Notifications

User engagement and retention on social media platforms heavily depend on timely and relevant notifications. Users need to stay informed about all activities related to their account, including when their posts receive likes or comments, when they receive new messages, gain new followers, or when other significant events occur within their network.

ColibriPlus provides a comprehensive notification system designed to keep your users engaged and informed through multiple communication channels. This system ensures users never miss important interactions and helps drive platform activity and user retention.

Push Notifications ⚠️

Push notifications are not available in the initial release. They will be added in future releases to provide mobile app-style notifications directly to users' devices.

Channels

ColibriPlus currently supports the following notification delivery channels:

• Email notifications - Traditional email alerts sent to users' registered email addresses
• In-app notifications - Real-time notifications displayed within the platform interface, broadcasted instantly using WebSocket technology

As we continue to develop the platform, additional notification channels such as SMS notifications, push notifications, and third-party integrations will be added in future releases to provide users with more communication options and flexibility.

Configuration

To control which notification channels are active on your platform, configure the following settings in your .env file:

# Enable or disable email notifications
NOTIFICATIONS_EMAIL_ENABLED=true|false

# Enable or disable real-time in-app notifications
NOTIFICATIONS_BROADCAST_ENABLED=true|false

These settings allow you to selectively enable or disable notification channels based on your platform's needs, infrastructure capabilities, and user preferences. You can enable both channels simultaneously or choose to use only one depending on your setup.

Troubleshooting

In-App Notification Issues

In-app notifications rely on real-time broadcasting through the Reverb WebSocket server to deliver instant updates to users' browsers. If users are not receiving in-app notifications, ensure that:

• The Reverb server is properly installed and running
• The WebSocket connection is accessible and not blocked by firewalls
• Browser permissions allow WebSocket connections
• The server configuration matches your domain settings

For detailed WebSocket configuration instructions, refer to our Reverb server configuration guide.

Email Notification Issues

Email notifications utilize the platform's main mailing system to deliver messages to users' email addresses. If email notifications are not being sent, verify that:

• Your SMTP server is properly configured and operational
• Email credentials in the .env file are correct and up-to-date
• Your hosting provider allows outbound email connections
• Email messages are not being filtered as spam by recipient servers
• Rate limits on your email service are not being exceeded

For comprehensive email setup instructions, consult our SMTP server configuration guide.