OnlineOfflineStatus

OnlineOfflineStatus is a representation of the presence state of a user or device within a networked system, typically indicating whether an entity can participate in real-time communication or collaboration. In many systems the concept is expanded beyond a binary online/offline to include states such as online, offline, away, do-not-disturb, and invisible. Some implementations also convey a last-seen timestamp or a short status message to provide context about availability.

Technically, presence is usually managed by a dedicated presence service. Clients report activity or heartbeats, and the server broadcasts status updates to subscribed peers. Approaches vary from polling and server-sent events to WebSocket-based push. Canonical representations appear in protocols like XMPP presence, SIP/SIMPLE, and in modern apps through custom presence APIs and database-backed sessions.

Common use cases include showing user availability in messaging apps, indicating teammate presence in collaboration tools, and managing access during game sessions or customer-support chats. Status information can be tied to authentication, session state, device type, and location, though location is optional and often privacy-controlled.

Design considerations include latency, accuracy, and privacy. A status may be momentary or persist beyond activity, and systems must handle device churn, network partitions, and stale state. Privacy controls such as do-not-disturb, invisible mode, and user-controlled visibility are important in sensitive environments. Demographic or behavioral inferences should not be implied by the status alone.

Data model typically includes a user or entity identifier, a status value, an optional status message, a timestamp, and a resource or device tag to distinguish multiple sessions. Systems may also track lastActive or lastSeen to support offline indicators.