PubNub REST API
Official vendor OpenAPI document · agent-readyCommunicationsPush Notificationsnone30 EndpointsREST
For Agents
Programmatically publish a message to a channel (get), publish a message to a channel (post). Covers 30 operations.
Use for: I need to publish a message to a channel (get), I want to publish a message to a channel (post), Search for send a signal to a channel, Find all subscribe to channels
Not supported: Does not handle payments, crm, or developer tools - use for communications only.
PubNub is a real-time messaging platform providing publish/subscribe messaging, presence detection, message storage, push notifications, access control, and channel group management via a REST API. The API exposes 30 endpoints.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the PubNub REST API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the PubNub REST API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
1
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL "https://jentic.com/install.sh?src=apis&api=%2Fapis%2Fpubnub.com%2Fpubnub" | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL "https://jentic.com/install.sh?src=apis&api=%2Fapis%2Fpubnub.com%2Fpubnub" | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with PubNub REST API.
Publish a message to a channel (GET)
Send a signal to a channel
Subscribe to channels
Here Now for a channel
Global Here Now
Where Now
Use Cases
Patterns agents use PubNub REST API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Communications Operations
Use the PubNub REST API to perform communications operations programmatically. The API provides 30 endpoints covering core functionality including publish a message to a channel (get), publish a message to a channel (post), send a signal to a channel.
Call GET /publish/{pub_key}/{sub_key}/0/{channel}/{callback}/{payload} to publish a message to a channel (get)
Automated Publish Management
Automate publish operations by combining multiple PubNub REST API endpoints. Agents can publish a message to a channel (post) and then send a signal to a channel in a single workflow.
Call POST /publish/{pub_key}/{sub_key}/0/{channel}/{callback} to publish a message to a channel (post), then verify the result
AI Agent Integration via Jentic
AI agents discover and call PubNub REST API endpoints through Jentic without managing credentials directly. An agent searches for the required operation by intent, receives the matching endpoint schema, and executes the call with Jentic-managed authentication. This eliminates the need to read API documentation or handle none tokens manually.
Search Jentic for 'publish a message to a channel (get)', load the operation schema, and execute with Jentic-managed credentials
Key Endpoints
30 endpoints — pubnub is a real-time messaging platform providing publish/subscribe messaging, presence detection, message storage, push notifications, access control, and channel group management via a rest api.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
GET
/publish/{pub_key}/{sub_key}/0/{channel}/{callback}/{payload}
Publish a message to a channel (GET)
POST
/publish/{pub_key}/{sub_key}/0/{channel}/{callback}
Publish a message to a channel (POST)
GET
/signal/{pub_key}/{sub_key}/0/{channel}/0/{payload}
Send a signal to a channel
GET
/subscribe/{sub_key}/{channel}/{callback}/{timetoken}
Subscribe to channels
GET
/v2/presence/sub-key/{sub_key}/channel/{channel}
Here Now for a channel
GET
/v2/presence/sub-key/{sub_key}
Global Here Now
GET
/v2/presence/sub-key/{sub_key}/uuid/{uuid}
Where Now
GET
/v2/presence/sub-key/{sub_key}/channel/{channel}/uuid/{uuid}
Get presence state
GET
/publish/{pub_key}/{sub_key}/0/{channel}/{callback}/{payload}
Publish a message to a channel (GET)
POST
/publish/{pub_key}/{sub_key}/0/{channel}/{callback}
Publish a message to a channel (POST)
GET
/signal/{pub_key}/{sub_key}/0/{channel}/0/{payload}
Send a signal to a channel
GET
/subscribe/{sub_key}/{channel}/{callback}/{timetoken}
Subscribe to channels
GET
/v2/presence/sub-key/{sub_key}/channel/{channel}
Here Now for a channel
GET
/v2/presence/sub-key/{sub_key}
Global Here Now
GET
/v2/presence/sub-key/{sub_key}/uuid/{uuid}
Where Now
GET
/v2/presence/sub-key/{sub_key}/channel/{channel}/uuid/{uuid}
Get presence state
Why Jentic?
What agents get from Jentic-routed access to this vendor.
Setup
Wiring the PubNub REST API by hand means assembling its publish and subscribe URLs with your pub and sub keys and encoding channel names and payloads yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import the PubNub REST API from the API Directory, store the keys once, and your agent calls it.
Permission scoping
PubNub puts the channel in the URL path (/publish/{pub_key}/{sub_key}/0/{channel}/...), so a rule can pin your agent to one channel: it can publish and read presence there and nothing else. You choose the operations it may call, so writes like publishing a message are not included unless you add them.
Credential isolation
Your PubNub publish and subscribe keys are stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. They never enter the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'publish a message to a channel' or 'read presence for a channel', and Jentic returns the matching PubNub operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using PubNub REST API through Jentic.
What authentication does the PubNub REST API use?
The PubNub REST API uses no authentication. Through Jentic, these credentials are stored encrypted in your Jentic One instance and injected at execution time, so raw secrets never enter the agent context.
Can I publish a message to a channel (get) with the PubNub REST API?
Yes. Use the GET /publish/{pub_key}/{sub_key}/0/{channel}/{callback}/{payload} endpoint. The API returns structured JSON responses that agents can parse and act on directly.
What are the rate limits for the PubNub REST API?
Rate limits are not specified in the OpenAPI spec. Check the vendor documentation for current limits. Through Jentic, rate limiting is handled automatically with retry logic built into the execution layer.
How do I publish a message to a channel (get) through Jentic?
Install the Jentic SDK with pip install jentic, authenticate through Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer, then search for 'publish a message to a channel (get)'. Jentic returns the matching PubNub REST API operation with its input schema. Load the schema and execute the call - credentials are injected automatically.
How many endpoints does the PubNub REST API have?
The PubNub REST API exposes 30 endpoints covering publish, subscribe, signal operations.
Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the PubNub REST API?
Yes. Jentic One runs self-hosted, so your own rules decide which PubNub operations and keys the agent may use. Because PubNub puts the channel in the URL path (/publish/{pub_key}/{sub_key}/0/{channel}/...), a rule can pin the agent to a single channel and to read-only presence lookups such as Here Now and Where Now. Write operations like publishing a message or sending a signal are excluded unless you explicitly add them, and your publish and subscribe keys stay under your control.
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