This version is still in development and is not considered stable yet. For the latest stable version, please use Spring Session 3.1.7!

HttpSession Integration

Spring Session provides transparent integration with HttpSession. This means that developers can switch the HttpSession implementation out with an implementation that is backed by Spring Session.

Why Spring Session and HttpSession?

We have already mentioned that Spring Session provides transparent integration with HttpSession, but what benefits do we get out of this?

  • Clustered Sessions: Spring Session makes it trivial to support clustered sessions without being tied to an application container specific solution.

  • RESTful APIs: Spring Session lets providing session IDs in headers work with RESTful APIs

HttpSession with Redis

Using Spring Session with HttpSession is enabled by adding a Servlet Filter before anything that uses the HttpSession. You can choose from enabling this by using either:

Redis Java-based Configuration

This section describes how to use Redis to back HttpSession by using Java based configuration.

The HttpSession Sample provides a working sample of how to integrate Spring Session and HttpSession by using Java configuration. You can read the basic steps for integration in the next few sections, but we encourage you to follow along with the detailed HttpSession Guide when integrating with your own application.

Spring Java Configuration

After adding the required dependencies, we can create our Spring configuration. The Spring configuration is responsible for creating a servlet filter that replaces the HttpSession implementation with an implementation backed by Spring Session. To do so, add the following Spring Configuration:

@Configuration(proxyBeanMethods = false)
@EnableRedisHttpSession (1)
public class Config {

	@Bean
	public LettuceConnectionFactory connectionFactory() {
		return new LettuceConnectionFactory(); (2)
	}

}
1 The @EnableRedisHttpSession annotation creates a Spring Bean with the name of springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. The filter is in charge of replacing the HttpSession implementation to be backed by Spring Session. In this instance, Spring Session is backed by Redis.
2 We create a RedisConnectionFactory that connects Spring Session to the Redis Server. We configure the connection to connect to localhost on the default port (6379). For more information on configuring Spring Data Redis, see the reference documentation.

Java Servlet Container Initialization

Our Spring Configuration created a Spring Bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. The springSessionRepositoryFilter bean is responsible for replacing the HttpSession with a custom implementation that is backed by Spring Session.

In order for our Filter to do its magic, Spring needs to load our Config class. Last, we need to ensure that our Servlet Container (that is, Tomcat) uses our springSessionRepositoryFilter for every request. Fortunately, Spring Session provides a utility class named AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer to make both of these steps easy. The following shows an example:

src/main/java/sample/Initializer.java
public class Initializer extends AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer { (1)

	public Initializer() {
		super(Config.class); (2)
	}

}
The name of our class (Initializer) does not matter. What is important is that we extend AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer.
1 The first step is to extend AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer. Doing so ensures that the Spring Bean by the name of springSessionRepositoryFilter is registered with our Servlet Container for every request.
2 AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer also provides a mechanism to ensure Spring loads our Config.

Redis XML-based Configuration

This section describes how to use Redis to back HttpSession by using XML based configuration.

The HttpSession XML Sample provides a working sample of how to integrate Spring Session and HttpSession using XML configuration. You can read the basic steps for integration in the next few sections, but we encourage you to follow along with the detailed HttpSession XML Guide when integrating with your own application.

Spring XML Configuration

After adding the required dependencies, we can create our Spring configuration. The Spring configuration is responsible for creating a servlet filter that replaces the HttpSession implementation with an implementation backed by Spring Session. To do so, add the following Spring Configuration:

src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/spring/session.xml
(1)
<context:annotation-config/>
<bean class="org.springframework.session.data.redis.config.annotation.web.http.RedisHttpSessionConfiguration"/>

(2)
<bean class="org.springframework.data.redis.connection.lettuce.LettuceConnectionFactory"/>
1 We use the combination of <context:annotation-config/> and RedisHttpSessionConfiguration because Spring Session does not yet provide XML Namespace support (see gh-104). This creates a Spring Bean with the name of springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. The filter is in charge of replacing the HttpSession implementation to be backed by Spring Session. In this instance, Spring Session is backed by Redis.
2 We create a RedisConnectionFactory that connects Spring Session to the Redis Server. We configure the connection to connect to localhost on the default port (6379) For more information on configuring Spring Data Redis, see the reference documentation.

