New Client APIs for Android and Java SE

We are very excited to announce early availability of brand new client APIs for Android and Java SE. The new APIs follow the Lightstreamer Unified Client API model, which was first introduced with the JavaScript client API.

This means that developers of applications for different client platforms will be given the same programming model when using a Lightstreamer client library. Same abstractions, same interfaces, same features, and same internal mechanisms. Developers will be able to move from a client platform to another seamlessly, without having to learn a new Lightstreamer API, or having to deal with caveats specific to each platform. At the same time, the Unified Client API implementations respect all the peculiarities of each platform, in terms of naming conventions, packaging, etc. So, developers of each platform will feel "at home" when using the new APIs.

The implementations of the Lightstreamer Unified Client API for the different platforms and languages are all fully asynchronous. All the API calls that require any action from the library itself are queued for processing by a dedicated thread before being carried out. The same thread is also used to carry notifications for the appropriate listeners as provided by the custom code. Blocking operations and internal housekeeping are performed on different threads.

The library offers automatic recovery from connection failures, automatic selection of the best available transport, and full decoupling of subscription and connection operations.

Today, we have released a new version of the Lightstreamer distribution, which includes the two new SDKs (in addition to the previous ones):

• sdk_client_android_alpha: Alpha release of the unified version of the Android client API (v.2.0 a1). It provides full functionality, except for Mobile Push Notification support, which is lacking.
• sdk_client_java_se_beta: Beta release of the Unified version of the Java SE client API (v.3.0 b1). It provides full functionality.

The new client libraries are now distributed through a Maven repository and their dependencies can be fully managed via Maven, Gradle, Ivy, and any compatible tool.

If you are already familiar with the Lightstreamer JavaScript client API, it will be straightforward to use the new Android and Java SE APIs. In any case, the new SDKs include links to online API reference docs and online examples, with full source code hosted on GitHub. You will get started very quickly!

For the impatient, here are direct links to the docs and the examples:

• Android: API docs; examples
• Java SE: API docs; examples

We encourage you to play with the new APIs and report any feedback back to support@lightstreamer.com. This is an important step forward in the evolution of the Lightstreamer client ecosystem, simplifying the way applications are developed, while expanding the feature set and increasing reliability and performance. Even if we guarantee support on the old API models for a reasonable time, the sooner you get started with the new APIs, the easier it will be to upgrade. Download the latest Lightstreamer distribution now.

While the Android and Java SE APIs move to the final stable release, we will be working on the iOS and .NET versions as well.