Lightweight WebSocket Client-Server for My Java Game – Need Suggestion

Question

I just wrapped up learning Java through theory and tutorials, and now I want to solidify my understanding by building something real.

I’m currently working on a simple two-player arcade-style game with a small twist and need a lightweight WebSocket-based client-server architecture in Java. My frontend (HTML, CSS, JS) is almost done, but I’ve never implemented WebSockets before.

I initially looked into Spring Boot, but it feels too complex for my current experience level. I’d love suggestions on libraries, frameworks, or best practices to keep it simple and efficient.

If you've worked on something similar, I’d really appreciate any insights!

Cheers ❤️

• steve-ed: Javalin or Vert.x
• Basil Bourque: Java comes bundled with a WebSocket client. See java.net.http package, and JEP 321: HTTP Client API.
• Basil Bourque: Nettosphere — A Java WebSocket and HTTP server powered by the Atmosphere Framework and the Netty Framework.
• Basil Bourque: Eclipse WebSocket specifies the API that Java developers can use when they want to integrate WebSockets into their applications - both on the server side as well as on the Java client side. An implementation for the WebSocket API is provided by the Eclipse Tyrus project. And Apache Tomcat implements Jakarta WebSocket.
• Stephen C: Oh yea ... and you should get out of the (bad) habit of asking for so called "best practices" - satisfice.com/blog/archives/5164. Basically, their ain't no such thing in the programming field, and anyone who says XYZ is "best practice" is being intellectually dishonest.