Editing XMPP

{{Short description|Communications protocol for message-oriented middleware}}
{{Distinguish||text=[[XAMPP]], a web server software stack, or [[Extreme Memory Profile|Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)]], a memory overclocking standard}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}}

{{Infobox network protocol|title=|logo=XMPP logo.svg|purpose=[[Instant messaging]]|date={{start date and age|1999}}|rfcs=RFC 6120 (Core), RFC 6121 (IM & Presence), RFC 7622 (Address Format), RFC 3922 (CPIM), RFC 3923 (Encryption)|logo size=175px|osilayer=[[Application layer]]|ports=TCP 5222, 5269, 8010}}

'''Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol''' ([[abbreviation]] '''XMPP''', originally named '''Jabber'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac49/ac0/ac1/ac258/JabberInc.html |title=Jabber Inc |publisher=Cisco.com |access-date=November 24, 2012}}</ref>) is an [[Open standard|open]] [[communication protocol]] designed for [[instant messaging]] (IM), [[presence information]], and [[contact list]] maintenance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gnomis.org/presentasjoner/oslo2005/xmpp.pdf |title=XMPP as MOM - Greater NOrdic MIddleware Symposium (GNOMIS) |first=Leif |last=Johansson |publisher=University of Stockholm |date=April 18, 2005 |place=Oslo |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510012207/http://www.gnomis.org/presentasjoner/oslo2005/xmpp.pdf |archive-date=May 10, 2011 }}</ref> Based on [[XML]] (Extensible Markup Language), it enables the [[near-real-time]] exchange of structured data between two or more network entities.<ref>{{Cite IETF | title = Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP): Core | rfc = 6120 | last1 = Saint-Andre | first1 = P. |date=March 2011 | publisher = [[Internet Engineering Task Force|IETF]] | access-date = May 4, 2014}}</ref> Designed to be [[Extensibility|extensible]], the protocol offers a multitude of applications beyond traditional IM in the broader realm of [[message-oriented middleware]], including signalling for [[Voice over IP|VoIP]], video, [[file transfer]], [[Game|gaming]] and other uses.

Unlike most commercial instant messaging protocols, XMPP is defined in an [[open standard]] in the [[application layer]]. The architecture of the XMPP network is similar to [[email]]; anyone can run their own XMPP server and there is no central master server. This [[Federation (information technology)|federated]] [[open system (computing)|open system]] approach allows users to interoperate with others on any server using a 'JID' user account, similar to an email address. XMPP implementations can be developed using any software license and many server, client, and library implementations are distributed as [[free and open-source software]]. Numerous [[freeware]] and [[commercial software]] implementations also exist.

Originally developed by the [[Open-source-software movement|open-source community]], the protocols were formalized as an approved instant messaging standard in 2004 and have been continuously developed with new extensions and features. Various XMPP client software are available on both desktop and mobile platforms and devices - by 2003 the protocol was used by over ten million people worldwide on the network, according to the [[XMPP Standards Foundation]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://xmpp.org/xsf/press/2003-09-22.shtml |title=Jabber Instant Messaging User Base Surpasses ICQ |publisher=[[XMPP Standards Foundation]] |date=September 22, 2003 |access-date=November 30, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103080257/http://www.xmpp.org/xsf/press/2003-09-22.shtml |archive-date=November 3, 2007 }}</ref>{{update inline|date=December 2021}}

{{IPstack}}

== Federated Instant Messaging ==

Although the protocol has other uses, the primary application is [[Federation (information technology)|Federated]] [[Instant messaging|Instant Messaging]], to deliver a standard [[Instant Messaging and Presence Protocol]], outlined below.

A client Alice ("alice@example.com") has a message for some other user, Beth ("beth@example.com"), and uses XMPP to convey this to the example.com server. If Beth is online, the server delivers the message instantly, otherwise it will be held for delivery later. If Beth is offline, this status is visible to Alice.

If the message is for a user on another server, Charles ("charles@example.net"), then the example.com server connects using XMPP to pass the message to the example.net server. The message is then similarly delivered or held, and Alice is informed of the status.

Following the initial message delivery, the end clients are in a "chat" and each party is subsequently informed of changes to the other's status.

