Spring WebSocket
Quick Start
<!-- pom.xml -->
<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-boot-starter-websocket</artifactId>
</dependency>
@Configuration
@EnableWebSocketMessageBroker
public class WebSocketConfig implements WebSocketMessageBrokerConfigurer {
@Override
public void configureMessageBroker(MessageBrokerRegistry registry) {
// Prefix for messages from server to clients (subscribe)
registry.enableSimpleBroker("/topic", "/queue");
// Prefix for messages from clients to server
registry.setApplicationDestinationPrefixes("/app");
// Prefix for private messages to a specific user
registry.setUserDestinationPrefix("/user");
}
@Override
public void registerStompEndpoints(StompEndpointRegistry registry) {
registry.addEndpoint("/ws")
.setAllowedOrigins("http://localhost:3000")
.withSockJS(); // Fallback for browsers without WebSocket
}
}
Message Controller
@Controller
@RequiredArgsConstructor
@Slf4j
public class ChatController {
private final SimpMessagingTemplate messagingTemplate;
// Receives message and broadcasts to all subscribers of /topic/chat
@MessageMapping("/chat.send")
@SendTo("/topic/chat")
public ChatMessage sendMessage(ChatMessage message, Principal principal) {
message.setSender(principal.getName());
message.setTimestamp(Instant.now());
return message;
}
// Direct reply to the sender
@MessageMapping("/chat.echo")
@SendToUser("/queue/reply")
public ChatMessage echoMessage(ChatMessage message) {
message.setContent("Echo: " + message.getContent());
return message;
}
// Programmatic send to a specific user
@MessageMapping("/chat.private")
public void sendPrivateMessage(PrivateMessage message, Principal principal) {
message.setSender(principal.getName());
messagingTemplate.convertAndSendToUser(
message.getRecipient(),
"/queue/private",
message
);
}
// Broadcast to all
public void broadcastNotification(NotificationMessage notification) {
messagingTemplate.convertAndSend("/topic/notifications", notification);
}
}
// DTOs
public record ChatMessage(
String id, String sender, String content,
Instant timestamp, MessageType type
) {}
public enum MessageType { CHAT, JOIN, LEAVE, TYPING }
public record PrivateMessage(
String sender, String recipient, String content, Instant timestamp
) {}
Event Handlers
@Component
@RequiredArgsConstructor
@Slf4j
public class WebSocketEventListener {
private final SimpMessagingTemplate messagingTemplate;
private final OnlineUserService onlineUserService;
@EventListener
public void handleSessionConnected(SessionConnectedEvent event) {
StompHeaderAccessor accessor = StompHeaderAccessor.wrap(event.getMessage());
String sessionId = accessor.getSessionId();
Principal principal = accessor.getUser();
if (principal != null) {
String username = principal.getName();
onlineUserService.userConnected(username, sessionId);
messagingTemplate.convertAndSend("/topic/users.online",
new UserStatusMessage(username, UserStatus.ONLINE));
}
}
@EventListener
public void handleSessionDisconnect(SessionDisconnectEvent event) {
StompHeaderAccessor accessor = StompHeaderAccessor.wrap(event.getMessage());
String sessionId = accessor.getSessionId();
onlineUserService.findBySessionId(sessionId).ifPresent(username -> {
onlineUserService.userDisconnected(sessionId);
messagingTemplate.convertAndSend("/topic/users.online",
new UserStatusMessage(username, UserStatus.OFFLINE));
});
}
}
Full Reference: See security.md for complete security configuration and validation.
Security Essentials
@Configuration
@EnableWebSocketSecurity
public class WebSocketSecurityConfig {
@Bean
public AuthorizationManager<Message<?>> messageAuthorizationManager(
MessageMatcherDelegatingAuthorizationManager.Builder messages) {
return messages
.nullDestMatcher().permitAll()
.simpSubscribeDestMatchers("/topic/public/**").permitAll()
.simpSubscribeDestMatchers("/topic/**", "/queue/**").authenticated()
.simpDestMatchers("/app/**").authenticated()
.anyMessage().authenticated()
.build();
}
}
Full Reference: See security.md for JWT auth, CSRF protection, and message validation.