XML Servlet Container Initialization

Our Spring Configuration created a Spring Bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. The springSessionRepositoryFilter bean is responsible for replacing the HttpSession with a custom implementation that is backed by Spring Session.

In order for our Filter to do its magic, we need to instruct Spring to load our session.xml configuration. We can do so with the following configuration:

src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml
<context-param>
	<param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
	<param-value>
		/WEB-INF/spring/session.xml
	</param-value>
</context-param>
<listener>
	<listener-class>
		org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener
	</listener-class>
</listener>

The ContextLoaderListener reads the contextConfigLocation and picks up our session.xml configuration.

Last, we need to ensure that our Servlet Container (that is, Tomcat) uses our springSessionRepositoryFilter for every request. The following snippet performs this last step for us:

src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml
<filter>
	<filter-name>springSessionRepositoryFilter</filter-name>
	<filter-class>org.springframework.web.filter.DelegatingFilterProxy</filter-class>
</filter>
<filter-mapping>
	<filter-name>springSessionRepositoryFilter</filter-name>
	<url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>
	<dispatcher>REQUEST</dispatcher>
	<dispatcher>ERROR</dispatcher>
</filter-mapping>

The DelegatingFilterProxy looks up a Bean by the name of springSessionRepositoryFilter and cast it to a Filter. For every request that DelegatingFilterProxy is invoked, the springSessionRepositoryFilter is invoked.

HttpSession with Mongo

Using Spring Session with HttpSession is enabled by adding a Servlet Filter before anything that uses the HttpSession.

This section describes how to use Mongo to back HttpSession using Java based configuration.

The HttpSession Mongo Sample provides a working sample on how to integrate Spring Session and HttpSession using Java configuration. You can read the basic steps for integration below, but you are encouraged to follow along with the detailed HttpSession Guide when integrating with your own application.

All you have to do is to add the following Spring Configuration:

@Configuration(proxyBeanMethods = false)
@EnableMongoHttpSession (1)
public class HttpSessionConfig {

	@Bean
	public JdkMongoSessionConverter jdkMongoSessionConverter() {
		return new JdkMongoSessionConverter(Duration.ofMinutes(30)); (2)
	}

}
1 The @EnableMongoHttpSession annotation creates a Spring Bean with the name of springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. This filter is what replaces the default HttpSession with the MongoDB-backed bean.
2 Configures the session timeout to 30 minutes.

Session serialization mechanisms

To be able to persist session objects in MongoDB we need to provide the serialization/deserialization mechanism.

By default, Spring Session MongoDB will use JdkMongoSessionConverter.

However, you may switch to JacksonMongoSessionConverter by merely adding the following code to your Boot app:

@Bean
JacksonMongoSessionConverter mongoSessionConverter() {
    return new JacksonMongoSessionConverter();
}
JacksonMongoSessionConverter

This mechanism uses Jackson to serialize session objects to/from JSON.

By creating the following bean:

@Bean
JacksonMongoSessionConverter mongoSessionConverter() {
    return new JacksonMongoSessionConverter();
}

…​you are able to switch from the default (JDK-based serialization) to using Jackson.

If you are integrating with Spring Security (by storing your sessions in MongoDB), this configuration will register the proper whitelisted components so Spring Security works properly.

If you would like to provide custom Jackson modules you can do it by explicitly registering modules as shown below:

Unresolved include directive in modules/ROOT/pages/http-session.adoc - include::example$spring-session-data-mongodb-dir/src/integration-test/java/org/springframework/session/data/mongo/integration/MongoRepositoryJacksonITest.java[]
JdkMongoSessionConverter

JdkMongoSessionConverter uses standard Java serialization to persist session attributes map to MongoDB in a binary form. However, standard session elements like id, access time, etc are still written as a plain Mongo objects and can be read and queried without additional effort. JdkMongoSessionConverter is used if no explicit AbstractMongoSessionConverter Bean has been defined.

