The document describes how to build an Apple Push Notification service (APNs) client application for iPhone and a corresponding server. The client registers with APNs to receive push notifications and handles notifications received. The server implements the APNs interface to send notifications by generating credentials, formatting payloads, and sending messages over SSL. Code examples are provided in Ruby to demonstrate implementation on the server side.

1. How to build a server and a iPhone client
application using the Apple Push
Notification Service
2009/7/21 @ actindi
Shu MASUDA

2. 2
Apple Push Notification Service (APNs)
What is the Apple Push Notification Service?
‣ iPhone OS 3.0
‣ 3
• Alert
• Badge
• Sound
‣

3. 3
Client Implementation Overview
★ APNs
• UIApplication registerForRemoteNotificationTypes:
• UIApplication application:didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken:
Device Token
★ APNs
• UIApplicationDelegate application:didReceiveRemoteNotification:
• UIApplication Delegate applicationDidFinishLaunching:

4. 4
Client Implementation
• Xcode

5. 5
Server Implementation Overview
1. App ID
2.
3. Interface APNS
4. Ruby

6. 6
Generating App ID
Bundle
Identifier ”*”

7. 6
Generating App ID
Enable for Apple Push Notification service

8. 6
Generating App ID
Enable for Apple Push Notification service

9. 7
Generating Key
1. p12 pem
• openssl pkcs12 -clcerts -nokeys -out apns-dev-cert.pem -in
apns-dev-cert.p12
• openssl pkcs12 -nocerts -out apns-dev-key.pem -in apns-dev-
key.p12
2. 1.
• openssl rsa -in apns-dev-key.pem -out apns-dev-key-
noenc.pem
3.
• cat apns-dev-cert.pem apns-dev-key-noenc.pem > apns-dev.pem
4. OpenSSL
• openssl s_client -connect gateway.sandbox.push.apple.com:
2195 -prexit -state -cert apns-dev-cert.pem -key apns-dev-
key-noenc.pem

10. 8
Creating the Push Notification Interface
• Binary format of the push notification interface
• (payload) JSON
{
“aps”: {
“alert”: “You’ve got a mail!”,
“badge”: 1,
“sound”: “default”
}
}

11. 9
Implementation in Ruby
★ Ruby
• pack? unpack?? or ... ???
•

12. 10
Implementation in Ruby
#! /usr/bin/env ruby
# -*- encoding: utf-8 -*-
require 'socket'
require 'openssl'
socket = TCPSocket.new('gateway.sandbox.push.apple.com', 2195)
context = OpenSSL::SSL::SSLContext.new('SSLv3')
context.cert = OpenSSL::X509::Certificate.new(File.read('apns-dev.pem'))
context.key = OpenSSL::PKey::RSA.new(File.read('apns-dev-key-noenc.pem'))
ssl = OpenSSL::SSL::SSLSocket.new(socket, context)
ssl.connect
device_token = ['XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX']
payload = <<-EOS
{
"aps": {
"alert": "#{alert}",
"badge": 2,
“sound”: “default”
}
}
EOS
(message = []) << ['0'].pack('H') << [32].pack('n') << device_token.pack('H*') << [payload.size].pack('n') << payload
ssl.write(message.join(''))
ssl.close
socket.close

13. It’s time to Demo!

14. 12
★
• Miss Piggy
• Catherine Miss Piggy
• Mr. Kermit iPhone
★
Miss Piggy Cathy (Catherine)
Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy Cathy Kermit
Miss Piggy Kermit iPhone Push Notification

15. 13
References
• Apple Push Notification Service Programming Guide
http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/documentation/NetworkingInternet/Conceptual/
RemoteNotificationsPG/Introduction/Introduction.html
• How to build an Apple Push Notification provider server (tutorial) « Boxed Ice Blog
http://blog.boxedice.com/2009/07/10/how-to-build-an-apple-push-notification-provider-
server-tutorial/
• Ruby - pack
http://www.ruby-lang.org/ja/man/html/
pack_A5C6A5F3A5D7A5ECA1BCA5C8CAB8BBFACEF3.html
• SSL - 2008-01-03 -
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/shinichiro_h/20080103#1199305204