=== Client-to-Server XMPP and Server-to-Server XMPP ===

The XMPP client communicates with the server over an SSL-encrypted TCP stream on port 5222. XMPP servers communicate with each other over an SSL-encrypted TCP stream on port 5269.<ref>{{cite web |title=Use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) in the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) RFC 7590 |url=https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc7590/ |publisher=[[IETF]] |access-date=29 January 2025 |ref=rfc7590}}</ref>

== Protocol characteristics ==
=== Decentralization ===
[[File:JabberNetwork.svg|thumb|A simple XMPP network with the servers ''jabber.org'' and ''draugr.de''. Green clients are online, yellow clients are writing each other and small green ''subclients'' are the resources of one user. The brown network is not connected to the internet. The server ''draugr.de'' is connected to other IM services (ICQ, AIM and other) via ''XMPP transports''.]]
The XMPP network architecture is reminiscent of the [[Simple Mail Transfer Protocol]] (SMTP), a [[Client–server model|client–server]] model; clients do not talk directly to one another as it is decentralized - anyone can run a server. By design, there is no central authoritative server as there is with messaging services such as [[AIM (software)|AIM]], [[Windows Live Messenger|WLM]], [[WhatsApp]] or [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]]. Some confusion often arises on this point as there is a public XMPP server being run at <code>jabber.org</code>, to which many users subscribe. However, anyone may run their own XMPP server on their own domain.

=== Addressing ===
[[File:JID-Scheme.svg|thumb|A standard JID]]
Every user on the network has a unique XMPP address, called ''Jabber ID''.<ref>{{cite web |title = "XEP-0029: Definition of Jabber Identifiers (JIDs)" |url = https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0029.html |access-date = November 10, 2019 |work = Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol |author = XMPP Standards Foundation|date = October 3, 2003 }}</ref> The JID is structured like an [[email address]] with a username and a [[domain name]] (or [[IP address]]<ref>RFC 6122</ref>) for the server where that user resides, separated by an [[at sign]] (<code>@</code>) - for example, “<code>alice@example.com</code>“: here <code>alice</code> is the username and <code>example.com</code> the server with which the user is registered.

Since a user may wish to log in from multiple locations, they may specify a '''resource'''. A resource identifies a particular client belonging to the user (for example home, work, or mobile). This may be included in the JID by appending a slash followed by the name of the resource. For example, the full JID of a user's mobile account could be <code>username@example.com/mobile</code>.

Each resource may have specified a numerical value called '''priority'''. Messages simply sent to <code>username@example.com</code> will go to the client with highest priority, but those sent to <code>username@example.com/mobile</code> will go ''only'' to the mobile client. The highest priority is the one with largest numerical value.

JIDs without a username part are also valid, and may be used for system messages and control of special features on the server. A resource remains optional for these JIDs as well.

The means to route messages based on a logical endpoint identifier - the JID, instead of by an explicit IP Address present opportunities to use XMPP as an [[Overlay network]] implementation on top of different underlay networks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP): Core |url=https://xmpp.org/rfcs/rfc3920.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=xmpp.org}}</ref>

=== XMPP via HTTP  ===
The original and "native" transport protocol for XMPP is [[Transmission Control Protocol]] (TCP), using open-ended XML streams over long-lived TCP connections. As an alternative to the TCP transport, the XMPP community has also developed an [[Hypertext Transfer Protocol|HTTP]] transport for web clients as well as users behind restricted [[Firewall (computing)|firewalls]]. In the original specification, XMPP could use HTTP in two ways: ''polling''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0025.html |author1=Joe Hildebrand |author2=Craig Kaes |author3=David Waite |title=XEP-0025: Jabber HTTP Polling |publisher=Xmpp.org |date=June 3, 2009 |access-date=November 24, 2012}}</ref> and ''binding''. The polling method, now deprecated, essentially implies messages stored on a server-side database are being fetched (and posted) regularly by an XMPP client by way of HTTP 'GET' and 'POST' requests. The binding method, implemented using ''Bidirectional-streams Over Synchronous HTTP'' ([[BOSH (protocol)|BOSH]]),<ref name="bosh">{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0124.html |author1=Ian Paterson |author2=Dave Smith |author3=Peter Saint-Andre |author4=Jack Moffitt |title=XEP-0124: Bidirectional-streams Over Synchronous HTTP ([BOSH]) |publisher=Xmpp.org |date=July 2, 2010 |access-date=November 24, 2012}}</ref> allows servers to push messages to clients as soon as they are sent. This push model of notification is more efficient than polling, where many of the polls return no new data.

