PubNub

PubNub

Company type	Private
Industry	Real-time communication, Infrastructure as a service
Founded	2010 (2010)
Founder	Stephen Blum, Todd Greene
Headquarters	San Francisco , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Real-time publish–subscribe messaging API, SDKs for software and hardware developers, Functions (customizable microservices), Publish–subscribe Messaging, Online Presence Detection, Access Management, Data Stream Controller, Storage & Playback, Mobile Push Notifications
Website	pubnub.com

PubNub is a platform specializing in real-time communication and operates as an infrastructure-as-a-service provider based in San Francisco, California. It delivers solutions tailored for both software and hardware developers aiming to create real-time applications for web, mobile, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

At the heart of PubNub’s offerings lies a real-time publish–subscribe messaging API, which is backed by an extensive global data streaming network. This infrastructure spans 15 data centers located throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The network currently supports 330 million connected devices and handles over a trillion messages each month.

History

Established in 2010 by entrepreneurs Stephen Blum and Todd Greene, PubNub has attracted substantial venture capital to accelerate its growth trajectory. In March 2012, the company secured $4.5 million in Series A funding from Relay Ventures and TiE Angels. This was followed by an $11 million Series B round in September 2013, with Scale Venture Partners, Relay Ventures, and TiE Angels leading the investment. In July 2015, PubNub completed a $20 million Series C funding round spearheaded by Sapphire Ventures. Additional strategic investments include a $6 million round in September 2016 led by Cisco Investments and Ericsson. The latest infusion was a $23 million Series D round in April 2019, which saw Hewlett Packard Enterprise join as an investor.

These capital injections have been instrumental in expanding PubNub’s global footprint, advancing product innovation, and strengthening its position within the real-time communication infrastructure sector.

Technology

PubNub utilizes a publish–subscribe architecture to facilitate real-time data streaming and device signaling. It supports multiple protocols such as WebSockets, Socket.IO, SignalR, and WebRTC Data Channel. The platform offers software development kits (SDKs) compatible with more than 70 programming languages and environments, including JavaScript, iOS, Android, as well as popular frameworks like AngularJS, Ember.js, and Backbone.js. Additionally, PubNub provides client libraries designed for hardware platforms such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Texas Instruments, and Microchip.

• Functions refer to customizable microservices that allow developers to implement features within real-time applications.
• Publish–subscribe Messaging enables streaming of real-time data with integrated AES encryption and optional TLS/SSL security. It efficiently manages channels without requiring prior registration, supporting unlimited channels per API key.
• Online Presence Detection monitors the online or offline status of users and devices instantly. Presence events are triggered by subscription changes or timeouts, while the Presence API facilitates persistent tracking of custom states like typing indicators.
• Access Management provides detailed read/write permissions at the user, device, or channel level to enhance security through precise authorization controls.
• Data Stream Controller consolidates multiple data streams into a single persistent connection and centralizes group channel management on the server side.
• Storage & Playback maintains message archives within high-availability clusters for later access or replaying messages in their original sequence.
• Mobile Push Notifications integrates PubNub’s messaging capabilities with external push services such as Google Cloud Messaging (GCM), Apple APNS, and Microsoft Notification Protocol (MSNP), streamlining server-side development efforts.

These technological components constitute the foundation of PubNub’s business strategy, underpinning its worldwide operations and providing a competitive edge in scalable real-time communication services.