Session Attributes & Headers
@Controller
public class ChatController {
@MessageMapping("/chat.join")
@SendTo("/topic/chat")
public ChatMessage joinChat(
@Payload JoinRequest request,
@Header("simpSessionId") String sessionId,
SimpMessageHeaderAccessor headerAccessor) {
// Save attributes in the WebSocket session
headerAccessor.getSessionAttributes().put("username", request.username());
headerAccessor.getSessionAttributes().put("roomId", request.roomId());
return new ChatMessage(null, request.username(),
request.username() + " joined!", Instant.now(), MessageType.JOIN);
}
}
Error Handling
@ControllerAdvice
public class WebSocketExceptionHandler {
@MessageExceptionHandler
@SendToUser("/queue/errors")
public ErrorMessage handleException(Exception e) {
return new ErrorMessage("ERROR", e.getMessage(), Instant.now());
}
@MessageExceptionHandler(AccessDeniedException.class)
@SendToUser("/queue/errors")
public ErrorMessage handleAccessDenied(AccessDeniedException e) {
return new ErrorMessage("ACCESS_DENIED",
"You don't have permission", Instant.now());
}
}
public record ErrorMessage(String code, String message, Instant timestamp) {}
Heartbeat Configuration
@Configuration
@EnableWebSocketMessageBroker
public class WebSocketConfig implements WebSocketMessageBrokerConfigurer {
@Override
public void configureMessageBroker(MessageBrokerRegistry registry) {
registry.enableSimpleBroker("/topic", "/queue")
.setHeartbeatValue(new long[]{10000, 10000}) // Server, Client in ms
.setTaskScheduler(heartBeatScheduler());
registry.setApplicationDestinationPrefixes("/app");
}
@Bean
public TaskScheduler heartBeatScheduler() {
ThreadPoolTaskScheduler scheduler = new ThreadPoolTaskScheduler();
scheduler.setPoolSize(1);
scheduler.setThreadNamePrefix("ws-heartbeat-");
scheduler.initialize();
return scheduler;
}
@Override
public void configureWebSocketTransport(WebSocketTransportRegistration registry) {
registry.setMessageSizeLimit(128 * 1024) // 128KB max message
.setSendBufferSizeLimit(512 * 1024) // 512KB send buffer
.setSendTimeLimit(20 * 1000); // 20s send timeout
}
}
Full Reference: See brokers.md for RabbitMQ and Redis external broker configuration.
Best Practices
| Do | Don't |
|---|
| Use STOMP + SockJS for cross-browser | Use raw WebSocket only |
| Implement heartbeat for disconnect detection | Rely on TCP keepalive |
| Use external broker (RabbitMQ) for scaling | Use simple broker in production |
| Validate payload before processing | Trust client input |
| Handle disconnections properly | Keep state in memory only |
When NOT to Use This Skill
- REST APIs - Use
spring-rest skill - Simple SSE - Use SseEmitter endpoints
- NestJS WebSocket - Use
nestjs-websocket skill - React client - Use
react-websocket skill for frontend
Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Problem | Solution |
|---|
| Connection refused | Endpoint not configured | Verify registerStompEndpoints |
| 403 Forbidden | CORS not configured | Add setAllowedOrigins |
| No session | Principal null | Configure WebSocket authentication |
| Simple broker in prod | No horizontal scaling | Use RabbitMQ/Redis adapter |
| State in memory | Lost on restart | Use external session store |
Quick Troubleshooting
| Problem | Diagnostic | Fix |
|---|
| Connection refused | Check endpoint config | Verify registerStompEndpoints |
| 403 Forbidden | Check CORS | Add setAllowedOrigins |
| Principal is null | Check auth config | Implement AuthChannelInterceptor |
| Message too large | Check size limits | Increase setMessageSizeLimit |
| Heartbeat timeout | Check intervals | Configure heartbeat properly |
Reference Files
| File | Content |
|---|
| brokers.md | RabbitMQ, Redis external broker configuration |
| security.md | JWT Auth, CSRF, Message Validation |
| advanced.md | Low-level WebSocket, JS Client, Testing |
External Documentation