What Is OpenSocial and How Does It Work

OpenSocial is an open-source social networking API that allows developers to create social applications that can run on multiple social networking platforms.

It was launched in 2007 by Google, along with other major players like MySpace, LinkedIn, and Yahoo!.

OpenSocial aims to standardize the development of social applications across different platforms, making it easier for developers to create and deploy applications.

The API provides a set of standardized interfaces and APIs that allow developers to access user data, profile information, and other social features.

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Development and implementation of OpenSocial were crucial steps in its evolution.

Changes to the REST API were made to address issues that required changes in the OpenSocial specifications so the Open Mobile Alliance could use it.

The OpenSocial standards were implemented by an open-source project called Shindig, launched in December 2007, which provided a reference implementation and was supported by Google, Ning, and other companies.

Shindig was developed in parallel in both Java and PHP, and its data exchange with existing networking software took place via the OpenSocial Service Provider Interface (SPI).

Apache Rave is a lightweight and open-standards-based extensible platform for using, integrating, and hosting OpenSocial and W3C Widget-related features technologies, and services.

Apache Rave and Shindig are no longer in development and have been retired by the Apache Foundation.

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Development was a crucial step in creating a functional API. Changes to the REST API were made to address several issues that required changes in the OpenSocial specifications so the Open Mobile Alliance could use it. This was a significant update that ensured the API was compatible with the Open Mobile Alliance's requirements.

The Open Mobile Alliance's needs were a key factor in shaping the development process.

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Shindig, an open-source project, was launched in December 2007 to provide a reference implementation of the OpenSocial standards.

It has the support of Google, Ning, and other companies developing OpenSocial-related software.

Apache Rave is a lightweight and open-standards-based extensible platform for using, integrating, and hosting OpenSocial and W3C Widget-related features technologies, and services.

Apache Shindig is a reference implementation of the entire OpenSocial stack that operators of social network sites can refer back to.

Shindig is open-sourced and developed in parallel in both Java and PHP.

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Containers must implement all of the OpenSocial JavaScript API’s methods and meet the Gadgets specification to be able to support the OpenSocial standard.

Shindig includes a gadget server that transforms the XML specification of a social application into JavaScript and HTML code and makes this available via HTTP.

A further component of Shindig is the OpenSocial gateway server, which implements the RESTful API amongst other things.

The resulting architecture is depicted in the accompanying figure.

Backend servers are a crucial part of social applications, allowing them to communicate with external servers and perform tasks like making content available and managing data.

Developers can use established Web frameworks to implement backend servers, which can overcome limitations when working with JavaScript and HTML.

The gadget can call up HTML, JSON, XML, and Atom data from remote servers using gadgets.io.makeRequest(), and transfer data securely to the backend server.

The container acts as a proxy, validating transferred parameters before contacting the backend server, and uses OAuth API authorization protocol to ensure parameters truly originate from the container.

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The OpenSocial specification includes a RESTful API that supports formats like AtomPub, XML, and JSON, allowing backend servers to access people, relationships, activities, and notifications within the container.

Use of OAuth guarantees that access to the respective data is only granted to authorized users, and the container determines whether and in which form the RESTful API is made publicly available.

OpenSocial allows users to create polls that let their friends within the container vote for different alternatives. The application identifies the user by requesting the OWNER object via Shindig's OpenSocial API.

The application can request the OWNER_FRIENDS, letting the user choose which of their contacts should participate in the poll. This feature is useful for creating private polls among friends.

To create open polls, the application can ask all users that visit the OWNER's profile to vote using the Profile View. The application identifies each participant by asking for the current VIEWER to ensure none participate more than once.

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Enterprise websites are major users of OpenSocial, with notable examples including Friendster, hi5, LinkedIn, MySpace, Orkut, and Salesforce.com.

These websites use OpenSocial to create engaging social applications that integrate with their existing platforms. OpenSocial applications can be installed on a user's profile, allowing them to interact with the application and share data with their friends.

The installation process typically involves the user giving explicit permission for the application to access their personal user profile data. This ensures that users have control over their data and can choose which applications they want to share their information with.

OpenSocial applications can be rendered in different locations, known as views, within the container's website. The most common views include the Profile View, Home View, and Preview View, each serving a specific purpose such as presenting user-generated content or allowing users to preview an application's functionality.

The OpenSocial API allows direct access to the social graphs of the container, enabling a deeper understanding of the people and relationships within them.

The OpenSocial API supports more than 50 fields used within the context of user profiles on social networks, although most of these fields are optional. This means that the container ultimately decides which profile data to make available to their applications.

Individual person objects within the graph are represented by the class opensocial.Person, which is used to access the current user or viewer and the user in whose context the application is executed.

The VIEWER and OWNER objects are directly available, representing the current user or viewer and the user in whose context the application is executed, respectively. They can be the same person if a gadget is rendered in the home or canvas view, but can be different people in the profile view.

OpenSocial applications can access the connections of the current user or viewer and the user in whose context the application is executed through the requests VIEWER_FRIENDS and OWNER_FRIENDS.

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Hi5 is a social networking site that integrates web widgets through OpenSocial.

hi5 taps Widgetbox support for OpenSocial to get access to the choice of web widgets Widgetbox provides. This allows users to personalize their profiles with various widgets.

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OpenSocial encountered many issues initially, including only running on the Google-owned Orkut and only with a limited number of devices, with multiple errors reported on other devices.

Other networks were still looking into implementing the framework, and TechCrunch reported on December 6 that the release was limited, with missing "core functionality components" and a lack of "write once, distribute broadly" functionality.

The initial release was followed by a series of updates, including version 2.5.1 released on August 30, 2013, and version 2.5.0 released on August 28, 2012, with the release notes available for viewing.

