diff --git a/packages/grafana-runtime/src/services/live.ts b/packages/grafana-runtime/src/services/live.ts
index e3787383995..41c05ac76bd 100644
--- a/packages/grafana-runtime/src/services/live.ts
+++ b/packages/grafana-runtime/src/services/live.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,20 @@ export interface LiveQueryDataOptions {
   body: unknown; // processed queries, same as sent to `/api/query/ds`
 }
 
+/**
+ * @alpha -- experimental
+ */
+export interface LivePublishOptions {
+  /**
+   * Publish the data over the websocket instead of the HTTP API.
+   *
+   * This is not recommended for most use cases.
+   *
+   * @experimental
+   */
+  useSocket?: boolean;
+}
+
 /**
  * @alpha -- experimental
  */
@@ -79,7 +93,7 @@ export interface GrafanaLiveSrv {
    *
    * @alpha -- experimental
    */
-  publish(address: LiveChannelAddress, data: unknown): Promise<unknown>;
+  publish(address: LiveChannelAddress, data: unknown, options?: LivePublishOptions): Promise<unknown>;
 }
 
 let singletonInstance: GrafanaLiveSrv;
diff --git a/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/channel.ts b/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/channel.ts
index fd2f6a109f1..2edb1fc470b 100644
--- a/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/channel.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/channel.ts
@@ -175,6 +175,8 @@ export class CentrifugeLiveChannel<T = any> {
     });
   }
 
+  publish = (data: unknown) => this.subscription?.publish(data);
+
   /**
    * This will close and terminate all streams for this channel
    */
diff --git a/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/service.ts b/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/service.ts
index 8fb666a604c..b99a78d2f10 100644
--- a/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/service.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/service.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { FetchResponse } from '@grafana/runtime/src/services/backendSrv';
 import {
   GrafanaLiveSrv,
   LiveDataStreamOptions,
+  LivePublishOptions,
   LiveQueryDataOptions,
   StreamingFrameAction,
   StreamingFrameOptions,
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ export type CentrifugeSrvDeps = {
 
 export type StreamingDataQueryResponse = Omit<DataQueryResponse, 'data'> & { data: [StreamingResponseData] };
 
-export type CentrifugeSrv = Omit<GrafanaLiveSrv, 'publish' | 'getDataStream' | 'getQueryData'> & {
+export type CentrifugeSrv = Omit<GrafanaLiveSrv, 'getDataStream' | 'getQueryData'> & {
   getDataStream: (options: LiveDataStreamOptions) => Observable<StreamingDataQueryResponse>;
   getQueryData: (
     options: LiveQueryDataOptions
@@ -244,6 +245,13 @@ export class CentrifugeService implements CentrifugeSrv {
   getPresence: CentrifugeSrv['getPresence'] = (address) => {
     return this.getChannel(address).getPresence();
   };
+
+  /**
+   * Publish into a channel.
+   */
+  publish = async (address: LiveChannelAddress, data: unknown, options?: LivePublishOptions) => {
+    return this.getChannel(address).publish(data);
+  };
 }
 
 // This is used to give a unique key for each stream.  The actual value does not matter
diff --git a/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/service.worker.ts b/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/service.worker.ts
index a168bc34824..0c535bc9cb8 100644
--- a/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/service.worker.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/service.worker.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import './transferHandlers';
 import * as comlink from 'comlink';
 
 import { LiveChannelAddress } from '@grafana/data';
-import { LiveDataStreamOptions, LiveQueryDataOptions } from '@grafana/runtime';
+import { LiveDataStreamOptions, LivePublishOptions, LiveQueryDataOptions } from '@grafana/runtime';
 
 import { remoteObservableAsObservable } from './remoteObservable';
 import { CentrifugeService, CentrifugeSrvDeps } from './service';
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@ const getPresence = async (address: LiveChannelAddress) => {
   return await centrifuge.getPresence(address);
 };
 
+const publish = (address: LiveChannelAddress, data: unknown, options?: LivePublishOptions) =>
+  centrifuge.publish(address, data, options);
+
 const workObj = {
   initialize,
   getConnectionState,
@@ -49,6 +52,7 @@ const workObj = {
   getStream,
   getQueryData,
   getPresence,
+  publish,
 };
 
 export type RemoteCentrifugeService = typeof workObj;
diff --git a/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/serviceWorkerProxy.ts b/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/serviceWorkerProxy.ts
index efb87e3cdd5..6f1b8fcc92d 100644
--- a/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/serviceWorkerProxy.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/live/centrifuge/serviceWorkerProxy.ts
@@ -47,4 +47,8 @@ export class CentrifugeServiceWorkerProxy implements CentrifugeSrv {
       this.centrifugeWorker.getStream(address) as Promise<comlink.Remote<Observable<LiveChannelEvent<T>>>>
     );
   };
+
+  publish: CentrifugeSrv['publish'] = (address, data, options) => {
+    return this.centrifugeWorker.publish(address, data, options);
+  };
 }
diff --git a/public/app/features/live/live.ts b/public/app/features/live/live.ts
index e4ecc3699ea..43f665f5276 100644
--- a/public/app/features/live/live.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/live/live.ts
@@ -93,7 +93,11 @@ export class GrafanaLiveService implements GrafanaLiveSrv {
    *
    * @alpha -- experimental
    */
-  publish: GrafanaLiveSrv['publish'] = async (address, data) => {
+  publish: GrafanaLiveSrv['publish'] = async (address, data, options) => {
+    if (options?.useSocket) {
+      return this.deps.centrifugeSrv.publish(address, data);
+    }
+
     return this.deps.backendSrv.post(`api/live/publish`, {
       channel: toLiveChannelId(address), // orgId is from user
       data,