Mobile Push Notifications API for PubNub JavaScript SDK

Mobile Push Notifications feature enables developers to bridge native PubNub publishing with 3rd-party push notification services including Google Android FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging) and Apple iOS APNs (Apple Push Notification service).

By using the Mobile Push Notifications feature, developers can eliminate the need for developing, configuring, and maintaining additional server-side components for third-party push notification providers.

To learn more, read about Mobile Push Notifications.

Supported and recommended asynchronous patterns

PubNub supports Callbacks, Promises, and Async/Await for asynchronous JS operations. The recommended pattern is Async/Await and all sample requests in this document are based on it. This pattern returns a status only on detecting an error. To receive the error status, you must add the try...catch syntax to your code.

Add Device to Channel

Requires Mobile Push Notifications add-on

This method requires that the Mobile Push Notifications add-on is enabled for your key in the Admin Portal. Read the support page on enabling add-on features on your keys.

Enable mobile push notifications on the provided set of channels.

Method(s)

To run Adding Device to Channel, you can use the following method(s) in the JavaScript SDK:

pubnub.push.addChannels({
    channels: Array<string>,
    device: string,
    pushGateway: string,
    environment: string,
    topic: string
})

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Operation Arguments	Hash	Yes		A hash of arguments.
channels	Array<string>	Yes		Specifies channel to associate with mobile push notifications.
device	string	Yes		The device ID to associate with mobile push notifications.
pushGateway	string	Yes		apns2 or gcm.
environment	string	Optional	development	Environment within which device should manage list of channels with enabled notifications (works only if pushGateway is set to apns2). Values: development or production.
topic	string	Optional		Notifications topic name (usually it is bundle identifier of applicationfor Apple platform). Required only if pushGateway is set to apns2.

Basic Usage

Add Device to Channel

// for APNs2
try {
    const result = await pubnub.push.addChannels({
        channels: ["a", "b"],
        device: "niceDevice",
        pushGateway: "apns2",
        environment: "production",
        topic: "com.example.bundle_id"
    });
    
    console.log("operation done!");
    
    result.channels.forEach(function (channel) {
        console.log(channel);
    });

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Response

{
    error: false,
    operation: 'PNPushNotificationEnabledChannelsOperation',
    statusCode: 200
}

List Channels For Device

Requires Mobile Push Notifications add-on

This method requires that the Mobile Push Notifications add-on is enabled for your key in the Admin Portal. Read the support page on enabling add-on features on your keys.

Request for all channels on which push notification has been enabled using specified pushToken.

Method(s)

To run Listing Channels For Device, you can use the following method(s) in the JavaScript SDK:

pubnub.push.listChannels({
    device: string,
    pushGateway: string,
    environment: string,
    topic: string
})

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Operation Arguments	Hash	Yes		A hash of arguments.
device	string	Yes		The device ID to associate with mobile push notifications.
pushGateway	string	Yes		apns2 or gcm.
environment	string	Optional	development	Environment within which device should manage list of channels with enabled notifications (works only if pushGateway is set to apns2). Values: development or production.
topic	string	Optional		Notifications topic name (usually it is bundle identifier of applicationfor Apple platform). Required only if pushGateway is set to apns2.
start	string	Optional		Starting channel for pagination. Use the last channel from the previous page request.
count	number	Optional		Number of channels to return for pagination. Max of 1000 tokens at a time. Defaults to 500.

Basic Usage

List Channels For Device

// for APNs2
try {
    const result = await pubnub.push.listChannels({
        device: "niceDevice",
        pushGateway: "apns2",
        environment: "production",
        topic: "com.example.bundle_id"
    });
    console.log("operation done!");
    result.channels.forEach(function (channel) {
        console.log(channel);
    });
} catch (status) {
    console.log("operation failed w/ error:", status);
}

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Response

// Example of status
{
    error: false,
    operation: 'PNPushNotificationEnabledChannelsOperation',
    statusCode: 200
}

// Example of response
{
    channels: [ 'a', 'b' ]
}

Remove Device From Channel

Requires Mobile Push Notifications add-on

This method requires that the Mobile Push Notifications add-on is enabled for your key in the Admin Portal. Read the support page on enabling add-on features on your keys.

Disable mobile push notifications on provided set of channels.

Method(s)

To run Removing Device From Channel, you can use the following method(s) in the JavaScript SDK:

pubnub.push.removeChannels({
    channels: Array<string>,
    device: string,
    pushGateway: string,
    environment: string,
    topic: string
})

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Operation Arguments	Hash	Yes		A hash of arguments.
channels	Array<string>	Yes		Specifies channel to associate with mobile push notifications.
device	string	Yes		The device ID to associate with mobile push notifications.
pushGateway	string	Yes		apns2 or gcm.
environment	string	Optional	development	Environment within which device should manage list of channels with enabled notifications (works only if pushGateway is set to apns2). Values: development or production.
topic	string	Optional		Notifications topic name (usually it is bundle identifier of applicationfor Apple platform). Required only if pushGateway is set to apns2.

