SCALABLE, REAL-TIME MESSAGING SYSTEM

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving a write request from a publisher comprising a channel name wherein the channel identified by the channel name comprises an ordered plurality of messages stored in buffers, each buffer having a predetermined time-to-live and being assigned to a respective node, identifying a first node and a first buffer stored on the first node based on the channel name of the request that has available storage for storing messages and wherein the first buffer has a time-to-live that has not expired, and sending a write grant to the publisher wherein the grant comprises identification of the first node and the first buffer, and wherein the publisher is configured to send messages to the first node for storage in the first buffer based on the grant until the first buffer is full or its time-to-live has expired.