how does WhatsApp communication works?

[Itamar Levi]

Hello,

I would like to know how the communications in WhatsApp aplication (group messages app) works.
1. is it use http protocol?
2. how does the server push notifications to the client (android phone)?
3. does the client send every few seconds a request to the server for checking for new messages?
4. does the client keep a tcp connection open with the server as long as the phone is on?

Thanks
Itamar

[Tim Cooke]

Given this is a question about a piece of closed source commercial software, I'd be surprised if you get a definitive answer here. I'm sure we could all make wild guesses all day long but it would be just that, guesses.

Have you asked this question to WhatsApp? Or on a WhatsApp related forum or support site? I suggest revealing why you want to know this information, otherwise it may look like you want to write your own WhatsApp like thing as competition. Is this personal interest? A school assignment? Or just plain Plagiarism?

[Ulf Dittmer]

#2/#3: Probably some variant of GCM

#4: Unlikely. That would take a lot of servers on WhatsApp's part to handle all those open connections.

[Itamar Levi]

Hi,

I would like to know what is the right/best architecture.
for an application
which
1. one client message distribute to other client throug server.
2. all clients have to be attentive to notifications from the server.

how should i implement such as architecture?
If i use server JBoos?
1. how do i keep all client attentive to the server?
2. how does the server can distribute one client request to all clients?
(Is there any another way besides using GCM?)

[Ulf Dittmer]

That sounds pretty much like the same question as https://coderanch.com/t/628886/sockets/java/server-response-multi-clients, so let's continue the discussion over there in order to avoid duplication of effort.

I will just say here that the choice of technology is done after architecture and design are complete. Starting the discussion by saying "how would I architect this if I wanted to use JBoss" is going about it the wrong way.