This document discusses WebSockets and Spring WebSockets. It begins by introducing WebSockets as a protocol for real-time full duplex communication over a single TCP connection. It then covers the WebSocket handshake process and JavaScript WebSocket API. Next, it discusses Java WebSocket implementations and how Spring 4 supports WebSockets and the fallback SockJS protocol. Finally, it introduces STOMP as a simple messaging protocol that can be used over WebSockets, and how Spring supports asynchronous messaging using STOMP over WebSockets.