project. Create a `messages` collection with a `date_created` field enabled on collection creation. Add `text` and `user` text fields. Follow the [data modeling quickstart](/getting-started/data-model) to learn more. Add an [access policy](/guides/auth/access-control) called **Public Posts** to your user in the Data Studio. Within it, create a new permission to allow the `read` and `create` actions on the `messages` collection. In the Data Studio, create a [static token](/guides/auth/tokens-cookies) for your user, copy it, and save your user profile. ## Enable Realtime Directus Realtime is disabled by default on self-hosted projects. Set the `WEBSOCKETS_ENABLED` environment variable to `true`. If you use Directus Cloud to host your project, you do not need to manually enable Realtime. ## Connect via Directus Realtime Create an `index.html` file, import the Directus SDK from a CDN, create a client with the `realtime` composable, and connect. Be sure to replace your Directus project URL and access token. ```html ``` ## Subscribe to Changes After subscribing to collections over your connection, you will receive new messages whenever items in the collection are created, updated, or deleted. At the bottom of your `