---
title: First subscriber
sidebar_position: 3
---

# First subscriber

A minimal subscriber that connects to the publisher from [First publisher](./first-publisher.md), reads 10 frames, and checks that every byte of each frame matches the publisher-side pattern.

This is a stripped-down version of [`spike/smoke_v04/smoke_sub.c`](https://git.goldix.org/gx/cuframes/src/branch/main/spike/smoke_v04/smoke_sub.c).

## Source

```c
/* first_subscriber.c — connect, read 10 frames, verify pattern. */
#include <cuframes/cuframes.h>
#include <cuda_runtime.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
    const char *key = argc > 1 ? argv[1] : "mykey";

    cuframes_subscriber_config_t cfg = {0};
    cfg.key                = key;
    cfg.consumer_name      = "first-sub";
    cfg.mode               = CUFRAMES_MODE_NEWEST_ONLY;
    cfg.cuda_device        = 0;
    cfg.connect_timeout_ms = 5000;

    cuframes_subscriber_t *sub = NULL;
    int r = cuframes_subscriber_create(&cfg, &sub);
    if (r != CUFRAMES_OK) {
        fprintf(stderr, "create: %s\n", cuframes_strerror(r));
        return 1;
    }

    cudaStream_t stream;
    cudaStreamCreate(&stream);

    const size_t sample = 1024;             /* check first 1 KiB of each frame */
    uint8_t *host = malloc(sample);

    int frames = 0, good = 0;
    while (frames < 10) {
        cuframes_frame_t *f = NULL;
        r = cuframes_subscriber_next(sub, stream, &f, 2000);
        if (r != CUFRAMES_OK) {
            fprintf(stderr, "next: %s\n", cuframes_strerror(r));
            break;
        }

        cudaMemcpyAsync(host, cuframes_frame_cuda_ptr(f), sample,
                        cudaMemcpyDeviceToHost, stream);
        cudaStreamSynchronize(stream);

        int mismatch = 0;
        for (size_t i = 1; i < sample; i++)
            if (host[i] != host[0]) mismatch++;
        if (mismatch == 0) good++;

        printf("seq=%lu pts_ns=%lld pitch_y=%d byte0=0x%02x mismatch=%d\n",
               (unsigned long)cuframes_frame_seq(f),
               (long long)cuframes_frame_pts_ns(f),
               cuframes_frame_pitch_y(f),
               host[0], mismatch);

        cuframes_subscriber_release(sub, f);
        frames++;
    }

    free(host);
    cudaStreamDestroy(stream);
    cuframes_subscriber_destroy(sub);
    return (good == frames && frames > 0) ? 0 : 1;
}
```

## Walk-through

**`cfg.key`** — must match the publisher's key exactly. The subscriber finds the publisher by `connect()`-ing to `/run/cuframes/<key>.sock`.

**`cfg.consumer_name = "first-sub"`** — identifies this subscriber inside the publisher's ACK bitmap. It must be unique among live subscribers of the same publisher; a collision returns `CUFRAMES_ERR_ALREADY_EXISTS`. If you pass `NULL` the library generates `subscriber-<pid>-<random>`. A publisher accepts up to 32 simultaneous subscribers.

**`cfg.mode = CUFRAMES_MODE_NEWEST_ONLY`** — the subscriber always jumps to the latest published frame and skips any frames the publisher produced while the previous `next()` call was being processed. Use `CUFRAMES_MODE_STRICT_ORDER` if you must see every frame in seq order; in that mode a ring overflow surfaces as `CUFRAMES_ERR_DISCONNECTED`.

**`cfg.connect_timeout_ms = 5000`** — how long `create()` waits for the publisher to exist. `0` fails immediately with `CUFRAMES_ERR_NOT_FOUND`, `-1` waits forever.

**`cfg.cuda_device`** — must equal the publisher's `cuda_device`. CUDA IPC handles are not portable across devices.

**`cuframes_subscriber_next(sub, stream, &f, 2000)`** — block up to 2 s for the next frame. The library internally issues `cudaStreamWaitEvent` on your `stream` against the publisher's record-event, so any kernel you launch on `stream` after `next()` returns is guaranteed to see the producer's writes. If you read with `cudaMemcpyDeviceToHost`, queue it on the same stream — that is what makes the cross-process sync work.

**Frame accessors** — `cuframes_frame_cuda_ptr()` (device pointer, read-only), `cuframes_frame_format()`, `cuframes_frame_pitch_y()` / `_pitch_uv()`, `cuframes_frame_seq()` (monotonic per publisher), `cuframes_frame_pts_ns()` (publisher-side CLOCK_MONOTONIC). After `release()` the handle is invalid — do not call any accessor on it.

**`cuframes_subscriber_release(sub, f)`** — acknowledges the slot back to the publisher. The publisher needs this only when running with `CUFRAMES_POLICY_STRICT_WAIT`; under the default `DROP_OLDEST` it is still required to free the consumer-side handle. NULL is a no-op.

## Compile

```bash
gcc -O2 -I/usr/local/include -I/usr/local/cuda/include \
    -o first_subscriber first_subscriber.c \
    -L/usr/local/lib -lcuframes \
    -L/usr/local/cuda/lib64 -lcudart -lcuda
```

## Run

In one terminal, start the publisher from the previous page:

```bash
./first_publisher mykey
```

In another terminal:

```bash
./first_subscriber mykey
```

Expected output is 10 lines with rising `seq` and `mismatch=0`.

## Docker note

The subscriber must share the publisher's **IPC namespace** (so it can `shm_open` the same `/dev/shm/cuframes-mykey` header). It does **not** need to share the PID namespace — this is a v0.4 change. The old v0.1 / v0.2 requirement of `--pid=container:<publisher>` is gone because handles travel as POSIX file descriptors over the Unix socket (`SCM_RIGHTS`), not as CUDA IPC mem-handles.

```bash
docker run --rm --runtime=nvidia \
  --ipc=container:cuframes-pub \
  -v /run/cuframes:/run/cuframes:ro \
  gx/cuframes:0.4 ./first_subscriber mykey
```

## Handling disconnects

If the publisher exits or crashes while you are looping, the next `cuframes_subscriber_next()` returns `CUFRAMES_ERR_DISCONNECTED`. The handle is then dead — destroy it and (optionally) reconnect:

```c
if (r == CUFRAMES_ERR_DISCONNECTED) {
    cuframes_subscriber_destroy(sub);
    sub = NULL;
    /* sleep + retry cuframes_subscriber_create(&cfg, &sub) */
}
```

A reconnect pattern, including back-off and `consumer_name` reuse caveats, is : detect `CUFRAMES_ERR_DISCONNECTED`, call `cuframes_subscriber_destroy()`, back off (1-2 sec), and `cuframes_subscriber_create()` again with the same key. The FFmpeg `cuframes://` demuxer does this automatically (see [Integration → FFmpeg demuxer](/docs/integration/ffmpeg-demuxer)).