SpringbootHow-ToBeginner · 4 min read

How to Use STOMP with Spring Boot: Simple Guide

To use STOMP with Spring Boot, configure WebSocket support with a @EnableWebSocketMessageBroker annotated class and define message broker settings. Then create controller methods with @MessageMapping to handle messages and use SimpMessagingTemplate to send messages to clients.

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Syntax

Using STOMP with Spring Boot involves three main parts:

WebSocket Configuration: Enable WebSocket message broker and configure endpoints.
Message Handling: Use @MessageMapping to receive messages from clients.
Sending Messages: Use SimpMessagingTemplate to send messages to subscribed clients.

java

import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
import org.springframework.messaging.simp.config.MessageBrokerRegistry;
import org.springframework.web.socket.config.annotation.EnableWebSocketMessageBroker;
import org.springframework.web.socket.config.annotation.StompEndpointRegistry;
import org.springframework.web.socket.config.annotation.WebSocketMessageBrokerConfigurer;

@Configuration
@EnableWebSocketMessageBroker
public class WebSocketConfig implements WebSocketMessageBrokerConfigurer {
    @Override
    public void registerStompEndpoints(StompEndpointRegistry registry) {
        registry.addEndpoint("/ws").withSockJS();
    }

    @Override
    public void configureMessageBroker(MessageBrokerRegistry registry) {
        registry.enableSimpleBroker("/topic");
        registry.setApplicationDestinationPrefixes("/app");
    }
}

💻

Example

This example shows a Spring Boot app that uses STOMP over WebSocket to broadcast messages to clients subscribed to /topic/greetings. The client sends messages to /app/hello, which the server processes and broadcasts back.

java

import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
import org.springframework.messaging.handler.annotation.MessageMapping;
import org.springframework.messaging.handler.annotation.SendTo;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
import org.springframework.messaging.simp.config.MessageBrokerRegistry;
import org.springframework.web.socket.config.annotation.EnableWebSocketMessageBroker;
import org.springframework.web.socket.config.annotation.StompEndpointRegistry;
import org.springframework.web.socket.config.annotation.WebSocketMessageBrokerConfigurer;

@SpringBootApplication
public class StompSpringBootApplication {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(StompSpringBootApplication.class, args);
    }
}

@Controller
class GreetingController {
    @MessageMapping("/hello")
    @SendTo("/topic/greetings")
    public String greeting(String message) throws Exception {
        Thread.sleep(1000); // simulated delay
        return "Hello, " + message + "!";
    }
}

@Configuration
@EnableWebSocketMessageBroker
class WebSocketConfig implements WebSocketMessageBrokerConfigurer {
    @Override
    public void registerStompEndpoints(StompEndpointRegistry registry) {
        registry.addEndpoint("/ws").withSockJS();
    }

    @Override
    public void configureMessageBroker(MessageBrokerRegistry registry) {
        registry.enableSimpleBroker("/topic");
        registry.setApplicationDestinationPrefixes("/app");
    }
}

Output

Server starts and listens on /ws endpoint for WebSocket connections. When a client sends a message to /app/hello with payload "World", server responds by broadcasting "Hello, World!" to /topic/greetings.

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Common Pitfalls

Not enabling @EnableWebSocketMessageBroker causes no WebSocket support.
Forgetting to set setApplicationDestinationPrefixes leads to message routing failures.
Not registering STOMP endpoints with SockJS fallback can cause client connection errors.
Using mismatched destination prefixes between client and server causes messages to be lost.

java

/* Wrong: Missing @EnableWebSocketMessageBroker */
@Configuration
public class WrongConfig implements WebSocketMessageBrokerConfigurer {
    @Override
    public void registerStompEndpoints(StompEndpointRegistry registry) {
        registry.addEndpoint("/ws");
    }

    @Override
    public void configureMessageBroker(MessageBrokerRegistry registry) {
        registry.enableSimpleBroker("/topic");
    }
}

/* Right: Correct annotation and SockJS fallback */
@Configuration
@EnableWebSocketMessageBroker
public class CorrectConfig implements WebSocketMessageBrokerConfigurer {
    @Override
    public void registerStompEndpoints(StompEndpointRegistry registry) {
        registry.addEndpoint("/ws").withSockJS();
    }

    @Override
    public void configureMessageBroker(MessageBrokerRegistry registry) {
        registry.enableSimpleBroker("/topic");
        registry.setApplicationDestinationPrefixes("/app");
    }
}

📊

Quick Reference

STOMP with Spring Boot Cheat Sheet:

@EnableWebSocketMessageBroker: Enable WebSocket message handling.
registerStompEndpoints(): Define WebSocket endpoint with SockJS fallback.
configureMessageBroker(): Setup broker and application prefixes.
@MessageMapping: Map incoming messages to methods.
@SendTo: Define destination to broadcast messages.
SimpMessagingTemplate: Send messages programmatically.

✅

Key Takeaways

Enable WebSocket message broker with @EnableWebSocketMessageBroker and configure endpoints.

Use @MessageMapping to handle client messages and @SendTo to broadcast responses.

Always set application destination prefixes and enable a simple broker for topics.

Test message routing carefully to avoid mismatched destination prefixes.