AWS SNS Push Guide

Detailed guide for sending push notifications via AWS SNS

AWS SNS Push Notifications Guide

This guide provides detailed information on sending push notifications through AWS SNS.

Prerequisites

Before sending push notifications, ensure you have:

AWS Account

An active AWS account with SNS access

IAM Permissions

IAM user with appropriate SNS permissions

SNS Topic

An SNS topic configured for your application

Platform Application

Platform application in SNS (GCM for Android, APNS for iOS)

Message Payload Structure

The payload consists of two fields:

message · object · required

The properly formatted notification payload (platform-specific)

target · string · required

The endpoint ARN for the target device

Platform-Specific Payloads

Android (GCM/FCM)

{
  "providerId": 10,
  "data": {
    "message": {
      "GCM": "{\"notification\":{\"title\":\"Test Notification\",\"body\":\"This is a test notification\"}}"
    },
    "target": "arn:aws:sns:us-west-2:505884080245:endpoint/GCM/MyApp-Android/7fb080a5-..."
  }
}

Android Payload Fields

Field	Description	Example
title	Notification title	"New Message"
body	Notification body text	"You have a new message"
icon	Icon to display	"ic_notification"
sound	Sound to play	"default"
click_action	Action on click	"OPEN_ACTIVITY"
data	Custom key-value pairs	{"key1": "value1"}
priority	Message priority	"normal" or "high"
ttl	Time to live	"3600s" (1 hour)

iOS (APNS)

{
  "providerId": 10,
  "data": {
    "message": {
      "APNS_SANDBOX": "{\"aps\":{\"alert\":{\"title\":\"Hello World\",\"body\":\"This is a test message\"},\"sound\":\"default\"}}"
    },
    "target": "arn:aws:sns:us-west-2:505884080245:endpoint/APNS_SANDBOX/MyApp-iOS/57711edf-..."
  }
}

Use APNS_SANDBOX for development and APNS for production.

iOS Payload Fields

Field	Description	Example
aps.alert.title	Notification title	"New Message"
aps.alert.body	Notification body	"You have a new message"
aps.sound	Sound to play	"default"
aps.badge	Badge number	1
aps.content-available	Background refresh	1
aps.category	Notification category	"NEW_MESSAGE_CATEGORY"

Complete Field Reference

Android (GCM/FCM) Fields

title

Specifies the notification title displayed in the notification drawer.

"title": "New Message"

body

Specifies the main content users see in the notification drawer.

"body": "You have a new message"

icon

Specifies the icon to display with the notification.

"icon": "ic_notification"

sound

Specifies the sound to play when the notification arrives.

"sound": "default"

click_action

Defines the action to perform when the user clicks the notification.

"click_action": "OPEN_ACTIVITY"

data

Provides additional custom data to the application.

"data": {"key1": "value1", "key2": "value2"}

priority

Sets the priority of the message. Valid values: "normal" and "high".

"priority": "high"

ttl

Time to live. Specifies how long the message should be kept if the device is offline.

"ttl": "3600s"

iOS (APNS) Fields

aps.alert

Contains the notification’s title and body.

"aps": {
  "alert": {
    "title": "New Message",
    "body": "You have a new message"
  }
}

aps.badge

Sets the number to display on the app icon.

"aps": {
  "badge": 1
}

aps.content-available

Indicates new content is available and can trigger background processing.

"aps": {
  "content-available": 1
}

aps.category

Used to define custom actions for the notification.

"aps": {
  "category": "NEW_MESSAGE_CATEGORY"
}

Usage in OsmoX

When sending push notifications through OsmoX:

1. Format the message payload according to the target platform
2. Provide the correct endpoint ARN as the target
3. OsmoX passes the message to AWS SNS for delivery

Ensure the message payload is correctly formatted for the target platform. Incorrect formatting will result in delivery failures.

References

• AWS SNS Custom Platform Payloads
• Firebase Cloud Messaging
• Apple Push Notification Service