Deviceside

Deviceside is a term used in BlackBerry device development to describe a mode of network connectivity that directs traffic through the device’s own data connection, rather than through the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) proxy. In practice, deviceside indicates direct TCP/IP transport from the device to the target server, relying on the device’s carrier data network and plan.

In code, deviceside is typically specified as a parameter in the connection string used by the network API (for example, when opening a socket or HTTP connection). A common form is to append a parameter such as ;deviceside=true to the connection URL, for example: socket://example.com:80;deviceside=true or http://example.com;deviceside=true. Setting deviceside to false instructs the API to route traffic through the BIS/BES infrastructure, which may apply proxying and carrier-specific handling.

The choice between deviceside true and false affects how traffic is routed and what constraints apply. Deviceside direct connections can enable certain servers or ports not accessible through BIS, but they depend on the user’s data plan and carrier capabilities, and may incur different pricing or restrictions. Conversely, deviceside=false leverages the BlackBerry proxy, which can simplify connectivity on some plans and may offer broader compatibility in enterprise environments, but can introduce proxy-related limitations such as port or protocol restrictions.

Deviceside remains a key consideration for developers targeting BlackBerry devices, as it influences connectivity behavior, performance, and compatibility with carrier and BES/BIS configurations. See also BIS, BES, BlackBerry OS, and network connectivity APIs for related concepts.