There is also a constructor taking Serializer and Deserializer objects, allowing you to pass custom implementations, which is especially important when you want to use non-default classloader.

HttpSession with JDBC

You can use Spring Session with HttpSession by adding a servlet filter before anything that uses the HttpSession. You can choose to do in any of the following ways:

JDBC Java-based Configuration

This section describes how to use a relational database to back HttpSession when you use Java-based configuration.

The HttpSession JDBC Sample provides a working sample of how to integrate Spring Session and HttpSession by using Java configuration. You can read the basic steps for integration in the next few sections, but we encouraged you to follow along with the detailed HttpSession JDBC Guide when integrating with your own application.

Spring Java Configuration

After adding the required dependencies, we can create our Spring configuration. The Spring configuration is responsible for creating a Servlet Filter that replaces the HttpSession implementation with an implementation backed by Spring Session. To do so, add the following Spring Configuration:

@Configuration(proxyBeanMethods = false)
@EnableJdbcHttpSession (1)
public class Config {

	@Bean
	public EmbeddedDatabase dataSource() {
		return new EmbeddedDatabaseBuilder() (2)
			.setType(EmbeddedDatabaseType.H2)
			.addScript("org/springframework/session/jdbc/schema-h2.sql")
			.build();
	}

	@Bean
	public PlatformTransactionManager transactionManager(DataSource dataSource) {
		return new DataSourceTransactionManager(dataSource); (3)
	}

}
1 The @EnableJdbcHttpSession annotation creates a Spring Bean with the name of springSessionRepositoryFilter. That bean implements Filter. The filter is in charge of replacing the HttpSession implementation to be backed by Spring Session. In this instance, Spring Session is backed by a relational database.
2 We create a dataSource that connects Spring Session to an embedded instance of an H2 database. We configure the H2 database to create database tables by using the SQL script that is included in Spring Session.
3 We create a transactionManager that manages transactions for previously configured dataSource.

For additional information on how to configure data access related concerns, see the Spring Framework Reference Documentation.

Java Servlet Container Initialization

Our Spring Configuration created a Spring bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. The springSessionRepositoryFilter bean is responsible for replacing the HttpSession with a custom implementation that is backed by Spring Session.

In order for our Filter to do its magic, Spring needs to load our Config class. Last, we need to ensure that our Servlet Container (that is, Tomcat) uses our springSessionRepositoryFilter for every request. Fortunately, Spring Session provides a utility class named AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer to make both of these steps easy. The following example shows how to do so:

src/main/java/sample/Initializer.java
public class Initializer extends AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer { (1)

	public Initializer() {
		super(Config.class); (2)
	}

}
The name of our class (Initializer) does not matter. What is important is that we extend AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer.
1 The first step is to extend AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer. Doing so ensures that the Spring bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter is registered with our Servlet Container for every request.
2 AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer also provides a mechanism to ensure Spring loads our Config.

Multiple DataSources

Spring Session provides the @SpringSessionDataSource qualifier, allowing you to explicitly declare which DataSource bean should be injected in JdbcIndexedSessionRepository. This is particularly useful in scenarios with multiple DataSource beans present in the application context.

The following example shows how to do so:

Config.java
@EnableJdbcHttpSession
public class Config {

	@Bean
	@SpringSessionDataSource (1)
	public EmbeddedDatabase firstDataSource() {
		return new EmbeddedDatabaseBuilder()
				.setType(EmbeddedDatabaseType.H2).addScript("org/springframework/session/jdbc/schema-h2.sql").build();
	}

	@Bean
	public HikariDataSource secondDataSource() {
		// ...
	}
}
1 This qualifier declares that firstDataSource is to be used by Spring Session.