Because the client uses HTTP, most firewalls allow clients to fetch and post messages without any hindrances. Thus, in scenarios where the TCP port used by XMPP is blocked, a server can listen on the normal HTTP port and the traffic should pass without problems. Various websites let people sign into XMPP via a browser. Furthermore, there are open public servers that listen on standard http (port 80) and https (port 443) ports, and hence allow connections from behind most firewalls. However, the IANA-registered port for BOSH is actually 5280, not 80.

===Extensibility===
The [[XMPP Standards Foundation]] or XSF (formerly the Jabber Software Foundation) is active in developing open XMPP extensions, so called ''XEP''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/index.html|title=Specifications|website=xmpp.org|publisher=[[XMPP Standards Foundation|XSF]]|pages=1|access-date=January 6, 2017}}</ref> However, extensions can also be defined by any individual, software project, or organization. To maintain interoperability, common extensions are managed by the XSF. XMPP applications beyond IM include: [[chat room]]s, [[network management]], [[content syndication]], collaboration tools, [[file sharing]], gaming, remote systems control and monitoring, [[geolocation]], [[middleware]] and [[cloud computing]], VoIP, and identity services.

Building on its capability to support discovery across local [[Domain Name System|network domain]]s, XMPP is well-suited for [[cloud computing]] where virtual machines, networks, and firewalls would otherwise present obstacles to alternative service discovery and presence-based solutions. Cloud computing and storage systems rely on various forms of communication over multiple levels, including not only messaging between systems to relay state but also the migration or distribution of larger objects, such as storage or virtual machines. Along with authentication and in-transit data protection, XMPP can be applied at a variety of levels and may prove ideal as an extensible middleware or [[Message-oriented middleware]] (MOM) protocol.

===Current limitations===
Since XML is text based, normal XMPP has a higher network overhead compared to purely binary solutions. This issue was being addressed by the experimental XEP-0322 Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) Format, where XML is serialized in an efficient binary manner, especially in schema-informed mode. This XEP is currently deferred.

In-band binary data transfer is limited. [[Binary data]] must be first [[base64]] encoded before it can be transmitted in-band. Therefore, any significant amount of binary data (e.g., [[file transfer]]s) is best transmitted [[Out-of-band data|out-of-band]], using in-band messages to coordinate. In most cases this is dealt with by using an attachment to a message and the widely implemented XEP-0363 HTTP File Upload mechanism. Voice and Video chat can be done via the [[Jingle (protocol)|Jingle]] XMPP Extension Protocol, XEP-0166.

== Features ==
[[File:Screenshot Conversations.png|thumb|150px|File transfer options in a chat in [[Conversations (software)|Conversations]], an XMPP client for Android]]

===Peer-to-peer sessions===
Using the extension called [[Jingle (protocol)|Jingle]], XMPP can provide an open means to support [[machine to machine|machine-to-machine]] or [[peer-to-peer]] communications across a diverse set of networks. This feature is mainly used for [[IP telephony]] (VoIP).

===Multi-user chat===
XMPP supports conferences with multiple users, using the specification Multi-User Chat (MUC) (XEP-0045). From the point of view of a normal user, it is comparable to [[Internet Relay Chat]] (IRC).

===Security and encryption===
XMPP servers can be isolated (e.g., on a company [[intranet]]), and secure authentication ([[Simple Authentication and Security Layer|SASL]]) and point-to-point encryption ([[Transport Layer Security|TLS]]) have been built into the core XMPP specifications.

[[Off-the-Record Messaging]] (OTR) is an extension of XMPP enabling encryption of messages and data. It has since been replaced by a better extension, multi-end-to-multi-end encryption ([[OMEMO]], XEP-0384) end-to-end encryption between users. This gives a higher level of security, by encrypting all data from the source client and decrypting again at the target client; the server operator cannot decrypt the data they are forwarding.

Messages can also be encrypted with [[OpenPGP]], for example with the software [[Gajim]].

