Empowering Real-Time Status Synchronization: Introducing Agora Signaling 2.1
Agora is pleased to announce the public beta release of Signaling 2.1, with both native and web SDKs available starting today!
Agora’s Signaling (previously known as Real-Time Messaging) allows real-time metadata synchronization and low-latency event notifications between edge devices, servers, and channel attributes. You can use it to initiate video/audio calls, toggle microphones, and manage event-based notifications. Running on Agora’s proprietary Software Defined Real-Time Network (SD-RTN), Signaling complements Agora’s products and enhances the experience of Voice Calling, Video Calling, and Interactive Live Streaming.
Key feature updates
In addition to performance improvement and experience optimization, we introduced several brand-new features in Signaling 2.1 to support a broader spectrum of use cases and further elevate the developer experience.
Signaling based on Pub/Sub
With Signaling 1.x, users need to first join a channel before being able to receive signals. In Signaling 2.1, we introduced the publish-subscribe pattern, decoupling services producing signals from services processing those signals. Adopting the pub/sub allows easier management of channels and an unlimited number of users per channel.
Stream Channel
In addition to Message Channel, Signaling 2.1 also supports Stream Channel, which can be used to create a pipeline for data to flow from one point to another in real-time. By subscribing to a channel, users can receive signals and events, with a sub 100ms latency.
Presence
Presence provides the ability to monitor the online status and manage status changes. With presence, you can send notifications and obtain real-time information including when users join/leave a channel and devices status update. Presence greatly simplifies the implementation of the synchronization logic related to user online and offline status and state changes. This feature helps make your business more stable, real-time, and reliable.
Storage
The storage feature provides a dynamic database mechanism that allows you to set, store, update, and delete channel metadata and user metadata. It also listens to the events generated by changes of channel metadata or user metadata.
Lock
Locks provide Conflict Intervention Services (CIS) and address issues arising when a critical resource can only be used by one process at a time. This feature ensures that messages are processed in a specific order and prevent concurrent access to the same data. When a client accesses a resource, it can acquire a lock on that resource to prevent other clients from accessing it. For example, when multiple clients are submitting reservation request to an event, a lock can be used to ensure that messages are processed in the order that they are received in allotting seats and locking reservations.
Use cases powered by Signaling 2.1
Leveraging Agora’s global network, Signaling 2.1can power real-time applications with an average global latency of sub 200ms, and regional latency between 50ms to 100ms. The ultra-low-latency, high- concurrency signaling and synchronization capabilities enable a wide variety of applications.
Interactive live Streaming
- Initiate video/audio calling sessions, and control audience microphone
- Manage notifications when users join or leave
- Send virtual gifts and rewards
Metaverse/Interactive Gaming
- Synchronize online player statuses including location, gears, and other statuses
- Manage status change log with signal storage
- Manage online bidding and competition among players accessing shared resources
Online education
- Conduct formative assessment with pop quizzes and live polling
- Grant rewards to online students
- Manage user interaction and collaboration on the whiteboard or courseware
Internet of things (IoT)
- Perform status monitoring, collect and report sensor data
- Manage or update IoT devices remotely
- Establish connections for audio or video calls
- Send commands to end devices
Getting Started with Signaling 2.1
If you are interested in exploring the possibilities of Signaling 2.1, you can try it for free during the public beta phase. Sign up with a developer or admin account in Agora Console and follow the guidance here to set up your project, and start building your application with low-latency, and high concurrency signaling and synchronization capabilities.
