Connecting Red5 and Amf-php

Its been a long goal for me to connect Red5 to amfphp. You will see frequent needs of interacting with MySQL database from red5. Many people suggest using JDBC. Although thats  valid suggestion, its more of a headache for a non Java developer and the server administrator. Many people also suggest using flash to amfphp direct., but mind it thats the most incorrect way of doing things, when you want it secure.

Here is how you actually get Java to talk to php, the modern style :).  First anf foremost grab a copy of amfphp 1.2 from Sourceforge. Note: download amfphp 1.2,  as amfphp 1.9 is not compatible with red5’s amf decoding.

Step 1.  Setup the amfphp gateway at your server root. Like so:

http://localhost/amfphp

See video on setting up amfphp

Step 2. Download and install red5, then setup a new application using red5plugin in eclipse. (i wont discuss how to setup red5 application here. you can refer to external links for that. Mainly: Red5 developer series videos)

Step 3.  Create a new amfphp service class like this and save as Red5Service.php in services folder of amfphp.

<?php
class Red5Service
{

function  Red5Service()
{
$this->methodTable = array(
"login" => array(
"description" => "login user -> returns true/false",
"access" => "remote",
"arguments" => array ("username","password")
),
"logout" => array(
"description" => "logout user -> returns nothing",
"access" => "remote",
"arguments" => array ("username")
)  
);
}  

function login($username,$password)
{
return true;
}

function logout($username)
{
return;
}
}
?>

Step 4. In your red5 application, connect method  place a call to your amfphp service,  as shown below:

/** {@inheritDoc} */
@Override
public boolean connect(IConnection conn, IScope scope, Object[] params)
{
try
{
RemotingClient client = new RemotingClient("http://localhost/amfphp/gateway.php");
Object[] args = new Object[]{'rajdeep','xyz123'};
Object result = client.invokeMethod("Red5Service.login", args);

if(!result.equals(true)) return false; 
}
catch (IOException e)
{
return false;
}
return true;   
}

As you will see when a user connects to red5 application, the connect handler makes a connection to amfphp gateway and sends the parameters ‘rajdeep’ and ‘xyz123’ as arguments. the amf service can then do its own computations as you want it to and return a boolean expression – true/false at the end. If the java RemotingClient receives a true it lets the connect method accepts the connection else reject it. Also note the try catch block.  also since we dont know what network situations may prevail, so need to be sure that if red5 cannot connect to amfphp it will reject the client connection anyways.

Thats all  for the basics to make things hotter try experimenting with params sent to red5 from flash and the database stuff 🙂

Red5 to mysql without JDBC

In this tutorial we see how to connect to a mysql database, regardless of whether you have access to JDBC adapter on your Red5 running server. Definitely JDBC would be faster, but this method will get you across just fine in any Red5 project involving databases.

Since we wont be using Java way of connecting to mysql, i pick php as the delegate for that. so our communication will be like this:

JAVA -> PHP -> MYSQL

and

MYSQL -> PHP -> JAVA
(more…)