Host your own push proxy service#

Customers building their own custom mobile apps must host their own push proxy service using one of the following methods:

See our developer documentation on working with the Mattermost Push Notification Service.

Enable MPNS#

  1. Go to System Console > Environment > Push Notification Server.

  2. Under Enable Push Notifications, select Manually enter Push Notification Service location.

  3. Enter the location of your MPNS in the Push Notification Server field, then select Save.

Deployment recommendations:

  • Deploy the MPNS on your own infrastructure - whether on-premises behind your firewall or in your public cloud.

  • Ensure the Mattermost server has network access to the MPNS instance. Mattermost clients don’t need any inbound connectivity.

  • The MPNS does not connect with Mattermost mobile apps directly; the MPNS parses and forwards push notifications from the Mattermost server to the Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) or the Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM).

  • The MPNS must be able to communicate with the Apple Push Notification Service over HTTP/2. If an outbound proxy appliance is deployed between the MPNS and APNS, ensure it supports HTTP/2.

  • Configure TLS encryption between your MPNS and your Mattermost server.

  • Sign the mobile applications during your build process, and obtain and configure valid push certificates for both Android and iOS. Without these certificates, the apps will be unable to send or receive notifications via your MPNS instance.

  • Subscribe to Mattermost Security Bulletins to receive and promptly apply MPNS-related security updates.

Configure ID-only push notification contents (Enterprise)#

By default, push notification message content passes through Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) or Google Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) before it reaches a device. This potentially presents a problem for organizations with ultra-strict security and compliance requirements.

With the ID-only option, message contents can be fetched directly from the server once a push notification is delivered to a device. APNS and FCM can’t read push notifications since only a unique message ID is sent in each notification payload. While message content will take slightly longer to send, this feature helps organizations meet advanced compliance requirements.

To set mobile push notification contents to ID-only:

  1. Go to System Console > Site Configuration > Notifications.

  2. Under Push Notification Contents, select Full message content fetched from the server on receipt, then select Save.

    • As part of the process of building the applications, you’ll need to sign the applications. You must also obtain the appropriate certificate for both Android and iOS. If this isn’t done, the applications won’t be able to interact with your instance of the MPNS. Once this is complete, you can proceed with the deployment of your MPNS instance.

    • We strongly recommend that you subscribe to Mattermost Security Bulletins. When you’re notified of security updates for the MPNS, apply them promptly.