How to Create a Broadcast Notification Server

This guide explains how to set up a notification server using ntfy.sh to send notifications across web and mobile devices (Android/iOS). It will be broadcast to all synced devices under the mytopic section.

Installing ntfy.sh

To install ntfy.sh on a Raspberry Pi running Debian/Ubuntu, follow these steps:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://archive.heckel.io/apt/pubkey.txt | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/archive.heckel.io.gpg
sudo apt install apt-transport-https
sudo sh -c "echo 'deb [arch=armhf signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/archive.heckel.io.gpg] https://archive.heckel.io/apt debian main' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/archive.heckel.io.list"
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ntfy
sudo systemctl enable ntfy
sudo systemctl start ntfy

The last two lines ensure that ntfy automatically restarts if the Raspberry Pi reboots.

Configuring the Server

Since port 80 is already in use, change the ntfy.sh server to listen on port 83:

sudo vim /etc/ntfy/server.yml

Modify the configuration:

listen-http: ":83"

Restart the server for the changes to take effect:

sudo systemctl start ntfy
systemctl status ntfy

ntfy status

Exposing Port 83

If the server is hosted at home, expose port 83 on your router for public access. If needed, configure port forwarding for 80 in your router settings.

ntfy expose the port on the router

Testing Notifications

Send test notifications from the local server and the internet:

curl -d "Hi" 192.168.1.25:83/mytopic
curl -d "Hi from Internet" local.anibalcopitan.com:83/mytopic

Notification Web

Notification Android

Notification IOS

Security Considerations

For secure access and notification generation, enable auth-file in the configuration.

• Configuring Authentication
• Using Authentication Tokens

🎥 Watch the Demo in Action!

Here’s a quick demo showing how ntfy.sh sends a notification when a user subscribes with their email. The video is in Spanish, but you can follow the process visually.

Conclusion

Setting up a broadcast notification system with ntfy.sh is straightforward and efficient. It enables fast integration via HTTP, making it a powerful tool for real-time notifications across multiple devices.