---
title: BroadcastChannel
slug: Web/API/BroadcastChannel
tags:
  - API
  - Broadcast Channel API
  - Experimental
  - HTML API
  - Interface
  - Reference
translation_of: Web/API/BroadcastChannel
---
<p>{{APIRef("Broadcast Channel API")}}</p>

<p>The <code><strong>BroadcastChannel</strong></code> interface represents a named channel that any {{glossary("browsing context")}} of a given {{glossary("origin")}} can subscribe to. It allows communication between different documents (in different windows, tabs, frames or iframes) of the same origin. Messages are broadcasted via a {{event("message")}} event fired at all <code>BroadcastChannel</code> objects listening to the channel.</p>

<p>{{AvailableInWorkers}}</p>

<h2 id="Constructor">Constructor</h2>

<dl>
 <dt>{{domxref("BroadcastChannel.BroadcastChannel", "BroadcastChannel()")}}</dt>
 <dd>Creates an object linking to the named channel.</dd>
</dl>

<h2 id="Properties">Properties</h2>

<p><em>This interface also inherits properties from its parent, {{domxref("EventTarget")}}.</em></p>

<dl>
 <dt>{{domxref("BroadcastChannel.name")}}</dt>
 <dd>Returns a {{domxref("DOMString")}}, the name of the channel.</dd>
 <dt>
 <h3 id="Event_handlers">Event handlers</h3>
 </dt>
 <dt>{{domxref("BroadcastChannel.onmessage")}}</dt>
 <dd>An {{domxref("EventHandler")}} property that specifies the function to execute when a {{event("message")}} event is fired on this object.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("BroadcastChannel.onmessageerror")}}</dt>
 <dd>An {{domxref("EventHandler")}} called when a {{domxref("MessageEvent")}} of type {{domxref("MessageError")}} is fired—that is, when it receives a message that cannot be deserialized.</dd>
</dl>

<h2 id="Methods">Methods</h2>

<p><em>This interface also inherits methods from its parent, {{domxref("EventTarget")}}.</em></p>

<dl>
 <dt>{{domxref("BroadcastChannel.postMessage()")}}</dt>
 <dd>Sends the message, of any type of object, to each <code>BroadcastChannel</code> object listening to the same channel.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("BroadcastChannel.close()")}}</dt>
 <dd>Closes the channel object, indicating it won't get any new messages, and allowing it to be, eventually, garbage collected.</dd>
</dl>

<h2 id="Events">Events</h2>

<dl>
 <dt><code><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/BroadcastChannel/message_event">message</a></code></dt>
 <dd>Fired when when a message arrives on the channel.<br>
 Also available via the <code><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/BroadcastChannel/onmessage">onmessage</a></code> property.</dd>
 <dt><code><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/BroadcastChannel/messageerror_event">messageerror</a></code></dt>
 <dd>Fired when a message arrives that can't be deserialized.<br>
 Also available via the <code><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/BroadcastChannel/onmessageerror">onmessageerror</a></code> property.</dd>
</dl>

<h2 id="Specifications">Specifications</h2>

<table class="standard-table">
 <tbody>
  <tr>
   <th scope="col">Specification</th>
   <th scope="col">Status</th>
   <th scope="col">Comment</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td>{{SpecName('HTML WHATWG', "comms.html#broadcastchannel", "BroadcastChannel")}}</td>
   <td>{{Spec2('HTML WHATWG')}}</td>
   <td>Initial definition.</td>
  </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>

<h2 id="Browser_compatibility">Browser compatibility</h2>



<p>{{Compat("api.BroadcastChannel")}}</p>

<h2 id="See_also">See also</h2>

<ul>
 <li>Another, more heavyweight, way of communicating between browser contexts: {{domxref("ServiceWorker")}}.</li>
 <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Broadcast_Channel_API">Broadcast Channel API overview</a></li>
</ul>