Implementing Mobile Push Notifications with AWS and Terraform

Mobile push notifications are unavoidable whether you're building a mobile app or a web application. AWS provides multiple services for implementing push notifications. In this article, we'll see how to implement mobile push notifications with AWS SNS and Terraform.

Before starting

What you will need :

• An AWS account.
• A mobile app.
• Terraform installed.

Create an SNS (Simple Notification Service) Topic

Amazon SNS is the notification service from AWS using topics to send messages in a one to many way (Pub/Sub).
Here is an article if you wanna know more about it : https://dev.to/onepoint/aws-sqs-sns-kinesis-eventbridge-how-to-choose--32l7.

Let's create an SNS topic with Terraform :

Terraform Configuration:

resource "aws_sns_topic" "push_notifications" {
  name = "MyPushNotificationsTopic"
}

Configure Application Platforms

AWS SNS supports multiple platforms (iOS, Android...) To send push notifications to specific devices, you need to configure the right platform.

iOS Example:

resource "aws_sns_platform_application" "ios_app" {
  name     = "MyiOSApp"
  platform = "APNS"
  attributes = {
    PlatformCredential = "<APNS_CERT>"
    PlatformPrincipal = "<APNS_PRIVATE_KEY>"
  }
}

Android Example:

resource "aws_sns_platform_application" "android_app" {
  name     = "MyAndroidApp"
  platform = "GCM"
  attributes = {
    PlatformCredential = "<GCM_API_KEY>"
  }
}

Subscribe Devices to the Topic

To receive push notifications, your mobile devices need to subscribe to the SNS topic. Let's do it in the mobile app code :

Android Example:

AWSMobileClient.getInstance().initialize(getApplicationContext(), new Callback<UserStateDetails>() {
    @Override
    public void onResult(UserStateDetails result) {
        if (result.getUserState() == UserState.SIGNED_IN) {
            String endpointArn = AWSMobileClient.getInstance().getDetails().getUserSub();
            AWSSNSClient snsClient = new AWSSNSClient(getApplicationContext());
            snsClient.createPlatformEndpoint(endpointArn, "MyAndroidApp", "ANDROID_DEVICE_TOKEN");
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(Exception e) {
        // Handle error
    }
});

Send Push Notifications

Now that your devices are subscribed to the SNS topic, you can send push notifications to them by publishing messages in the SNS topic like follows :

import { SNSClient, PublishCommand } from "@aws-sdk/client-sns";

// Create an SNS client
const snsClient = new SNSClient({ region: "us-east-1" }); // Replace with your desired AWS region

// Set the message parameters
const params = {
  Message: "Hello from AWS SNS!",
  MessageStructure: "string",
  TopicArn: "arn:aws:sns:us-east-1:123456789012:MyPushNotificationsTopic", // Replace with your SNS topic ARN (the AWS unique id of the topic)
};

// Publish the push notification
const publishCommand = new PublishCommand(params);

snsClient.send(publishCommand)
  .then((data) => {
    console.log("Push notification sent successfully:", data);
  })
  .catch((error) => {
    console.error("Error sending push notification:", error);
  });

Handle Notifications in Your App

Finally, in the mobile app, you need to implement the code that handles incoming push notifications. This involves setting up listeners and customizing the user interface to handle notifications.

Example Code (iOS, using Swift):

func application(_ application: UIApplication, didReceiveRemoteNotification userInfo: [AnyHashable : Any]) {
    if let aps = userInfo["aps"] as? [String: Any] {
        let alert = UIAlertController(title: "Push Notification", message: aps["alert"] as? String, preferredStyle: .alert)
        alert.addAction(UIAlertAction(title: "OK", style: .default, handler: nil))
        self.window?.rootViewController?.present(alert, animated: true, completion: nil)
    }
}

Conclusion

Implementing mobile push notifications with AWS is a straightforward process, and Terraform can simplify the infrastructure provisioning and configuration. By following the steps outlined in this guide and adapting the code examples to your specific platform and requirements, you can successfully integrate push notifications into your mobile app or web application.

As you continue to develop your application, consider implementing additional features like push notification personalization, in-app messaging, and performance monitoring to enhance the user experience.

Happy pushing!