Overview
Firehose is a real-time web data streaming API that transforms the entire internet into a live event stream. Using Server-Sent Events (SSE), it pushes instant notifications whenever any web page matching your rules changes — no polling, no delays.
Built for AI agents and humans alike, it gives surgical precision for monitoring news, brands, competitors, financial filings, research papers, and more. Define rules once and receive formatted or raw events in real time.
Key Features
- Real-Time SSE Streaming: Instant push updates as soon as content changes — sub-second latency.
- Powerful Lucene Query Language: Boolean operators, wildcards, exact phrases, site/domain targeting, page categories, article types, language filters, date ranges, and recency (e.g.,
title:tesla AND page_category:"/News" AND language:"en"). - AI-Assisted Setup: Install the official Firehose skill in your AI assistant, describe what you want to monitor in plain English, and let AI configure rules and streams.
- RESTful API: Simple endpoints to create, update, delete rules, and manage streams.
- Flexible Output: Receive clean formatted summaries or complete raw events with metadata.
- Beta Access: Completely free during beta — no credit card required.
Use Cases
Firehose excels in any scenario requiring real-time web awareness:
Brand Monitoring
Track mentions across news, blogs, forums, and SEC filings instantly.
Example rule: added:"Tesla" OR title:"Tesla Motors" → Receive alerts for robotaxi reveals, FSD tests, and 10-K filings.
Competitive Intelligence
Monitor rivals' announcements, acquisitions, and product launches.
Example rule: domain:techcrunch.com AND added:acquisition → Know about major deals within seconds.
Financial News & Trading
Power algorithms with live earnings, market-moving events, and company updates.
Example rule: title:tesla AND page_category:"/News" AND language:"en" → Stream Reuters, Bloomberg, and WSJ reports in real time.
Security & Compliance
Get immediate alerts on breaches, vulnerabilities, and regulatory directives.
Example rule: added:"data breach" AND page_category:"/News" AND recent:24h.
Research & Academia
Stream new preprints and papers from arXiv and journals.
Example rule: domain:arxiv.org AND added:"large language model".
Legal & Regulatory
Track SEC filings and court documents before they hit mainstream media.
Example rule: domain:sec.gov AND title:"10-K".
E-commerce & Pricing
Watch competitor deals and catalog changes on Amazon and beyond.
Media & Content Curation
Build custom real-time news feeds for newsletters or apps.
How It Works
- Sign up at firehose.com/signup (instant, free).
- Create an API key.
- Install the Firehose skill in your AI assistant (or use the REST API).
- Define rules with natural language or Lucene syntax.
- Connect to the SSE endpoint and start receiving live events.
Why Firehose?
- No infrastructure to manage — just rules and streams.
- Works seamlessly with AI agents and traditional apps.
- Precision filtering that goes far beyond simple keyword alerts.
Ready to turn the web into your personal real-time data firehose? Sign up and start streaming today.