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Top Android WebSocket Libraries

Top Android WebSocket Libraries.

Introduction​

WebSocket is a communication protocol that provides full-duplex communication channels over a single TCP connection. It allows real-time, bidirectional communication between clients and servers. In Android development, WebSocket libraries simplify the process of implementing WebSocket communication in your app.

In this tutorial, we will explore some of the top Android WebSocket libraries, discuss their features, and provide examples of their usage in both Kotlin and Java.

1. okhttp-websocket (OkHttp)​

OkHttp is a popular HTTP client library for Android, and it also provides support for WebSocket communication through its okhttp-websocket module.

Installation​

To include OkHttp in your project, add the following dependency to your app-level build.gradle file:

implementation 'com.squareup.okhttp3:okhttp:4.9.0'

Usage (Kotlin)​

Here's an example of how to use OkHttp's WebSocket library in Kotlin:

val client = OkHttpClient()
val request = Request.Builder().url("wss://echo.websocket.org").build()

val webSocket = client.newWebSocket(request, object : WebSocketListener() {
    override fun onOpen(webSocket: WebSocket, response: Response) {
        // WebSocket connection is established
    }

    override fun onMessage(webSocket: WebSocket, text: String) {
        // New text message received
    }

    override fun onClosing(webSocket: WebSocket, code: Int, reason: String) {
        // WebSocket connection is closing
    }

    override fun onFailure(webSocket: WebSocket, t: Throwable, response: Response?) {
        // WebSocket connection failure
    }
})

// Sending a text message
webSocket.send("Hello, WebSocket!")

// Closing the WebSocket connection
webSocket.close(1000, "Goodbye!")

Usage (Java)​

Here's the same example in Java:

OkHttpClient client = new OkHttpClient();
Request request = new Request.Builder().url("wss://echo.websocket.org").build();

WebSocket webSocket = client.newWebSocket(request, new WebSocketListener() {
    @Override
    public void onOpen(WebSocket webSocket, Response response) {
        // WebSocket connection is established
    }

    @Override
    public void onMessage(WebSocket webSocket, String text) {
        // New text message received
    }

    @Override
    public void onClosing(WebSocket webSocket, int code, String reason) {
        // WebSocket connection is closing
    }

    @Override
    public void onFailure(WebSocket webSocket, Throwable t, Response response) {
        // WebSocket connection failure
    }
});

// Sending a text message
webSocket.send("Hello, WebSocket!");

// Closing the WebSocket connection
webSocket.close(1000, "Goodbye!");

GitHub Repository: okhttp

2. AndroidAsync​

AndroidAsync is another popular WebSocket library for Android. It is built on top of the Java WebSocket library and provides a simplified API for WebSocket communication.

Installation​

To include AndroidAsync in your project, add the following dependency to your app-level build.gradle file:

implementation 'com.koushikdutta.async:androidasync:2.1.0'

Usage (Kotlin/Java)​

Here's an example of how to use AndroidAsync for WebSocket communication:

val socket = AsyncHttpClient.getDefaultInstance().websocket("wss://echo.websocket.org", null,
    object : WebSocketConnectCallback {
        override fun onCompleted(ex: Exception?, websocket: WebSocket?) {
            if (ex != null) {
                // WebSocket connection failure
            } else {
                // WebSocket connection is established
                websocket?.send("Hello, WebSocket!")
            }
        }
    })

socket?.setStringCallback { message ->
    // New text message received
}

// To close the WebSocket connection:
// socket.close()

GitHub Repository: AndroidAsync

Additional Libraries​

Here are a few more Android WebSocket libraries that you can explore:

Feel free to explore these libraries based on your specific requirements.

That's it! You now have an understanding of some of the top Android WebSocket libraries and how to use them in your projects.