Push providers
The senders a realm uses to reach devices: FCM, APNs and Web Push, plus the capture provider for development.
A realm sends push notifications through the providers named in its push: section of realm.yaml — one per platform (android, ios, web), each with its credentials kept as realm secrets (secret:NAME), never in the file. The Push notifications pages cover the feature itself: devices, templates, sends and records. These pages cover each provider’s accounts, keys and network needs:
| Provider | For |
|---|---|
| FCM | Android, and iOS apps on the FCM SDK |
| APNs | iPhones and iPads directly |
| Web Push | browsers, with a VAPID key pair backd generates |
| Local development | the capture provider of the local stacks: no vendor account, deliveries inspected in the Mailbox |
Sends go out from the worker, not the API process: a deployment that queues pushes needs backd worker (or serve --with-worker) running, and a route to the provider’s hosts — through the egress proxy when the deployment has one.
The capture provider, steering outcomes with test tokens, the Mailbox Push tab and fakePush for unit tests.
FCM: Android, and iOS apps on the FCM SDKSet up Firebase Cloud Messaging for a realm: the Firebase console steps, the service account, the realm.yaml keys and the egress hosts.
APNs: iOSSet up Apple’s push service for a realm: the key from the Apple Developer account, the identifiers, sandbox and production, and the egress host.
Web Push: browsersSet up push for browsers: the VAPID key pair from backd push web-keys, the subject, the subscription hosts, and rotating the key.