Web Push Notification Strategies: Managing Notifications Post-Logout

In the realm of web application development, delivering timely and relevant notifications is crucial for user engagement. Many developers leverage services like Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to send web push notifications, but questions often arise regarding best practices for managing these notifications, especially in relation to user logout procedures.

The Challenge: Ensuring Notifications Are Contextually Relevant

A common concern is whether to continue delivering push notifications to a user after they have logged out of the application. From a technical perspective, Firebase Cloud Messaging assigns unique device tokens to facilitate targeted communication. When a user logs out, maintaining these tokens might lead to the app sending notifications that are no longer relevant or desired.

Should You Delete or Disable Firebase Tokens Upon Logout?

Currently, a prevalent best practice is to revoke or delete the Firebase registration tokens associated with a user once they log out. Doing so ensures that notifications intended for authenticated users are not erroneously sent to logged-out users, thereby enhancing user experience and maintaining privacy standards.

For example, upon logout, your application can:

• Delete the Firebase messaging token from your database.
• Inform Firebase to invalidate the token if possible.
• Prevent further notifications from being dispatched to that device until a new token is generated and associated with the user.

Challenges Without Session Cookies

A typical scenario involves users ending their sessions either intentionally or passively over time. If your app relies solely on session cookies for authentication, once a user logs out and the cookie expires or is deleted, your server may lose track of the user’s session. Consequently, without explicit notification to your backend to cease sending notifications, the system may continue dispatching messages to the device token, resulting in potentially unwanted alerts.

Ensuring a Consistent Notification Experience

To effectively manage push notifications post-logout, consider implementing the following strategies:

• Token Management: Store user-device associations securely in your backend. When a user logs out, explicitly delete or invalidate their respective device tokens.
• User-Driven Unsubscription: Allow users to manually opt out of notifications within your app settings, and synchronize this preference with your backend to halt notifications.
• Session Handling: Combine token management with robust session control mechanisms, such as session expiration and explicit logout processes, to keep your notification system synchronized with user authentication status.
• Real-Time Updates: Employ real-time communication channels or polling to keep your backend aware of user status changes, ensuring notifications are only sent when appropriate.

**Conclusion