Time to Push to the Mobile Web!

HTML5, Websockets, Mobile Web and Java!

Dominique Guinard

ETH Zurich / MIT Auto-ID Labs

Java Track 8.2

MOTIVATIONWho needs Web Push to a mobile phone?

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[www.flickr.com/photos/moragcasey/]

Mobile Monitoring of RFID Data

> Use-case:

– Simple Web app to monitor RFID

readers

– Scan and run (no install)

– Real-time push

> General idea:

– No app / install & Cross device

– Real-world monitoring apps

– Lightweight (near) real-time

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BACKGROUNDWeb Sockets? Quesako?

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[ www.flickr.com/photos/docman ]

The Problem: (a History of Web Push Hacks)

> Long-polling (Comet)

– Request – Wait – Request

> HTTP Streaming

– Connect – Keepalive

> …

> 101 of how to DoS a thread-

blocking Webserver.

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The Solution: (HTML5) Websockets

> Bi-directional & full duplex connection

on a single TCP socket.

> Direct support in the browser.

> NAT, Firewall and (Proxy) traversal

http://jazoon.com/2010/Conference/Wednesday/Lubbers

The Solution: (HTML5) Websockets cont’d

> Client in 9 lines of

Javascript

> Neat! But:

– DRAFT, DRAFT & DRAFT!

– Different browsers support

– Safari for iOS 4.2 is the only

mobile browser supporting it

(more coming soon!)

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[www.wikipedia.org]

TOOLSUsing Mobile Web Push today… for Java Developers!

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[ www.flickr.com/photos/dhedwards ]

Atmosphere

> Atmosphere is a great

portable “Web Push”

framework

– Transparent deployment

across App/Web Servers

(Grizzly/Glassfish, Jetty,

JBoss, etc.)

> JQuery Plugin as a portable

“Web Push” client

– Transparent usage across

browsers, even for mobile

apps (e.g., using Sencha

Touch) 9

I’m just a happy user, check it out

here: http://atmosphere.java.net/

Server Version Websocket

Support

Glassfish >3.1 Yes (not

default)

Tomcat 7 No (but NIO)

Jetty > 8 M2 Yes

Grizzly 2 Yes

DEMONSTRATIONLet’s get our hands dirty

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[www.flickr.com/photos/lpettinati]

PubSub Server with Atmosphere

> A cross-server PubSub in a

few lines:

– Deployable in Jetty, Tomcat,

Glassfish, JBoss, etc.

> Smoothly combines with

REST and JAX-RS (Jersey)

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Mobile Websocket Client

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> Based on the Atmosphere

JQuery Plugin

– Cross browser!

> Mobile App flavor with

Sencha Touch

> RFID tags read by the

reader are pushed to the

mobile Web app!

App & Tomcat 6.26: Uses HTTP Streaming

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App & Jetty 8.0 M2: True Websocket Connection

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Architecture of the Demo

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Take home!

> Web Push enables new apps

– Also for the mobile Web (e.g., with Sencha Touch, Jo, etc.)!

– No install, cross-platform

– Real-world monitoring apps

– Short-living interactions with real-time requirements

> HTML5 Websockets are not quite here yet

– Wide support in the Web galaxy (Node.js, Socket.io, Pusherapp, etc.)

– Emerging support in the Java galaxy…

– Glassfish / Grizzly, Jetty and cont’d

– Atmosphere and the JQuery plugin is of great help for client and server

portability!

> Websockets also exist beyond the browser, e.g. for Android/Java

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Dominique Guinard home: guinard.org

ETH Zurich / MIT Auto-ID Labs blog: webofthings.com

twitter: @domguinard

Tools/links mentioned in this talk on:

delicious.com/misterdom/jazoon2011

Thanks for your attention!