# Documentation for telnet interface? **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [March 21, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://forum.hamalert.org/t/documentation-for-telnet-interface/682 "2024-03-21T17:54:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KC4KQE](https://forum.hamalert.org/user_avatar/forum.hamalert.org/kc4kqe/32/127_2.png) [@KC4KQE](https://forum.hamalert.org/u/KC4KQE)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://forum.hamalert.org/t/documentation-for-telnet-interface/682/1 "2024-03-21T17:54:20Z")
Hello! I’ve been experimenting a bit with the telnet interface `hamalert.org:7300`. I am able to login successfully and use the commands mentioned under [https://hamalert.org/destinations](https://hamalert.org/destinations) (`sh/dx 20` and `set/json`). I see streaming alerts as expected, in either text or json - so everything works fine! My question is - is there a full list of supported commands published anywhere? Or any kind of “help” command interface I could use? I’ve tried a handful of commands like `help`, `h`, `list`, `?`, and so forth, with no luck so far. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![HB9DQM](https://forum.hamalert.org/user_avatar/forum.hamalert.org/hb9dqm/32/5_2.png) [@HB9DQM](https://forum.hamalert.org/u/HB9DQM)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:52pm UTC](https://forum.hamalert.org/t/documentation-for-telnet-interface/682/2 "2024-03-24T12:52:34Z")
There are no supported commands other than those already documented (sh/dx N and set/json). The cluster emulation is very basic, as it is intended to support only the bare minimum necessary to stream alerts to some other application. ---
**Author:** ![KC4KQE](https://forum.hamalert.org/user_avatar/forum.hamalert.org/kc4kqe/32/127_2.png) [@KC4KQE](https://forum.hamalert.org/u/KC4KQE)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 1:42am UTC](https://forum.hamalert.org/t/documentation-for-telnet-interface/682/3 "2024-03-25T01:42:41Z")
Understood - thought it would be worth asking just to see if there were any other hidden gems in there to play with. 😉 Thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![KC4KQE](https://forum.hamalert.org/user_avatar/forum.hamalert.org/kc4kqe/32/127_2.png) [@KC4KQE](https://forum.hamalert.org/u/KC4KQE)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 4:43am UTC](https://forum.hamalert.org/t/documentation-for-telnet-interface/682/4 "2024-03-25T04:43:02Z")
Hey, as a quick follow-up question… Would it be possible to implement any kind of “heartbeat” type of command, to ensure the connection is active? I’m experimenting a bit with a python-based monitor of the telnet feed via an asynchronous i/o library… I’m currently relying on the underlying telnet protocol itself to know if/when a disconnection happens. It might be more robust if there could be some kind of heartbeat command to verify the client is still able to communicate with the server - just something really simple like `hb` or something to get a standard reply (maybe just the string “ok” or something) - or if you wanted to make something arguably more useful/flexible, maybe support for a `time` or `datetime` command that replies with the current system time/datetime? Just throwing out some ideas - let me know if you feel like implementing something like that. Thanks again so much for everything! ---
**Author:** ![HB9DQM](https://forum.hamalert.org/user_avatar/forum.hamalert.org/hb9dqm/32/5_2.png) [@HB9DQM](https://forum.hamalert.org/u/HB9DQM)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 7:48am UTC](https://forum.hamalert.org/t/documentation-for-telnet-interface/682/5 "2024-03-25T07:48:37Z")
> [@KC4KQE](#): > > It might be more robust if there could be some kind of heartbeat command to verify the client is still able to communicate with the server Looking at the server-side code, I realize I forgot to mention one previously undocumented command. If you send `echo foo`, the server will send back `foo`. ---
**Author:** ![KC4KQE](https://forum.hamalert.org/user_avatar/forum.hamalert.org/kc4kqe/32/127_2.png) [@KC4KQE](https://forum.hamalert.org/u/KC4KQE)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 7:53am UTC](https://forum.hamalert.org/t/documentation-for-telnet-interface/682/6 "2024-03-25T07:53:44Z")
> [@HB9DQM](#): > > Looking at the server-side code, I realize I forgot to mention one previously undocumented command. If you send `echo foo`, the server will send back `foo`. Fantastic! Tested and works perfectly. Thanks again so much! ---
**Author:** ![K0BBC](https://forum.hamalert.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@K0BBC](https://forum.hamalert.org/u/K0BBC)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://forum.hamalert.org/t/documentation-for-telnet-interface/682/7 "2025-05-02T19:40:55Z")
How do you turn off JSON or what’s the opposite of the set/json command? ---
**Author:** ![HB9DQM](https://forum.hamalert.org/user_avatar/forum.hamalert.org/hb9dqm/32/5_2.png) [@HB9DQM](https://forum.hamalert.org/u/HB9DQM)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2025, 7:33pm UTC](https://forum.hamalert.org/t/documentation-for-telnet-interface/682/8 "2025-05-03T19:33:12Z")
There is none, but the setting is only per Telnet session and not persistent, so if you simply don’t send that command in a new Telnet session, then you won’t get JSON output.