JDBC XML-based Configuration

This section describes how to use a relational database to back HttpSession when you use XML based configuration.

The HttpSession JDBC XML Sample provides a working sample of how to integrate Spring Session and HttpSession by using XML configuration. You can read the basic steps for integration in the next few sections, but we encourage you to follow along with the detailed HttpSession JDBC XML Guide when integrating with your own application.

Spring XML Configuration

After adding the required dependencies, we can create our Spring configuration. The Spring configuration is responsible for creating a servlet filter that replaces the HttpSession implementation with an implementation backed by Spring Session. The following listing shows how to add the following Spring Configuration:

src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/spring/session.xml
(1)
<context:annotation-config/>
<bean class="org.springframework.session.jdbc.config.annotation.web.http.JdbcHttpSessionConfiguration"/>

(2)
<jdbc:embedded-database id="dataSource" database-name="testdb" type="H2">
	<jdbc:script location="classpath:org/springframework/session/jdbc/schema-h2.sql"/>
</jdbc:embedded-database>

(3)
<bean class="org.springframework.jdbc.datasource.DataSourceTransactionManager">
	<constructor-arg ref="dataSource"/>
</bean>
1 We use the combination of <context:annotation-config/> and JdbcHttpSessionConfiguration because Spring Session does not yet provide XML Namespace support (see gh-104). This creates a Spring bean with the name of springSessionRepositoryFilter. That bean implements Filter. The filter is in charge of replacing the HttpSession implementation to be backed by Spring Session. In this instance, Spring Session is backed by a relational database.
2 We create a dataSource that connects Spring Session to an embedded instance of an H2 database. We configure the H2 database to create database tables by using the SQL script that is included in Spring Session.
3 We create a transactionManager that manages transactions for previously configured dataSource.

For additional information on how to configure data access-related concerns, see the Spring Framework Reference Documentation.

XML Servlet Container Initialization

Our Spring Configuration created a Spring bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. The springSessionRepositoryFilter bean is responsible for replacing the HttpSession with a custom implementation that is backed by Spring Session.

In order for our Filter to do its magic, we need to instruct Spring to load our session.xml configuration. We do so with the following configuration:

src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml
<context-param>
	<param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
	<param-value>
		/WEB-INF/spring/session.xml
	</param-value>
</context-param>
<listener>
	<listener-class>
		org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener
	</listener-class>
</listener>

The ContextLoaderListener reads the contextConfigLocation and picks up our session.xml configuration.

Last, we need to ensure that our Servlet Container (that is, Tomcat) uses our springSessionRepositoryFilter for every request. The following snippet performs this last step for us:

src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml
<filter>
	<filter-name>springSessionRepositoryFilter</filter-name>
	<filter-class>org.springframework.web.filter.DelegatingFilterProxy</filter-class>
</filter>
<filter-mapping>
	<filter-name>springSessionRepositoryFilter</filter-name>
	<url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>
	<dispatcher>REQUEST</dispatcher>
	<dispatcher>ERROR</dispatcher>
</filter-mapping>

The DelegatingFilterProxy looks up a bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter and casts it to a Filter. For every request on which DelegatingFilterProxy is invoked, the springSessionRepositoryFilter is invoked.

JDBC Spring Boot-based Configuration

This section describes how to use a relational database to back HttpSession when you use Spring Boot.

The HttpSession JDBC Spring Boot Sample provides a working sample of how to integrate Spring Session and HttpSession by using Spring Boot. You can read the basic steps for integration in the next few sections, but we encourage you to follow along with the detailed HttpSession JDBC Spring Boot Guide when integrating with your own application.

Spring Boot Configuration

After adding the required dependencies, we can create our Spring Boot configuration. Thanks to first-class auto configuration support, setting up Spring Session backed by a relational database is as simple as adding a single configuration property to your application.properties. The following listing shows how to do so:

src/main/resources/application.properties
spring.session.store-type=jdbc # Session store type.

