Simple ReactPHP example using Ratchet/Pawl to acces Bitfinex Websocket API

pingBitfinex.php

<?php
	use Clue\React\Sse\BufferedChannel;
	require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
	$loop = React\EventLoop\Factory::create();
//	BEGINNING of eventloop
		$channel = new BufferedChannel();
        	$ratchetClConnector = new \Ratchet\Client\Connector($loop);
        	$URL = 'wss://api.bitfinex.com/ws/1';
//		Suggestion of @WyriHaximus
//		$f = function () use (&$f) {$f();};$f();
        	$ratchetClConnector($URL)->then(function(Ratchet\Client\WebSocket $webSocket_1) use (&$webSocket, &$channel) {
        		global $URL;
        		echo("Connected to Websocket ".$URL."\n");
        		$webSocket = $webSocket_1;
        		$webSocket->on('message', function(\Ratchet\RFC6455\Messaging\MessageInterface $j_responseMsg) use (&$webSocket, &$channel) {
        			echo("ON MESSAGE occured\n");
		    		$o_return = json_decode($j_responseMsg);
		    		$j_event = $o_return->{"event"};
    				echo(date("G:i:s")." - Response from WSserver: [" .$j_event."]\n");
        		});
        		$webSocket->on('close', function($code = null, $reason = null) {
        			echo(date("G:i:s")." - ON CLOSE ".$URL." occured.\n");
        		});
        		echo("Pinging WSserver\n");
        		ping_WSserver($webSocket);
        		echo(date("G:i:s")." - PING sent. ".$URL."\n");
        	}, function(\Exception $e) use ($loop) {
        		global $URL;
        		echo("Could not connect ".$URL."\n");
        		$loop->stop();
        	});
//	END of eventloop
	$loop->run();
	echo("END enventloop\n");

function ping_WSserver($conn)
{
	class clMessageFrame{
		public $event = "ping"; 
		public $cid = 1234;
	}

	if(is_object($conn)) {
		$messageFrame = new clMessageFrame();
		$json = json_encode($messageFrame);
		$conn->send(json_encode($messageFrame));
	} else {
		echo("WSserver not connected\n");
	}
}

?>

Bitfinex closes the connection approximately 90 seconds after there are no more requests.