2021-12-02 04:08:12 +00:00
|
|
|
# Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Isn't this like ...?
|
|
|
|
|
Who knows. I didn't do a lot of research before making this. It was fun making it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Can I use this in my app? Will it stay free?
|
|
|
|
|
Yes. As long as you don't abuse it, it'll be available and free of charge. I do not plan on monetizing
|
|
|
|
|
the service.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## What are the uptime guarantees?
|
|
|
|
|
Best effort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## What happens if there are multiple subscribers to the same topic?
|
2022-06-12 15:22:15 +00:00
|
|
|
As per usual with pub-sub, all subscribers receive notifications if they are subscribed to a topic.
|
2021-12-02 04:08:12 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Will you know what topics exist, can you spy on me?
|
2022-06-12 15:22:15 +00:00
|
|
|
If you don't trust me or your messages are sensitive, run your own server. It's open source.
|
|
|
|
|
That said, the logs do contain topic names and IP addresses, but I don't use them for anything other than
|
|
|
|
|
troubleshooting and rate limiting. Messages are cached for the duration configured in `server.yml` (12h by default)
|
|
|
|
|
to facilitate service restarts, message polling and to overcome client network disruptions.
|
2021-12-02 04:08:12 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Can I self-host it?
|
2022-06-12 15:22:15 +00:00
|
|
|
Yes. The server (including this Web UI) can be self-hosted, and the Android/iOS app supports adding topics from
|
2021-12-05 20:57:37 +00:00
|
|
|
your own server as well. Check out the [install instructions](install.md).
|
2021-12-02 04:08:12 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Why is Firebase used?
|
|
|
|
|
In addition to caching messages locally and delivering them to long-polling subscribers, all messages are also
|
|
|
|
|
published to Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) (if `FirebaseKeyFile` is set, which it is on ntfy.sh). This
|
2021-12-05 20:57:37 +00:00
|
|
|
is to facilitate notifications on Android.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you do not care for Firebase, I suggest you install the [F-Droid version](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/io.heckel.ntfy/)
|
|
|
|
|
of the app and [self-host your own ntfy server](install.md).
|
2021-12-02 04:08:12 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## How much battery does the Android app use?
|
2022-03-15 12:27:17 +00:00
|
|
|
If you use the ntfy.sh server, and you don't use the [instant delivery](subscribe/phone.md#instant-delivery) feature,
|
2022-06-12 15:22:15 +00:00
|
|
|
the Android/iOS app uses no additional battery, since Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) is used. If you use your own server,
|
|
|
|
|
or you use *instant delivery* (Android only), the app has to maintain a constant connection to the server, which consumes
|
|
|
|
|
about 0-1% of battery in 17h of use (on my phone). There has been a ton of testing and improvement around this. I think it's pretty
|
2022-03-15 12:27:17 +00:00
|
|
|
decent now.
|
2021-12-02 04:08:12 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## What is instant delivery?
|
2021-12-05 20:57:37 +00:00
|
|
|
[Instant delivery](subscribe/phone.md#instant-delivery) is a feature in the Android app. If turned on, the app maintains a constant connection to the
|
2022-06-12 15:22:15 +00:00
|
|
|
server and listens for incoming notifications. This consumes additional battery (see above),
|
2021-12-02 04:08:12 +00:00
|
|
|
but delivers notifications instantly.
|
