Basic Concept
This document explains uniqush-push's terminology. Understanding these terms
is useful before reading anything else.
Sending Notifications Through Clouds
- Many clouds are available for pushing data from a server to mobile devices.
- Each cloud is dedicated to its own platform: FCM for Android, APNs for iOS,
and so on.
- If an app server wants to send data to its end user, it first sends the
data to the corresponding cloud.
- Then the cloud delivers the data to the app running on the device.
- To support multiple platforms, a server has to speak to different clouds
through different protocols.
Uniqush Gets Involved
- By running uniqush-push, a server can reach multiple clouds through
one and only one protocol. The server sends data to the uniqush-push
process over HTTP; uniqush-push sends it on to each cloud using that
cloud's own protocol. We call each cloud a Push Service Provider.
- Definition: Push Service Provider — an entity that can push data to a
device. uniqush-push handles the protocol for each one, hiding the details
from the server.
- The server only needs to care about who subscribes to which
service. For example, a server may provide a weather report service called
Local Weather. John installs the Local Weather app and subscribes to
the service.
- Definition: Service — an entity that generates data to be sent to a
remote device. A service is the source of information.
- Definition: Subscriber — an entity that consumes the information a
service generates. A subscriber is the sink of information.
- To send John a weather report, the server tells uniqush-push three things:
the Service (Local Weather), the Subscriber (John), and the
Data (rain, cloudy, etc.).
- John has several devices, all subscribed to Local Weather. We call each
device a Delivery Point. A subscriber may have several delivery points.
- Definition: Delivery Point — an entity that receives data from one or
more services. It has a subscriber as its owner; one subscriber may have
more than one delivery point.
- The server tells uniqush-push three things: who (the subscriber),
where (the service), and what (the data). uniqush-push sends the
data to every delivery point of that subscriber.
Review
Push Service Provider
A push service provider can push data to a device. uniqush-push handles the
protocol for each one, hiding the details from the server.
Examples: FCM sends notifications to Android devices; APNs to iOS devices;
ADM to Kindle tablets; UnifiedPush and Web Push to de-Googled Android, Linux
desktops and browsers.
Service
A service generates data to be sent to apps on a remote device — the source
of information. One server may provide more than one service.
Examples: a weather service; a news service.
Subscriber
A subscriber consumes the information a service generates — the sink of
information. Usually a real person.
Example: someone who installed a news app on their phone.
Delivery Point
A delivery point receives data from one or more services, and has a
subscriber as its owner. One subscriber may have more than one delivery
point.
Examples: an Android device; an iOS device.
