MAU & Concurrent connections - Billing metrics for Stream Chat

There are two billing metrics for the Stream Chat API. Billing metrics for each application can be seen on the usage page in the Stream dashboard as shown below. 

1. Monthly Active Users (MAU)
2. Peak Concurrent Connection

Monthly Active Users (MAU)

Stream uses WebSocket technology to connect users' devices to our API and transfer Chat events in real-time. Opening a WebSocket connection for a unique user_id increments the count of Monthly Active Users for your organization. The total monthly active users is the total number of unique users that have opened a WebSocket with a device and the Stream API at least once during the month. A user can connect multiple times and still count as only 1 MAU. This total is entirely reset every month. 

await client.connectUser();
// or
await client.setUser();

The connection can be closed by calling the following function

await client.disconnect();

Read more here

Peak Concurrent Connections

Peak Concurrent Connections is the point of time during the month at which there is the highest number of WebSockets connected to the Stream API for your applications in your organization. For example, if you had a traffic pattern such as 

• Monday - 600 concurrently connected users
• Tuesday - 750 concurrently connected users
• Wednesday 700 concurrently connected users

Then the peak concurrent connections for the app over the three days would be 750. 

Please note 

You are not charged for

1. Messages sent/stored
2. Channels created
3. Users added (and not logged in/opened a WebSocket connection)

Also,

• MAU resets each month
• If your organization exceeds any of these metrics, additional connections/MAU will not be blocked, but overage charges may occur