If a single Spring Session module is present on the classpath, Spring Boot uses that store implementation automatically. If you have more than one implementation, you must choose the StoreType that you wish to use to store the sessions, as shows above.

Under the hood, Spring Boot applies configuration that is equivalent to manually adding the @EnableJdbcHttpSession annotation. This creates a Spring bean with the name of springSessionRepositoryFilter. That bean implements Filter. The filter is in charge of replacing the HttpSession implementation to be backed by Spring Session.

You can further customize by using application.properties. The following listing shows how to do so:

src/main/resources/application.properties
server.servlet.session.timeout= # Session timeout. If a duration suffix is not specified, seconds are used.
spring.session.jdbc.initialize-schema=embedded # Database schema initialization mode.
spring.session.jdbc.schema=classpath:org/springframework/session/jdbc/schema-@@platform@@.sql # Path to the SQL file to use to initialize the database schema.
spring.session.jdbc.table-name=SPRING_SESSION # Name of the database table used to store sessions.

For more information, see the Spring Session portion of the Spring Boot documentation.

Configuring the DataSource

Spring Boot automatically creates a DataSource that connects Spring Session to an embedded instance of an H2 database. In a production environment, you need to update your configuration to point to your relational database. For example, you can include the following in your application.properties:

src/main/resources/application.properties
spring.datasource.url= # JDBC URL of the database.
spring.datasource.username= # Login username of the database.
spring.datasource.password= # Login password of the database.

For more information, see the Configure a DataSource portion of the Spring Boot documentation.

Servlet Container Initialization

Our Spring Boot Configuration created a Spring bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. The springSessionRepositoryFilter bean is responsible for replacing the HttpSession with a custom implementation that is backed by Spring Session.

In order for our Filter to do its magic, Spring needs to load our Config class. Last, we need to ensure that our Servlet Container (that is, Tomcat) uses our springSessionRepositoryFilter for every request. Fortunately, Spring Boot takes care of both of these steps for us.

HttpSession with Hazelcast

Using Spring Session with HttpSession is enabled by adding a Servlet Filter before anything that uses the HttpSession.

This section describes how to use Hazelcast to back HttpSession by using Java-based configuration.

The Hazelcast Spring Sample provides a working sample of how to integrate Spring Session and HttpSession by using Java configuration. You can read the basic steps for integration in the next few sections, but we encourage you to follow along with the detailed Hazelcast Spring Guide when integrating with your own application.

Spring Configuration

After adding the required dependencies, we can create our Spring configuration. The Spring configuration is responsible for creating a servlet filter that replaces the HttpSession implementation with an implementation backed by Spring Session. To do so, add the following Spring Configuration:

@EnableHazelcastHttpSession (1)
@Configuration
public class HazelcastHttpSessionConfig {

	@Bean
	public HazelcastInstance hazelcastInstance() {
		Config config = new Config();
		AttributeConfig attributeConfig = new AttributeConfig()
			.setName(HazelcastIndexedSessionRepository.PRINCIPAL_NAME_ATTRIBUTE)
			.setExtractorClassName(PrincipalNameExtractor.class.getName());
		config.getMapConfig(HazelcastIndexedSessionRepository.DEFAULT_SESSION_MAP_NAME) (2)
			.addAttributeConfig(attributeConfig)
			.addIndexConfig(
					new IndexConfig(IndexType.HASH, HazelcastIndexedSessionRepository.PRINCIPAL_NAME_ATTRIBUTE));
		SerializerConfig serializerConfig = new SerializerConfig();
		serializerConfig.setImplementation(new HazelcastSessionSerializer()).setTypeClass(MapSession.class);
		config.getSerializationConfig().addSerializerConfig(serializerConfig); (3)
		return Hazelcast.newHazelcastInstance(config); (4)
	}

