Migrating Parse Push to AWS

Question

I am having an issue with Parse Push on AWS. We have the adapter configured per these specifications and can seem to broadcast to one specific user (don't know how or why that user) using the curl method, but I am confused how (or if) I can use this to send user to user push notifications. For example, "X liked Y's Z" Where X is the liker, Y is the liked and Z is the object being liked.

Answer 1

in parse you have multiple options to send push notifications. Push notifications can be sent to one or more users by providing a query with all the installations that you like to send the push to. You can also send push notifications for specific channel that the user subscribed to, this is very good for marketing or maybe if your app have different type of users (for example: sellers, buyers etc.) The reason that a push is being sent to installations and not to users is because that one users can have multiple installations (e.g. iphone,ipad,other device etc.)

like i said there are multiple options to send push but i recommend to send a push using one of the following approaches:

1. From cloud code - you can create cloud code function that will be triggered by the client and this cloud code function will first create a query of all the installations that you need to send the push to and will execute the function that will actually send the push. This cloud code function can receive multiple parameters that can contain any data that needs to be processed before you sending the push, such data can be array of users, channel name and more. the following cloud code snippets show how to send a push for all users who successfully subscribed and have device token:

Parse.Cloud.afterSave("SendPush", function(request) {


  var query = new Parse.Query(Parse.Installation);
  query.exists("deviceToken");

  var payload = {
    alert: "after save push"
  };

  Parse.Push.send({
      data: payload,
      where: query
    }, {
      useMasterKey: true
    })
    .then(function() {
      response.success("Push Sent!");
    }, function(error) {
      response.error("Error while trying to send push " + error.message);
    });


});

and then from your iOS SDK you call this cloud code function in the following way:

     NSDictionary * parameters = @ {}; // put parameters if required

     [PFCloud callFunctionInBackground: @"SendPush"
       withParameters: parameters block: ^ (id _Nullable object, NSError * _Nullable error) {
         // callback result
       }
     ];

2. From iOS SDK - if you don't want to send your push from cloud code you can do it directly from your iOS. I think it's better to do it in cloud code because in cloud code you write ones and then you can trigger this function from any SDK and also from the REST API.

In Parse docs you can find a lot of examples on how to send push from iOS SDK all the examples can be found here:

http://parseplatform.github.io/docs/ios/guide/#push-notifications

but like i said the best is to do it with cloud code.

Answer 2

Answer is similar if you're using AWS services without Parse. A better architecture is where the mobile device invokes business logic in the cloud (i.e., in an AWS Lambda function) and that code sends the push notifications. This allows you to build a more secure solution because you can control content and control who can send to whom (i.e., you must be on someone's friend list to send) within your business logic. If you open permissions to publish directly from the device, then you make system vulnerable to attacks where someone uses the app's credentials and publishes harmful content (potentially to all your app's users).

Example of sending push notification from an AWS Lambda function...
Can you send SNS push notification from lambda function in Amazon AWS?