7 Examples of Push Technology

John Spacey, updated on March 06, 2017

Push technology is a service that pushes information to a client from a server. This is the opposite of a traditional client/server model whereby a client such as a web browser requests information such as a web page. The following are illustrative examples of push technology.

Email

Email was an early use of push technology whereby a server will push email out to an email client when it arrives at the server.

Mobile App

A server pushes stock quotes to a mobile app when the market is open.

Messaging

Instant messages are typically pushed to clients.

Notifications

A server pushes notifications to management when a production line stops. Such notifications might go to both systems and communication channels such as voicemail.

Entertainment

A user asks her television to notify her of sports scores as she watches movies.

Transportation

A safety system pushes earthquake warning notifications to a high speed train.

Integration

When a customer changes their phone number an integration service pushes the change to all systems that store customer data.

Overview: Push Technology
Type	Software Design
Definition	A client/server architecture whereby information updates are initiated by the server as opposed to requested by the client.
Notes	In many cases, push technology isn't technically possible as networks may ban incoming requests for secure HTTPs sessions. In such cases, push technology may be simulated by having the client continually request information. This technique is known as polling.
Related Concepts	Integration Client/Server Architectural Patterns Software Design