Learn How Push Notifications Work in Web Applications

By Ana Vitaly on 10/15/2019

 

 

If you are looking to learn about web push notifications and how to integrate them into your web application, then you have landed on the right spot. In the next few minutes, I will explain everything you need to do to integrate push messaging in any web app.

There are three key lifecycle components of web push notifications:

• A user is shown permission to opt into receiving push notifications from your web app. Most browsers offer native web push APIs that enable this prompt.
  
• Once the user actively opts in to receive push notification from your website, you store user's endpoint address in your backend server or database. Below is an example of what an endpoint looks like.
  
• Once your server sends push message to the endpoint address, service worker API inside most browsers displays the message to the user. This works even when the user is not actively on your web application.
  
  

Before we go any further, lets make sure we are all on the the same page in terms of what push notifications are in context of web applications. In order to understand the concept and see web push in action, please take a moment and try one of the following demos:

• Web Push Demo by Webpushr 
• HTML5 Browser Push Notification Demo 

Now that we understand the basics and key concepts, following are the top web push notification providers I recommend you use for your web application along with reasons why.

Webpushr

Webpushr.com 

 

Webpushr is quickly becoming the new standard in web push notifications. Think of it as stripe for payments. It offers easy to integrate API that can enable web push notifications in your web application in less than 5 minutes. Webpushr offers key features such as support for HTTP sites, advanced user segmentation, conversion tracking, Apple Safari support and no restriction on number of websites or users you can add to a single account. In my testing, I particularly liked it's easy to use interface. First time marketers will like its highly focused and hassle free web based dashboard that can used to preview and send notifications. Fortunately, I did not need to contact customer support but Webpushr offers the best in class customer service. Something to keep in mind if you are a larger publisher or need push notifications to support mission critical use cases.

OneSignal

OneSignal.com 

OneSignal is similar to Webpushr and offers web push API that is easy to integrate. It offers a free pricing tier for up to 30K subscribers. Keep in mind that pricing increases substantially once you cross the 30K free limit. The lowest paid pricing tier starts at $99 per month. It is a good option for publishers that will not have more than 30K subscribers. For larger publisher, there are better options out there. Although it offers key features, the web based console is not as easy or intuitive to use as Webpushr's or PushCrew's.

If you are already using OneSignal and looking for OneSignal Alternative, Webpushr or PushCrew are great options!

PushCrew

 

 

PushCrew is similar to Webpushr & OneSignal, in that it is a web based platform solely built to enable web push notifications. It is considerably more expensive than Webpushr & OneSignal although it offers a similar set of features. The user interface (admin console) is not as easy and clutter free as Webpushr's but I was able to perform basic tasks such as sending a push notification without any issues and with better ease than OneSignal's. In terms of easy of use, I would definitely rate it higher than OneSignal but a notch below Webpushr.