Basic Usage

Remove Device From Channel

// for APNs2
try {
    const result = await pubnub.push.removeChannels({
        channels: ["a", "b"],
        device: "niceDevice",
        pushGateway: "apns2",
        environment: "production",
        topic: "com.example.bundle_id"
    });
    
    console.log("operation done!");
    
    result.channels.forEach(function (channel) {
        console.log(channel);
    });

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Response

{
    error: false,
    operation: 'PNPushNotificationEnabledChannelsOperation',
    statusCode: 200
}

Remove all mobile push notifications

Requires Mobile Push Notifications add-on

This method requires that the Mobile Push Notifications add-on is enabled for your key in the Admin Portal. Read the support page on enabling add-on features on your keys.

Disable mobile push notifications from all channels registered with the specified pushToken.

Method(s)

To run Remove all mobile push notifications, you can use the following method(s) in the JavaScript SDK:

pubnub.push.deleteDevice({
    device: string,
    pushGateway: string,
    environment: string,
    topic: string
})

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Operation Arguments	Hash	Yes		A hash of arguments.
device	string	Yes		The device ID to associate with mobile push notifications.
pushGateway	string	Yes		apns2 or gcm.
environment	string	Optional	development	Environment within which device should manage list of channels with enabled notifications (works only if pushGateway is set to apns2). Values: development or production.
topic	string	Optional		Notifications topic name (usually a bundle identifier of an application for the Apple platform). Required only if pushGateway is set to apns2.

Basic Usage

Remove all mobile push notifications

// for APNs2
try {
    const result = await pubnub.push.deleteDevice({
        device: "niceDevice",
        pushGateway: "apns2",
        environment: "production",
        topic: "com.example.bundle_id"
    });
    
    console.log("operation done!");
    
    result.channels.forEach(function (channel) {
        console.log(channel);
    });
} catch (status) {

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Response

{
    error: false,
    operation: 'PNPushNotificationEnabledChannelsOperation',
    statusCode: 200
}

Push Notification Format Configuration

Push notifications enforce specific message format requirements. Use these methods to configure your APNs and FCM mobile push notifications.

APNS2Configuration

APNS2 configuration type.

Method(s)

type APNS2Configuration = {
    collapseId?: string,
    expirationDate?: Date,
    targets: Array<APNS2Target>
}

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
collapseId	string	Optional	Notification group / collapse identifier. Value will be used in APNS POST request as apns-collapse-id header value.
expirationDate	Date	Optional	Date till which APNS will try to deliver notification to target device. Value will be used in APNS POST request as apns-expiration header value.
targets	Array< APNS2Target>	Yes	List of topics which should receive this notification.

APNSNotificationPayload

APNSNotificationPayload instance provides access to options specific only to mobile push notifications sent with APNs.

Properties

Parameter	Type	Description
configurations	Array< APNSNotificationConfiguration>	List of HTTP/2-based APNs delivery configurations.
notification	Hash	Hash with parameters which specify user-visible key-value pairs.
payload	Hash	Platform specific notification payload. In addition to data required to make notification visual presentation it can be used to pass additional information which should be sent to remote device.
silent	Boolean	Whether operation system should handle notification layout by default or not. alert, sound and badge will be removed from resulting payload if set to true.

APNS2Target

APNS2 configuration target type.

Method(s)

type APNS2Target = {
    topic: string,
    environment?: 'development' | 'production',
    excludedDevices?: Array<string>
}

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
topic	string	Yes		Notifications topic name (usually it is bundle identifier of applicationfor Apple platform). Required only if pushGateway is set to apns2.
environment	string	Optional	development	Environment within which registered devices to which notifications should be delivered. Available: development production
excludedDevices	Array	Yes		List of devices (their push tokens) to which this notification shouldn't be delivered.

FCMNotificationPayload

FCMNotificationPayload instance provides access to options specific only to mobile push notifications sent with FCM.

Properties

Parameter	Type	Description
notification	Hash	Hash with parameters which specify user-visible key-value pairs.
data	Hash	Custom key-value object with additional information which will be passed to device along with displayable notification information. All object and scalar type value should be converted to strings before passing to this object. Keys shouldn't match: from, message_type or start with google or gcm. Also as key can't be used any word defined in this table
silent	Boolean	Whether operation system should handle notification layout by default or not. notification key with it's content will be moved from root level under data key.
icon	String	Icon which should be shown on the left from notification title instead of application icon.
tag	String	Unique notification identifier which can be used to publish update notifications (they will previous notification with same tag).
payload	Hash	Platform specific notification payload. In addition to data required to make notification visual presentation it can be used to pass additional information which should be sent to remote device.

