Abilities

An endpoint has four communication abilities. A separate aspect of the API embodies each of these abilities. The following table summarizes the four abilities.

Each of these four abilities and its API embodiment corresponds to a distinct sub-stream of messages, called an ability sub-stream.

Endpoint Abilities: Definitions
Ability API Description
One-to-Many Receive Subscriber object Carries one-to-many messages inbound to the endpoint’s subscribers in the application.
One-to-One Receive Inbox subscriber object Carries one-to-one messages inbound to the endpoint’s inbox subscribers in the application.
One-to-Many Send Send call
of a publisher object Carries one-to-many messages outbound from the endpoint’s publishers in the application.
One-to-One Send Send-to-inbox call
of a publisher object Carries one-to-one messages outbound from the endpoint’s publishers in the application.

Notice that each ability combines two dimensions: reach and direction:

  • Reach
    • One-to-many abilities carry messages that can reach potentially many subscribers.
    • One-to-one abilities carry messages that can reach one specific inbox subscriber.
  • Direction
    • Receive abilities carry messages inbound to an application.
    • Send abilities carry messages outbound from an application.
Related concepts