===Service discovery===
While several [[service discovery]] protocols exist today (such as [[Zero-configuration networking|zeroconf]] or the [[Service Location Protocol]]), XMPP provides a solid base for the discovery of services residing locally or across a network, and the availability of these services (via presence information), as specified by XEP-0030 DISCO.<ref name="XEP-0030"/>

=== Connecting to other protocols ===
[[File:Wie ein Jabber-Transport funktioniert.svg|600px|right|thumb|Alice sends a message through the XMPP net to the ICQ transport. The message is next routed to Bob via the ICQ network.]]
One of the original design goals of the early Jabber open-source community was enabling users to connect to multiple instant messaging systems (especially non-XMPP systems) through a single client application. This was done through entities called ''transports'' or ''gateways'' to other instant messaging protocols like [[ICQ]], AIM or [[Yahoo Messenger]], but also to protocols such as [[Short Message Service|SMS]], [[Internet Relay Chat|IRC]] or [[email]]. Unlike [[Instant messaging|multi-protocol clients]], XMPP provides this access at the server level by communicating via special gateway services running alongside an XMPP server. Any user can "register" with one of these gateways by providing the information needed to log on to that network, and can then communicate with users of that network as though they were XMPP users. Thus, such gateways function as client proxies (the gateway authenticates on the user's behalf on the non-XMPP service). As a result, any client that fully supports XMPP can access any network with a gateway without extra code in the client, and without the need for the client to have direct access to the Internet. However, the client proxy model may violate [[terms of service]] on the protocol used (although such terms of service are not legally enforceable in several countries) and also requires the user to send their IM username and password to the third-party site that operates the transport (which may raise privacy and security concerns).

Another type of gateway is a server-to-server gateway, which enables a non-XMPP server deployment to connect to native XMPP servers using the built in interdomain federation features of XMPP. Such server-to-server gateways are offered by several enterprise IM software products, including:

* [[HCL Sametime|HCL Sametime Premium]]<ref>"Lotus Sametime 7.5 Interoperates with AIM, Google Talk", eWeek, December 6, 2006 [http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Messaging-and-Collaboration/Lotus-Sametime-75-Interoperates-with-AIM-Google-Talk/ Eweek.com]</ref><ref>"Lotus ships gateway to integrate IM with AOL, Yahoo, Google", Network World, December 6, 2006 [http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/120606-sametime-links-up-with-aim.html Networkworld.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101072959/http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/120606-sametime-links-up-with-aim.html|date=November 1, 2008}}</ref>
* [[Skype for Business Server]] (formerly named Microsoft Lync Server and Microsoft Office Communications Server – OCS)<ref>"Unified Communications: Uniting Communication Across Different Networks", Microsoft Press Release, October 1, 2009 [https://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/Features/2009/oct09/10-01UCInterop.mspx Microsoft.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105062129/https://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/Features/2009/oct09/10-01UCInterop.mspx|date=January 5, 2010}}</ref>

==Software==
XMPP is implemented by many clients, servers, and code libraries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/xmpp-software/clients/|title=Clients|work=xmpp.org}}</ref> These implementations are provided under a variety of software licenses.

===Servers===
Numerous XMPP server software exist, some well known ones include [[ejabberd]] and [[Prosody (software)|Prosody]].

===Modern clients===
[[File:Gajim_Screenshot.png|thumb|Main windows of XMPP client [[Gajim]]<ref name=":0" />]]
A large number of XMPP client software exist on various modern and legacy platforms, including both graphical and command line based clients. According to the XMPP website, some of the most popular software include [[Conversations (software)|Conversations]], Cheogram, Monocles and Quicksy ([[Android (operating system)|Android]]),  Dino ([[BSD]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Unix]], [[Linux]]), Converse.js (web browser, [[Linux]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[macOS]]),<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=XMPP Software |url=https://xmpp.org/software/?platform=windows |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=XMPP Org}}</ref> [[Gajim]] ([[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Linux]]),<ref name=":0" /> Monal ([[macOS]], [[iOS]]), and Swift.IM (macOS, Windows, Linux). Lately, Monal has been forked as a Quicksy release for [[iOS]].

