UnifiedPush

UnifiedPush is specifications and tools that let the user choose how push notifications are delivered. All in a free and open source way.

Getting Started

I’m a user who wants push notifications for apps using UnifiedPush, what should I do?

The application that gives notifications is called a Distributor. If you don’t care about using Google’s FCM, look at the download links of fcm-distributor.

But I don’t want to rely on Google

Currently, the simplest way is to connect to a Gotify server and install the associated distributor.

Which apps does UnifiedPush work with?

Apps need to support the UnifiedPush protocol before they can use self-hosted push notifications. See the application list. If an app isn’t in there, feel free to ask in the UnifiedPush Matrix (bridged on Libera Chat IRC) or ask the application’s dev team.

Basic description of how UnifiedPush works

Diagram of the structure used by UnifiedPush

I’m an app developer who wants my users to get push notifications without Google, what should I do?

You should use the UnifiedPush connector library for your framework. If it doesn’t already exist for your framework/language, contributions are welcome.

What options do I have for distributors?

The distributors page has a recap of all the options.

Will UnifiedPush ever work on iOS?

iOS doesn’t support running services in the background, so running a UnifiedPush distributor won’t be possible without jailbreaking or Apple’s approval for the foreseeable future. If someone has a solution, share that in the chat.

Can we use transport X to deliver notifications to the device?

Yes! UnifiedPush doesn’t define a transport between the provider and the distributor. Just implement the UnifiedPush distributor API, and your service will be compatible with any existing app that uses UnifiedPush!

What is the difference between UnifiedPush and OpenPush?

UnifiedPush was born in the OpenPush chat. There are some similar core ideas as well; but operationally, the projects are not related. The goals of the projects are the same, except UnifiedPush allows for various different distributors rather than one.