}
1 The @EnableHazelcastHttpSession annotation creates a Spring bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. The filter is in charge of replacing the HttpSession implementation to be backed by Spring Session. In this instance, Spring Session is backed by Hazelcast.
2 In order to support retrieval of sessions by principal name index, an appropriate ValueExtractor needs to be registered. Spring Session provides PrincipalNameExtractor for this purpose.
3 In order to serialize MapSession objects efficiently, HazelcastSessionSerializer needs to be registered. If this is not set, Hazelcast will serialize sessions using native Java serialization.
4 We create a HazelcastInstance that connects Spring Session to Hazelcast. By default, the application starts and connects to an embedded instance of Hazelcast. For more information on configuring Hazelcast, see the reference documentation.
If HazelcastSessionSerializer is preferred, it needs to be configured for all Hazelcast cluster members before they start. In a Hazelcast cluster, all members should use the same serialization method for sessions. Also, if Hazelcast Client/Server topology is used, then both members and clients must use the same serialization method. The serializer can be registered via ClientConfig with the same SerializerConfiguration of members.

Servlet Container Initialization

Our Spring Configuration created a Spring bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. The springSessionRepositoryFilter bean is responsible for replacing the HttpSession with a custom implementation that is backed by Spring Session.

In order for our Filter to do its magic, Spring needs to load our SessionConfig class. Since our application is already loading Spring configuration by using our SecurityInitializer class, we can add our SessionConfig class to it. The following listing shows how to do so:

src/main/java/sample/SecurityInitializer.java
public class SecurityInitializer extends AbstractSecurityWebApplicationInitializer {

	public SecurityInitializer() {
		super(SecurityConfig.class, SessionConfig.class);
	}

}

Last, we need to ensure that our Servlet Container (that is, Tomcat) uses our springSessionRepositoryFilter for every request. It is extremely important that Spring Session’s springSessionRepositoryFilter is invoked before Spring Security’s springSecurityFilterChain. Doing so ensures that the HttpSession that Spring Security uses is backed by Spring Session. Fortunately, Spring Session provides a utility class named AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer that makes this doing so easy. The following example shows how to do so:

src/main/java/sample/Initializer.java
public class Initializer extends AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer {

}
The name of our class (Initializer) does not matter. What is important is that we extend AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer.

By extending AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer, we ensure that the Spring Bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter is registered with our servlet container for every request before Spring Security’s springSecurityFilterChain.

How HttpSession Integration Works

Fortunately, both HttpSession and HttpServletRequest (the API for obtaining an HttpSession) are both interfaces. This means that we can provide our own implementations for each of these APIs.

This section describes how Spring Session provides transparent integration with HttpSession. We offer this content so that you can understand what is happening under the covers. This functionality is already integrated and you do NOT need to implement this logic yourself.

First, we create a custom HttpServletRequest that returns a custom implementation of HttpSession. It looks something like the following:

public class SessionRepositoryRequestWrapper extends HttpServletRequestWrapper {

	public SessionRepositoryRequestWrapper(HttpServletRequest original) {
		super(original);
	}

	public HttpSession getSession() {
		return getSession(true);
	}

	public HttpSession getSession(boolean createNew) {
		// create an HttpSession implementation from Spring Session
	}

	// ... other methods delegate to the original HttpServletRequest ...
}

Any method that returns an HttpSession is overridden. All other methods are implemented by HttpServletRequestWrapper and delegate to the original HttpServletRequest implementation.

We replace the HttpServletRequest implementation by using a servlet Filter called SessionRepositoryFilter. The following pseudocode shows how it works:

public class SessionRepositoryFilter implements Filter {

	public doFilter(ServletRequest request, ServletResponse response, FilterChain chain) {
		HttpServletRequest httpRequest = (HttpServletRequest) request;
		SessionRepositoryRequestWrapper customRequest =
			new SessionRepositoryRequestWrapper(httpRequest);

		chain.doFilter(customRequest, response, chain);
	}

	// ...
}

By passing a custom HttpServletRequest implementation into the FilterChain, we ensure that anything invoked after our Filter uses the custom HttpSession implementation. This highlights why it is important that Spring Session’s SessionRepositoryFilter be placed before anything that interacts with the HttpSession.