Other clients include: Bombus, [[ChatSecure]], [[Coccinella (software)|Coccinella]], [[Miranda NG]],<ref name=":0" /> [[Pidgin (software)|Pidgin]], [[Psi (instant messaging client)|Psi]],<ref name=":0" /> [[Tkabber]], [[Trillian (software)|Trillian]], and [[Xabber]].

== Deployment and distribution ==
There are thousands of XMPP servers worldwide, many public ones as well as private individuals or organizations running their own servers without commercial intent. Numerous websites show a list of public XMPP servers where users may register at (for example on the XMPP.net website).

Several large public IM services natively use or used XMPP, including [[LiveJournal]]'s "LJ Talk",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=270 |title=Question FAQ #270-What is LJ Talk? |publisher=Livejournal.com |date=September 27, 2010 |access-date=November 24, 2012}}</ref> [[Nimbuzz]], and [[HipChat]]. Various hosting services, such as [[DreamHost]], enable hosting customers to choose XMPP services alongside more traditional web and email services. Specialized XMPP hosting services also exist in form of [[Cloud computing|cloud]] so that domain owners need not directly run their own XMPP servers, including [[Cisco Systems|Cisco]] [[Webex]] Connect, Chrome.pl, Flosoft.biz, i-pobox.net, and hosted.im.

The majority of these services are [[Federation (information technology)|Federated]] - so that  users of one service can communicate with users of another service.

XMPP is also used in deployments of non-IM services, including smart grid systems such as [[demand response]] applications, message-oriented middleware, and as a replacement for [[Short Message Service|SMS]] to provide text messaging on many [[smartphone]] clients.

===Non-native deployments===
Some of the largest messaging providers use, or have been using, various forms of XMPP based protocols in their backend systems without necessarily exposing this fact to their end users.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 25, 2024 |title=XMPP Messaging Protocol Reference |url=https://www.sent.dm/resources/xmpp-messaging |access-date=December 25, 2024 |website=www.sent.dm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.process-one.net/blog/whatsapp-facebook-erlang-and-realtime-messaging-it-all-started-with-ejabberd/|title=Whatsapp, Facebook, Erlang and realtime messaging: It all started with ejabberd|last=Rémond|first=Mickaël|date=February 23, 2014|work=ProcessOne — Blog|access-date=2020-09-17|language=en}}</ref> One example is [[Google]], which in August 2005 introduced [[Google Talk]], a combination VoIP and IM system that uses XMPP for instant messaging and as a base for a voice and file transfer signaling protocol called [[Jingle (protocol)|Jingle]]. The initial launch did not include [[inter-server|server-to-server]] communications; Google enabled that feature on January 17, 2006.<ref>{{cite web |
url=http://googletalk.blogspot.com/2006/01/xmpp-federation.html |
title=XMPP Federation |
last=Burd |
first=Gary |
date=January 17, 2006 |
access-date=November 30, 2007 }}</ref> Google later added video functionality to Google Talk, also using the Jingle protocol for signaling. In May 2013, Google announced XMPP compatibility would be dropped from Google Talk for server-to-server federation, although it would retain client-to-server support.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://support.google.com/code/answer/62464 | title=How do I allow my internal XMPP client or server to connect to the Talk service? | website=support.google.com }}</ref> Google Talk has since been dropped from Google's line of products. 

In January 2008, AOL introduced experimental XMPP support for its [[AIM (software)|AOL Instant Messenger]] (AIM) service,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://florianjensen.com/2008/01/17/aol-adopting-xmpp-aka-jabber/|title=AOL adopting XMPP aka Jabber|date=January 17, 2008|access-date=January 17, 2008|first=Florian|last=Jensen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120143857/http://florianjensen.com/2008/01/17/aol-adopting-xmpp-aka-jabber/|archive-date=January 20, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> allowing AIM users to communicate using XMPP. However, in March 2008, this service was discontinued.{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}} As of May 2011, AOL offers limited XMPP support.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aim.com/xmpp|title=AOL XMPP Gateway|date=May 14, 2011|access-date=May 14, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110522092331/http://www.aim.com/xmpp| archive-date=May 22, 2011| url-status= live}}</ref> 