NotificationsPayload

NotificationsPayload instance provides convenient method and properties which allow to setup notification for multiple platforms without getting into details how they should be formatted.
Builder instance contain additional set of properties which allow to fine tune payloads for particular platforms and even access to RAW payload dictionaries.

Method(s)

Parameter	Type	Description
subtitle	string	Additional information which may explain reason why this notification has been delivered.
badge	number	Number which should be shown in space designated by platform (for example atop of application icon).
sound	string	Path to file with sound or name of system sound which should be played upon notification receive.
debugging	boolean	Whether PubNub service should provide debug information about devices which received created notifications payload.
apns	APNSNotificationPayload	Access to APNS specific notification builder.
fcm	FCMNotificationPayload	Access to FCM specific notification builder.

PubNub.notificationPayload(
    title: string,
    body: string
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
title	string	Optional	Short text which should be shown at the top of notification instead of application name.
body	string	Optional	Message which should be shown in notification body (under title line).

buildPayload(
    platforms: Array<string>
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
platforms	Array<string>	Yes	List of platforms for which payload should be added to final dictionary. Available: apns apns2 fcm

Basic Usage

Create notification payload builder with pre-defined notification title and body:

let builder = PubNub.notificationPayload('Chat invitation',
                                            'You have been invited to \'quiz\' chat');
let messagePayload = builder.buildPayload(['apns2', 'fcm']);
messagePayload.message = 'Max invited you to \'quiz\' chat room';
messagePayload.roomID = 'ewuiogw9vewg0';

pubnub.publish(
    {
        message: messagePayload,
        channel: 'chat-bot',
    },
    function (status, response) {
        // Handle publish results
    }
);

let builder = PubNub.notificationPayload('Chat invitation',
                                            'You have been invited to \'quiz\' chat');

Response

Hash with data, which can be sent with publish method call and trigger remote notifications for specified platforms.

Other Examples

Generate simple notification payload for FCM and APNS

let builder = PubNub.notificationPayload('Chat invitation',
                                            'You have been invited to \'quiz\' chat');
builder.sound = 'default';

console.log(JSON.stringify(builder.buildPayload(['apns', 'fcm']), null, 2));

Output

{
    "pn_apns": {
        "aps": {
            "alert": {
                "body": "You have been invited to 'quiz' chat",
                "title": "Chat invitation"
            },
            "sound": "default"
        }
    },
    "pn_fcm": {
        "notification": {
            "body": "You have been invited to 'quiz' chat",
            "title": "Chat invitation"
        },

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Generate simple notification payload for FCM and HTTP/2-based APNs (default configuration)

let builder = PubNub.notificationPayload('Chat invitation',
                                            'You have been invited to \'quiz\' chat');
builder.apns.configurations = [{ targets: [{ topic: 'com.meetings.chat.app' }] }];
builder.sound = 'default';

console.log(JSON.stringify(builder.buildPayload(['apns2', 'fcm']), null, 2));

Output

{
    "pn_apns": {
        "aps": {
            "alert": {
                "body": "You have been invited to 'quiz' chat",
                "title": "Chat invitation"
            },
            "sound": "default"
        },
        "pn_push": [
            {
                "targets": [
                    {
                        "environment": "development",
                        "topic": "com.meetings.chat.app"

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Generate simple notification payload for FCM and HTTP/2-based APNs (custom configuration)

let configuration = [
    {
        collapseId: 'invitations',
        expirationDate: new Date(Date.now() + 10000),
        targets: [{ topic: 'com.meetings.chat.app' }]
    }
];
let builder = PubNub.notificationPayload('Chat invitation',
                                            'You have been invited to \'quiz\' chat');
builder.apns.configurations = [configuration];

console.log(JSON.stringify(builder.buildPayload(['apns2', 'fcm']), null, 2));

Output

{
    "pn_apns": {
        "aps": {
            "alert": {
                "body": "Chat invitation",
                "title": "You have been invited to 'quiz' chat"
            }
        },
        "pn_push": [
            {
                "collapse_id": "invitations",
                "expiration": "2019-11-28T22:06:09.163Z",
                "targets": [
                    {
                        "environment": "development",

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Example above show how to create notification payload which APNS will try to redeliver few times (if devices not active) and give up after 10 seconds since moment when it has been scheduled.

Additionally this invitation notification will be grouped along with other invitation notifications (using provided collapse_id as group identifier) and shown as one in notification center.

Returns

Configured and ready to use NotificationsPayload instance.