The Learning Ramp for the Twitter API:Streaming API

The Streaming API is Twitter's third and most advanced API. The other two REST based API's do not give you real time access with its methods, but the streaming API gives you a constant real time flow of data. If you want data from the streaming API you only have to call it once, and the data will update itself as it needs too. Currently only non-protected public statuses are allowed to by used by the streaming API. The Streaming API also filters out low quality users, there is no result relevance all statues are passed through, and the authentication required is basic. There is no rate limit on the streaming API, but you are only allowed to make one connection to it. If you attempt to make multiple connections with the same IP address that can result in being banned from using the Twitter API.  The streaming API only works for json and xml, but Twitter strongly recommends that you use json for the streaming API. There are 5 ways to use the streaming API, and they can be seen here. The streaming API is really good for those apps that need real-time constant updates, for example if you needed up to the date information on a current happening in the world like the earthquake in Haiti.