Public Cloud – Flexible Engine

Simple Message Notification (SMN) – send messages through emails, phones, HTTP/HTTPS applications in an efficient and inexpensive way

A simple, flexible, and scalable message notification service

SMN can be easily integrated with other cloud services to receive event notifications from them. 

The SMN service possesses the following main features:

Access mode

SMN provides a web-based management console, on which users can manage the SMN resources and APIs for users to access the SMN service.

Topic management

A topic is a collection of messages, which is the basic unit for message data isolation. Users can create a topic and add multiple types of subscriptions to it. The subscription types include email, HTTP, and HTTPS.

Subscription management

Users can add or delete a subscription. The subscription takes effect only after the subscriber confirms the subscription. Currently, the following subscription protocols are supported: Email, HTTP and HTTPS.

Subscription cancellation

A subscriber can cancel a subscription. After the subscription is canceled, SMN pushes a re-subscription message to the subscriber. In case that the subscription cancellation is a disoperation, the subscriber can re-subscribe to the topic using the link provided in the re-subscription message.

Message template management

Users can send messages using a customized message template. In one template, users can create different content for different message protocols, and then send messages using the same template name. 

Topic-based message pushing

After users push a message to the topic, and the system sends the message to all confirmed subscribers added to the topic. Users can send messages using the message structure or message template, so that subscribers using different protocols receive desired message content.

Direct message pushing

Users can directly push messages via emails, HTTP, or HTTPS. This function is available only for cloud services, instead of tenants.

Topic policy management

The default topic policy is that only the topic creator can add subscriptions push messages to the topic. Users can customize their topic policy to grant topic operation permissions to other users or cloud services.

Integration with other cloud services

SMN can obtain the events or alarms reported by other cloud services, such as CES, and Anti-DDoS.

Benefits

Simple

In most cases, users can get started with SMN by calling the topic creating, topic subscription, and message publishing APIs. Additional APIs are available, which provide more advanced functions

Flexible

SMN allows applications to send notifications via Email, SMS, HTTP, or HTTPS.

Scalable

An application can publish multiple messages at a time.

Reliable

To avoid message loss, SMN provides multi-node and multi-copy message redundancy.

Secure

SMN provides access control mechanisms to ensure that topics and messages are secured against unauthorized access. Topic owners can set topic policies to restrict the topic operation permissions.

Inexpensive

SMN adopts a pay-as-you-go pricing policy. SMN message sending is charged based on the number of API calls, notifications, or volumes of Internet traffic incurred in the message pushing.

Integration with other cloud services

SMN can be used together with other services. For example, the CES service can send alarm notifications to SMN, and SMN pushes the notifications to the required applications or users. 

Scenarios

Email Pushing

Users can push emails to a topic. For example, the user pushes an application registration code to an individual or pushes news or product information to a user group by email using SMN.

Application Notification and Alarming

Notifications or alarms, triggered by applications or cloud services, are sent to the specific program or user via email, HTTP, or HTTPS. For example, the application sends the metrics information to CES, thereby triggering the alarm notification. Then the alarm notification is sent to the user via email.

Copy Distribution Function

Messages are sent to SMN and then copied to multiple channels for concurrent processing. For example, the business system makes multiple service data copies, one for normal service processing, and the others for real-time big data analysis and processing.

Limitations

The subscription confirmation frequency of a user is restricted: 

  • At most 20 confirmation messages are allowed to send to one email address within 1 hour, and 40 within 2 days.
  • At most 10 confirmation messages are allowed to send to one phone number within 1 hour, and 20 within 2 days.
  • At most 200 confirmation messages are allowed to send to one HTTP address within 10 minutes.

The maximum message size is restricted to 256 KB. Messages are reserved for 7 days, and the system automatically clears the messages 7 days later. Upon a message pushing failure, the system tries to send the message for another 6 times. If the pushing still fails, the system abandons the message.

Billing

SMN is charged based on the following factors: 

  • Number of API calls : Every 64 KB data requested is counted as one API call. For example, if a call has requested 256 KB data at a time, the system counts it as four API calls.
  • Number of notifications : A notification of different types, including email, HTTP, and HTTPS, are charged at a different price.
  • Volume of Internet traffic the notification incurs : Only email, HTTP, and HTTPS notifications incur Internet traffic.

Free Tier per month: 

  • First 1 million SMN requests
  • First 100000 HTTPS/s notifications
  • First 1000 email notifications

After Free Tier per month:

  • 0.50 USD per 1 million SMN requests
  • 0.06 USD per 100000 HTTP/s notifications 
  • 0.02 USD per 1000 email notifications