Sending and Receiving STOMP Messages
Implement message producers and consumers using STOMP, including topic and user-specific destinations.
Sending and Receiving STOMP Messages is a free WebSockets & Real-Time Systems with Spring lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 3 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the WebSockets & Real-Time Systems with Spring learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.
Intro to STOMP Messaging
In this lesson, we'll learn how to send messages from a client to our Spring server and how the server can then send messages back, either to a general topic or a specific user.
STOMP provides a clear, structured way to route these real-time messages, making our applications more predictable and easier to manage.
Producers and Consumers
Think of messaging in terms of producers and consumers:
- Producers send messages (e.g., a chat client sending a message).
- Consumers receive messages (e.g., another chat client displaying the message).
In a real-time app, clients often act as both!
Sending to Public Topics
A topic is a public destination. When a message is sent to a topic, all clients currently subscribed to that topic will receive the message.
It's like a broadcast channel or a public chat room where everyone hears what's said.
Common topic paths start with /topic/, e.g., /topic/public-chat or /topic/news-feed.
Server: Handling Topic Messages
On the Spring server, we use @MessageMapping to handle incoming messages from clients to a specific destination. We can then use SimpMessagingTemplate to send messages back out to a topic.
This snippet shows a server method receiving a message and then broadcasting it to a topic.
@Controller
public class ChatController {
@Autowired
private SimpMessagingTemplate messagingTemplate;
@MessageMapping("/chat.sendMessage")
public void sendMessage(@Payload String chatMessage) {
// Client sends to /app/chat.sendMessage
// Server broadcasts to /topic/public-chat
messagingTemplate.convertAndSend(
"/topic/public-chat", "New message: " + chatMessage);
}
}Client: Subscribing to Topics
On the client-side (e.g., JavaScript), you subscribe to a topic to receive messages. When the server sends a message to /topic/public-chat, all subscribed clients get it.
A client might subscribe like this:
stompClient.subscribe('/topic/public-chat', function(message) {
// Handle received message
});User-Specific Messaging
Sometimes you need to send a message directly to a single, specific user, not a public topic. This is called user-specific messaging.
It's perfect for:
- Private chat messages
- Personal notifications
- Direct alerts
STOMP and Spring handle the routing automatically for you.
Server: Sending to a User
Spring's SimpMessagingTemplate has a special method, convertAndSendToUser, to target messages to a specific user. You provide the username and the specific destination within that user's queue.
The framework translates /user/{username}/queue/messages into a unique queue for that user.
@Controller
public class UserController {
@Autowired
private SimpMessagingTemplate messagingTemplate;
@MessageMapping("/private.send")
public void sendPrivateMessage(
@Payload String privateMessage, Principal principal) {
// principal.getName() gets the current user's username
String recipient = "someOtherUser"; // This would come from payload
messagingTemplate.convertAndSendToUser(
recipient, "/queue/private-messages",
"From " + principal.getName() + ": " + privateMessage);
}
}Client: Subscribing to User Queue
A client subscribes to their own user-specific queue to receive private messages. The path usually looks like /user/queue/private-messages.
The key here is that the /user prefix is special. The STOMP broker automatically routes messages sent to a particular user to their unique session-specific queue.
Message Payloads
Messages sent over STOMP usually carry data in their payload (the message body). The most common format for this data is JSON.
Spring's STOMP support automatically converts Java objects to JSON (and vice-versa) when you use @Payload and convertAndSend methods, making it super easy to work with structured data.
Quick Check: STOMP Destinations
You want to send a personal notification to only one specific user. Which type of STOMP destination should you use?
Recap: Sending & Receiving
We've explored how to send and receive STOMP messages in Spring applications:
- Topics (e.g.,
/topic/public-chat) are for broadcasting messages to all subscribed clients. - User-specific destinations (e.g.,
/user/queue/private-messages) are for sending private messages to a single user. - Spring's
SimpMessagingTemplateand@MessageMappingannotations simplify both sending and receiving.
You can now build interactive features like chat rooms and private notifications!
Frequently asked questions
Is the “Sending and Receiving STOMP Messages” lesson free?
Yes — the full text of “Sending and Receiving STOMP Messages” is free to read here on the web, and the WebSockets & Real-Time Systems with Spring course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the WebSockets & Real-Time Systems with Spring course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.
What will I learn in “Sending and Receiving STOMP Messages”?
Implement message producers and consumers using STOMP, including topic and user-specific destinations. You practise WebSockets & Real-Time Systems with Spring with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.
Do I need any experience to start WebSockets & Real-Time Systems with Spring?
No prior experience is required. WebSockets & Real-Time Systems with Spring on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 3 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.
How long does the “Sending and Receiving STOMP Messages” lesson take?
Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.
Can I write and run code in this WebSockets & Real-Time Systems with Spring lesson?
Yes. Every WebSockets & Real-Time Systems with Spring lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.
All lessons in this course
- Introducing STOMP Protocol
- Configuring STOMP with Spring
- Sending and Receiving STOMP Messages
- Securing STOMP Endpoints with Spring Security