smpp-core vs Cloudhopper

Why compare?

Cloudhopper was the de facto Java SMPP library for over a decade. However, it was abandoned in 2015 and hasn't received updates since. As Java has evolved significantly (Java 8 → Java 21), developers need a modern alternative that leverages current language features and best practices.

smpp-core is a clean-room implementation built from the ground up with Java 21, designed to be the actively maintained successor to Cloudhopper.

Feature comparison

Code comparison

// Cloudhopper - mutable, not thread-safe
SubmitSm submit = new SubmitSm();
submit.setSourceAddress(
    new Address((byte)0x01, (byte)0x01, "12345"));
submit.setDestAddress(
    new Address((byte)0x01, (byte)0x01, "67890"));
submit.setShortMessage(
    CharsetUtil.encode("Hello", CharsetUtil.CHARSET_GSM));
submit.setRegisteredDelivery((byte)0x01);

// smpp-core - immutable, thread-safe by design
SubmitSm submit = SubmitSm.builder()
    .sourceAddress(
        new Address(TON.INTERNATIONAL, NPI.ISDN, "12345"))
    .destAddress(
        new Address(TON.INTERNATIONAL, NPI.ISDN, "67890"))
    .shortMessage("Hello", SmppCharset.GSM)
    .registeredDelivery(
        RegisteredDelivery.SMSC_RECEIPT_REQUESTED)
    .build();

Performance

smpp-core leverages Java 21's virtual threads for handling concurrent connections efficiently. This allows thousands of concurrent sessions without the overhead of platform threads.

Migration guide

Migrating from Cloudhopper to smpp-core is straightforward:

1. Update your dependency - replace Cloudhopper with smpp-core in your pom.xml
2. Update imports - change from com.cloudhopper.smpp.* to io.smppgateway.smpp.*
3. Refactor PDU creation - use immutable builders instead of setters
4. Update session handling - leverage the cleaner callback interfaces

<!-- Remove Cloudhopper -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.cloudhopper</groupId>
    <artifactId>ch-smpp</artifactId>
</dependency>

<!-- Add smpp-core -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>io.smppgateway</groupId>
    <artifactId>smpp-core</artifactId>
    <version>1.0.9</version>
</dependency>