Real-Time Data Streaming with Publish and Subscribe
Recent studies show that 42% of organizations are strengthening data gathering and analysis processes to meet growing requirements. They're looking at Publish/Subscribe (Pub/Sub) data streaming as a possible solution to process data more efficiently.
In this article, we'll discuss what Pub/Sub data streaming is and which industries it serves best. We'll also take a look at real-world implementations of Pub/Sub.
What is Pub/Sub data streaming?
Pub/Sub is a real-time messaging method made up of publishers and consumers, where publishers (data sources) push messages out to any number of subscribed consumers (data receivers). Pub/Sub topics are transmitted via live-feed data streams known as channels. Pub/Sub is best suited for streaming, broadcasting, signaling, and other on-demand uses.
Pub/Sub data streaming in the real world
Pub/Sub streaming's asynchronous communication model allows developers to build complex applications in various industries, including:
Financial markets
Stock traders deal with constantly evolving markets, which means they need access to the latest market news to make informed, profitable trade decisions. Pub/Sub enables this by making sending and receiving updates on time easier without overburdening the system.
For example, stock trading systems can minimize latency and traffic by publishing stock price updates immediately to Pub/Sub channels. Consumers can subscribe to the channel to receive the latest updates in real time.
Internet of Things (IoT)
Your phone, car, watch, and television are all IoT endpoints, sending and receiving data every minute. Pub/Sub data streaming facilitates real-time communication between IoT devices on the cloud through a centralized broker that reads and filters data so services always receive the correct data.
For example, in a smart home, every device (TV, microwave, fridge, lights, etc.) sends information to the cloud. Devices will only subscribe to the relevant Pub/Sub channels so they aren’t overwhelmed with unnecessary data.
Social media platforms
According to Statista, 61.4% of the world’s population are social media users. Pub/Sub’s loose coupling capability, which allows services to work independently, lets social media sites better manage large volumes of user-generated data. They can push updates to the endpoint immediately, whether the consumer is online or not.
Publishers can simply “fire and forget” since the broker stores the event and delivers it to the endpoint as soon as the client is back online, without continuously polling for updates. Adopting this communication model helps reduce traffic and optimize bandwidth usage.
Transportation and logistics
Timely information ensures every stakeholder can perform their tasks seamlessly and that functions work together in real time. Drivers can deliver packages on time, central offices can assign routes, and customers can track delivery statuses.
With Pub/Sub, logistics companies can ensure each user in the network only receives relevant information. For example, drivers get immediate updates about new deliveries, status alerts, or route changes as and when they happen.
Healthcare
In the healthcare industry, even just a few seconds can be the difference between life and death. Real-time communication enables medical professionals to deliver better patient outcomes by taking preventive measures before a problem arises. It allows them to monitor patient activity and share vital information with other care providers while managing costs.
The Pub/Sub model allows healthcare professionals to securely share patient data with all interested parties (doctors, researchers, insurance companies, etc.), as well as compile a single electronic case report that subscribes to all patient lab and diagnostics reports.
Implementing the Pub/Sub data streaming model: Best practices
There are a few things to keep in mind to ensure optimized movement of messages between services in a Pub/Sub model:
Identify your requirements
Take the time to define your use case and requirements. Your expectations directly influence the Pub/Sub model you choose for your system. Moreover, your requirements will dictate the messaging protocol your Pub/Sub system will use to communicate.
Regularly monitor your system’s performance
As your application becomes more popular, expect increasing data volumes and more complex functions. Although these spikes can be inconsistent and unpredictable, prepare for such eventualities by setting up monitoring systems that constantly measure your system’s performance.
Be wary of message loss
Message loss occurs when a message doesn’t reach the consumer or if it reaches the consumer but isn’t processed. Developers can prepare for this by establishing proper monitoring systems and defining clear error-handling protocols to address any issues that arise.
Account for traffic spikes
Traffic spikes are common during the holiday season or sports events, for example. Use techniques to manage traffic spikes such as load balancing and data buffering.
Pub/Sub: Real-world success stories
To illustrate what Pub/Sub is capable of, let's go through some case studies that used Pub/Sub to process data more efficiently.
Hearo: Helping remote patients live more independently
Hearo, a healthcare company providing remote patient monitoring platforms for healthcare agencies, assisted living facilities, and in-home care organizations, facilitates patient monitoring using Pub/Sub to ensure real-time connectivity between sensors.
It captures millions of data points and pushes them through its rules engine to trigger appropriate responses—like sending alerts or turning on the light. The Pub/Sub data streaming model ensures that patient data remains available even if the IoT device isn’t connected to the network, providing a fail-safe for data retention.
Because Pub/Sub is highly scalable, Hearo is well-positioned to provide more remote healthcare solutions that promote patient independence.
Stage TEN: Using Pub/Sub to power chat at scale
Stage TEN is a live e-commerce platform that enables creators to monetize their content and engage with their audiences in real time using chat, polls, donations, and live shoutouts.
Over time, the platform experienced scaling challenges with its in-house chat feature while hosting large events. Stage TEN resolved this issue for future events by integrating PubNub’s chat infrastructure into their product. They incorporated live chat features like emojis, chat moderation, and filters.
The Pub/Sub model lets Stage TEN users build lasting relationships with their audiences while allowing the development team to introduce new features without worrying about downtimes or integration.
Get the most out of your data with Pub/Sub
Pub/Sub is a versatile communication model that facilitates real-time connectivity across various industries. PubNub is an API platform that enables real-time communication in apps for a wide range of organizations across the globe. Developers can focus on what they do best without worrying about factors like performance monitoring, data consistency, and traffic spikes—all while ensuring your chosen Pub/Sub model is right for your application. With PubNub as a real-time data streaming partner, your job is a hundred times easier.
Learn more about our offerings by reaching out or test-driving the PubNub platform today.