Firebase - Firebase Cloud Message(FCM) Research Log

on 2016-12-08

Firebase - Firebase Cloud Message(FCM) Research Log

This article is focus on web version

Intro

You can easy to use web notification push notification to your web site.

Set Up a JavaScript Firebase Cloud Messaging Client App

Different with use pure web notification

Using the Notifications API

• Browser support
  • FCM - Chrome(desktop & Android) & Firefox(desktop & Android)
  • pure notification api - Chrome(desktop & Android) & Firefox(desktop & Android) & Opera(desktop) & Safari(desktop)
    • Android need service worker
• Service Worker
  • FCM - require
  • pure notification api - option

pure web notification only a notification object, you need handle connection push message from server.

But FCM had handle this connect.

web notification demo

FCM demo

FCM push service

Different whith use Service Worker or not use Service Worker

Prepare

• app server
  • a server can send message
• HTTPS
  • web service need https for handle Service Worker
• manifest.json
  • set gcm send id

Step

1. Use firebase console create a project(If you had project for your web service, you can skip this setp

2. Overview -> setting -> cloud message and you can get YOUR-SERVER-KEY & SENDER-ID

3. And then you can use the simple code from https://github.com/firebase/quickstart-js/tree/master/messaging

FCM Flow

What is Instance ID?

Web notification dosen’t have Instance ID so we only can use token

Base flow

App server

Build it to send message or do something like send topic message or personal message

Use HTTP or XMPP

Firebase Cloud Messaging HTTP Protocol

Personal push

You can bind user info & their token created from client web browser, then you can push personal message for user.

And it use api push notification like this

https://fcm.googleapis.com/fcm/send
Content-Type:application/json
Authorization:key=AIzaSyZ-1u...0GBYzPu7Udno5aA

{ "data": {
    "score": "5x1",
    "time": "15:10"
  },
  "to" : "bk3RNwTe3H0:CI2k_HHwgIpoDKCIZvvDMExUdFQ3P1..."
}

Authorization key is Firebase console server key

Reference - Build App Server Send Requests

Multiple device push

Send Messages to Multiple Devices

It’s base on sub / pub pattern, you can reference Publish/Subscribe pattern - MSDN - Microsoft

Two way

1. topic(suggest) Suggest use this, it’s fast and easy to use

2. group

If you want to know any token push status and tracking which in this group, you can use group way

But you must handle group yourself

Group send request format

About Tracking

FCM web notification not support analytics

So you can add querystring on action url or add log on receive message on foreground

Error handle

If user clear token on offline, need handle cleared token let app server and IID server know

Two way can handle this thing

1. client initiative handle

If your web service provide unsubscribe function, you must handle this behavior.

And you need handle if user clear data from client, you need update token.

Firebase’s api messaging.deleteToken() handle delete from IID server but delete token from app server need handle yourself.

2. server side detect

When server push notification and response error make some error handle like delete InvalidRegistration token

And you can log token active time, if long time not active, you can delete it from app server and also suggest delete it from IID server

Notice

On desktop device Chrome or Firefox not on process it can not receive message

But message will queued until Browser open

So don’t worried about this thing

• Notice don’t send error target user

• Notice don’t send the push token that doesn’t had any user or device

And then i find Firebase hosting seem doesn’t support service worker, so it can’t use FCM on Firebase hosting.

Receive Messages in a JavaScript Client

Reference - Using the Notifications API - Web APIs | MDN

instance-id

Reference - Publish/Subscribe pattern - MSDN - Microsoft

Reference - What Makes a Good Notification?