MQTT
====

I first came across the MQTT protocol when I was looking for possible
alternative ideas and implementations to Syncplay. The key concept was that
video players such as mpv would connect to a central server, share information
about their media they're playing and synchronize their state with other peers.

MQTT stands for Message Queuing Telemetry Transport and is an open OASIS and ISO
standard. It is designed to be lightweight and primarily for as a
publish-subscribe protocol which is what synchronization-based software such as
Syncplay *should* use. Another aspect of MQTT that makes it a viable design
option for media synchronization is its simplicity of design. That leaves the
implementer with a small well-defined logic to implement which means higher
chances of an efficient implementation and less unintentional errors. It also is
reasonable to go for a minimal transport protocol to provide a minimal service
such as media synchronization.

I'll be reading through the standard version 5.0.0 published in 07 March 2019
and trying to provide a UML-based representation of the MQTT standard with few
notes to the C implementation. Keep in mind that at the time of writing this, I
do not plan on implementing myself but I believe these notes would be helpful
for anyone wishing to implement MQTT themselves.

Another note to keep in mind is that I do not have prior MQTT experience so I'm
not familiar with "best solutions" or "practice workarounds". I'll solely view
MQTT through the lens of the standards I have downloaded. Possible notes *may*
be added in the future.

* Keep in mind that I'm by no means an expert and have very little experience
  with real-word software. I'll be researching things I do not understand and
  share my explanation here if possible. I suggest you double-check every
  information provided here as well in order to spot any misconception or
  misunderstanding.

* Do note expect a strict and regulated publishing schedule, I'll only read the
  standard and write about it in my free time whenever I wish. You *may*
  contribute if you wish too. Alternatively you may advance on your own.

* I *may not* respect the styling and indentation of the standard e.g., I *may*
  choose to merge a sub-header back with its parent-head.

Below are notes about each chapter in separate pages in the order provided by
the standard.

.. toctree::
	:glob:
	:maxdepth: 1

	*/index