RSS Cloud is an optional sub-element of the

RSS RSS ( RDF Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) is a web feed that allows users and applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-readable format. Subscribing to RSS feeds can allow a user to keep track of many di ...

protocol's <channel> element that enables realtime (immediate)

push notifications Push technology or server push is a style of Internet-based communication where the request for a given transaction is initiated by the publisher or central server. It is contrasted with pull/get, where the request for the transmission of informa ...

or distributed publish/subscribe communication for

feeds Feed or The Feed may refer to: Animal foodstuffs * Animal feed, food given to domestic animals in the course of animal husbandry ** Fodder, foodstuffs manufactured for animal consumption ** Forage, foodstuffs that animals gather themselves, su ...

. This is done using a element allowing a software service to register with a cloud which notifies subscribers of updates to the channel. RSS Cloud is not limited to RSS feeds but can also be used with other feed formats such as

Atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas ...

. On September 7, 2009

WordPress WordPress (WP or WordPress.org) is a free and open-source software, free and open-source content management system (CMS) written in PHP, hypertext preprocessor language and paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database with supported secure hypert ...

became the first large supporter of the protocol, enabling the tag for over 7.5 million hosted blogs on

WordPress.com WordPress.com is a platform for self-publishing that is popular for blogging and other works. It is owned and operated by Automattic, Inc. It is run on a modified version of WordPress software. This website provides free blog hosting for regist ...

. Another protocol superseding the use of the <cloud> element is

WebSub WebSub (formerly PubSubHubbub) is an open protocol for distributed publish–subscribe communication on the Internet. Initially designed to extend the Atom (and RSS) protocols for data feeds, the protocol can be applied to any data type (e.g. HT ...

. In addition to functionality provided by RSS Cloud, WebSub push notifications include content of the updated feed entries and do not unsubscribe unsuspecting subscribers after 25 hours.RSSCloud Vs. PubSubHubbub: Why The Fat Pings Win
(visited November 11th 2009)

References

External links

RSS <cloud> element Specification
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rss Cloud RSS Web syndication formats XML-based standards Computer file formats