STOMP and WebSocket are related, but different concepts. STOMP is to WebSocket what HTTP is to TCP Socket. That is, it provides a standard format for the messages sent over WebSocket.
Spring's low-level WebSocket implementation is fine, but it leaves it up to you to coordinate the message format between client and server. Add STOMP on top of that and that problem is handled for you. Spring in Action covers both models, but truthfully, I favor the STOMP option, as it lets you write message handlers in a way very similar to how you write HTTP request handlers in Spring MVC.
Matt Kidd wrote:With this new edition it appears Websockets are covered and I'm really interested in this area. In past demos I've seen messaging queues like RabbitMQ used to implement websockets and in this book it appears that STOMP is used specifically for websockets and a separate chapter is devoted to messaging.
Is STOMP the standard websockets implementation for Spring? Does it differ from the standard Spring websocket module?