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The initial release of OpenSocial was met with criticism due to its limitations. It only ran on the Google-owned Orkut and only supported a limited number of devices.

Multiple errors were reported on other devices, making it difficult for developers to use the framework. Other networks were still looking into implementing the framework, but the initial release was not ready for widespread adoption.

The limitations of the initial release were highlighted by MediaPops founder Russ Whitman, who stated that the release was "very limited" and that "core functionality components" were missing. This made it difficult for developers to create applications using the OpenSocial framework.

The initial release was not what developers were expecting, as the "write once, distribute broadly" promise was not accurate. This was a major setback for the OpenSocial project, as developers were looking for a platform that could be easily implemented across multiple networks.

Here is a list of the initial release dates for OpenSocial:

OpenSocial and Facebook have distinct technical approaches. OpenSocial is client-side JavaScript oriented, whereas Facebook's Platform is based on a URL addressable, REST-like server API.

Facebook sanitizes the HTML and sandboxes all JavaScript to ensure applications don't misbehave. This means developers must use proprietary languages like FBML, FQL, and FBJS.

Facebook applications rest fully on the developer's Web server, giving them more control over their application's backend. In contrast, OpenSocial gadgets communicate with their backend servers via JavaScript calls only.

The Facebook Platform requires a more proprietary approach to development, which can be limiting for some developers. This is in contrast to OpenSocial, which is more open and allows for greater flexibility.

Facebook provides UI elements to make application development easier and more consistent with the Facebook look-and-feel. This includes headings, error and dialog boxes, as well as a person multi-select widget.

OpenSocial applications can scale well, at least in theory, but they must be generic in order to do so. This can make it difficult for applications to have a consistent look-and-feel across different containers.

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Security issues were a major concern with OpenSocial, as demonstrated by a self-described amateur developer who cracked the RockYou gadget on Plaxo and Ning social networks using the iLike gadget.

The OpenSocial-based iLike on Ning was cracked in just 20 minutes, allowing the attacker to add and remove songs on a user's playlist and access their friend information.

Häsel and Iacono pointed out that OpenSocial specifications were far from comprehensive in terms of security, highlighting vulnerabilities in areas such as Message Integrity and Authentication.

This lack of security considerations made OpenSocial a prime target for hackers, and it's no wonder that the platform was quickly compromised.

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OpenSocial has undergone significant updates since its inception. Version 0.7.0 marked the first iteration that can fully support rich, social applications.

This version added several standard fields for profile information and enabled developers to send messages to users about installing applications. It also introduced a simplified persistence API to use feeds instead of global and instance-scoped application data.

Version 0.9.0 focused on making application development, testing, and deployment easier and faster. The OpenSocial Javascript API was streamlined to be lightweight while retaining its power, and proxied content was introduced to eliminate the need for developers to work around AJAX limitations.

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Version 1.0.0 acknowledged the limitations of the "one-size-fits-all" approach and modularized OpenSocial into four compliance modules: Core API Server, Core Gadget Server, Social API Server, and Social Gadget Server. This allowed developers to pick and choose the modules they wanted to use while using other services that aren't part of OpenSocial.

Version 2.0.1 was a significant update that finalized OAuth 2.0 support, making it easier for developers to work with OpenSocial.

This was a major milestone for OpenSocial, allowing for more secure and efficient authentication and authorization processes.

The addition of OAuth 2.0 support in Version 2.0.1 marked a significant improvement in OpenSocial's functionality, enabling developers to build more robust and scalable applications.

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Version 1.0.0 marked a significant shift in OpenSocial's approach to accommodating diverse types of websites. The platform acknowledged that its "one-size-fits-all" approach wasn't working, so it was modularized into four compliance modules.

Developers can now pick and choose the modules they need, allowing them to use other services that aren't part of OpenSocial. This flexibility is a game-changer for developers who want to create customized applications.

Extensions were introduced to allow developers to extend OpenSocial containers. This means that developers can now add new features and functionality to the platform.

By modularizing the platform, OpenSocial has become more flexible and adaptable to the needs of different developers and websites. This is a major improvement over the previous "one-size-fits-all" approach.

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OpenSocial is not an isolated platform, but rather a part of a larger ecosystem. It's compatible with several other platforms, including Google's Orkut and Hi5.

One of the key standards that OpenSocial adheres to is REST (Representational State of Resource), which allows for efficient data exchange between different systems. This enables developers to build applications that can interact with various OpenSocial-enabled platforms.

OpenSocial also supports the use of JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) for data formatting, making it easier for developers to work with the platform.

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Friendster has deployed APIs from version 0.7 of the OpenSocial specification, making it easy for existing OpenSocial applications using version 0.7 to be launched on Friendster and reach Friendster's over 75 million users.

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The OpenSocial Foundation has made a significant move to advance social web standards to the W3C. As of January 1, 2015, OpenSocial standards work and specifications beyond version 2.5.1 will take place in the W3C Social Web Working Group, a founding member of which is the OpenSocial Foundation.

Developers will benefit from this collaboration, as the W3C Social Web Working Group extends the reach of OpenSocial into the enterprise, HTML5, and Indie Web communities. The W3C launched its Social Web Activity in July 2014 with two groups: the Social Web Working Group and the Social Interest Group.

The Social Web Working Group defines technical standards and APIs for social functionality, while the Social Interest Group coordinates messaging around social at the W3C. This move will help to address underspecified aspects in the OpenSocial standard, such as privacy.

Here's a breakdown of the W3C Social Web Working Group and Social Interest Group:

By advancing social web standards to the W3C, the OpenSocial Foundation is taking a significant step towards creating a more cohesive and user-friendly social web experience.

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