HttpSession and RESTful APIs

Spring Session can work with RESTful APIs by letting the session be provided in a header.

The REST Sample provides a working sample of how to use Spring Session in a REST application to support authenticating with a header. You can follow the basic steps for integration described in the next few sections, but we encourage you to follow along with the detailed REST Guide when integrating with your own application.

Spring Configuration

After adding the required dependencies, we can create our Spring configuration. The Spring configuration is responsible for creating a servlet filter that replaces the HttpSession implementation with an implementation backed by Spring Session. To do so, add the following Spring Configuration:

@Configuration
@EnableRedisHttpSession (1)
public class HttpSessionConfig {

	@Bean
	public LettuceConnectionFactory connectionFactory() {
		return new LettuceConnectionFactory(); (2)
	}

	@Bean
	public HttpSessionIdResolver httpSessionIdResolver() {
		return HeaderHttpSessionIdResolver.xAuthToken(); (3)
	}

}
1 The @EnableRedisHttpSession annotation creates a Spring bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. The filter is in charge of replacing the HttpSession implementation to be backed by Spring Session. In this instance, Spring Session is backed by Redis.
2 We create a RedisConnectionFactory that connects Spring Session to the Redis Server. We configure the connection to connect to localhost on the default port (6379). For more information on configuring Spring Data Redis, see the reference documentation.
3 We customize Spring Session’s HttpSession integration to use HTTP headers to convey the current session information instead of cookies.

Servlet Container Initialization

Our Spring Configuration created a Spring Bean named springSessionRepositoryFilter that implements Filter. The springSessionRepositoryFilter bean is responsible for replacing the HttpSession with a custom implementation that is backed by Spring Session.

In order for our Filter to do its magic, Spring needs to load our Config class. We provide the configuration in our Spring MvcInitializer, as the following example shows:

src/main/java/sample/mvc/MvcInitializer.java
@Override
protected Class<?>[] getRootConfigClasses() {
	return new Class[] { SecurityConfig.class, HttpSessionConfig.class };
}

Last, we need to ensure that our Servlet Container (that is, Tomcat) uses our springSessionRepositoryFilter for every request. Fortunately, Spring Session provides a utility class named AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer that makes doing so easy. To do so, extend the class with the default constructor, as the following example shows:

src/main/java/sample/Initializer.java
public class Initializer extends AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer {

}
The name of our class (Initializer) does not matter. What is important is that we extend AbstractHttpSessionApplicationInitializer.

Using HttpSessionListener

Spring Session supports HttpSessionListener by translating SessionDestroyedEvent and SessionCreatedEvent into HttpSessionEvent by declaring SessionEventHttpSessionListenerAdapter. To use this support, you need to:

  • Ensure your SessionRepository implementation supports and is configured to fire SessionDestroyedEvent and SessionCreatedEvent.

  • Configure SessionEventHttpSessionListenerAdapter as a Spring bean.

  • Inject every HttpSessionListener into the SessionEventHttpSessionListenerAdapter

If you use the Redis support with enableIndexingAndEvents set to true, @EnableRedisHttpSession(enableIndexingAndEvents = true), all you need to do is register every HttpSessionListener as a bean. For example, assume you want to support Spring Security’s concurrency control and need to use HttpSessionEventPublisher. In that case, you can add HttpSessionEventPublisher as a bean. In Java configuration, this might look like the following:

@Configuration
@EnableRedisHttpSession
public class RedisHttpSessionConfig {

	@Bean
	public HttpSessionEventPublisher httpSessionEventPublisher() {
		return new HttpSessionEventPublisher();
	}

	// ...

}

In XML configuration, this might look like the following:

<bean class="org.springframework.security.web.session.HttpSessionEventPublisher"/>