In February 2010, the social-networking site [[Facebook]] opened up its [[Facebook Messenger|chat feature]] to third-party applications via XMPP.<ref>{{cite web |
url=http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=297991732130 |
title=Facebook Chat Now Available Everywhere |
access-date=February 11, 2010}}</ref> Some functionality was unavailable through XMPP, and support was dropped in April 2014.<ref>{{cite web |
url=https://developers.facebook.com/docs/chat/?_fb_noscript=1 |
title=Chat API (deprecated) |
access-date=July 5, 2015}}</ref> Similarly, in December 2011, Microsoft released an XMPP interface to its [[Microsoft Messenger service]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2011/12/14/anyone-can-build-a-windows-live-messenger-client-with-open-standards-access-via-xmpp.aspx |title=Anyone can build a Messenger client—with open standards access via XMPP |publisher=Windowsteamblog.com |first=Dare|last=Obasanjo |date=December 14, 2011 |access-date=November 24, 2012}}</ref> [[Skype]], its de facto successor, also provided limited XMPP support.<ref>{{cite web|first=Janko|last=Roettgers |url=http://gigaom.com/2011/06/28/skype-xmpp-support/ |title=Skype adds XMPP support, IM interoperability next? — Tech News and Analysis |publisher=Gigaom.com |date=June 28, 2011 |access-date=November 24, 2012}}</ref> [[Apache Wave]] is another example.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waveprotocol.org/protocol/draft-protocol-specs/draft-protocol-spec#intro-overview|title=Google Wave Federation Protocol|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304205841/http://www.waveprotocol.org/protocol/draft-protocol-specs/draft-protocol-spec#intro-overview|archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref>

XMPP is the [[de facto standard]] for private chat in gaming related platforms such as [[Origin (service)|Origin]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slightfuture.com/security/ea-origin-chat-unencrypted |title=Origin game platform sends login and messages in plain-text |publisher=Slight Future |date=June 30, 2015 |access-date=February 22, 2016}}</ref> and [[PlayStation]], as well as the now discontinued [[Xfire]] and [[Raptr]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/raptr-gaming-evolved-dead|title=Raptr is dead. No more Gaming Evolved a year after AMD ditch the app |publisher=Pcgamesn.com |date=September 13, 2017 |access-date= October 16, 2020}}</ref> Two notable exceptions are [[Steam (service)|Steam]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/EionRobb/pidgin-opensteamworks/blob/master/steam-mobile/libsteam.c |title=libsteam.c |publisher=Github |access-date=February 22, 2016}}</ref> and [[Xbox LIVE]]; both use their own [[proprietary software|proprietary]] messaging protocols.

== History and development ==
[[File:Jabber logo.svg|thumb|Jabber logo]]
[[Jeremie Miller]] began working on the Jabber technology in 1998 and released the first version of the <code>jabberd</code> server on January 4, 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=99/01/04/1621211 |title=Open Real Time Messaging System |publisher=Tech.slashdot.org |date=January 4, 1999 |access-date=November 24, 2012}}</ref> The early Jabber community focused on open-source software, mainly the jabberd server, but its major outcome proved to be the development of the XMPP protocol.

The [[Internet Engineering Task Force]] (IETF) formed an XMPP [[working group]] in 2002 to formalize the core protocols as an IETF instant messaging and presence technology. The early Jabber [[communication protocol|protocol]], as developed in 1999 and 2000, formed the basis for XMPP as published in <nowiki>RFC 3920</nowiki> and <nowiki>RFC 3921</nowiki> in October 2004 (the primary changes during formalization by the IETF's XMPP Working Group were the addition of [[Transport Layer Security|TLS]] for channel encryption and [[Simple Authentication and Security Layer|SASL]] for authentication). The XMPP Working group also produced specifications <nowiki>RFC 3922</nowiki> and <nowiki>RFC 3923</nowiki>. In 2011, <nowiki>RFC 3920</nowiki> and <nowiki>RFC 3921</nowiki> were superseded by <nowiki>RFC 6120</nowiki> and <nowiki>RFC 6121</nowiki> respectively, with <nowiki>RFC 6122</nowiki> specifying the XMPP address format. In 2015, <nowiki>RFC 6122</nowiki> was superseded by <nowiki>RFC 7622</nowiki>. In addition to these core protocols standardized at the IETF, the [[XMPP Standards Foundation]] (formerly the Jabber Software Foundation) is active in developing open XMPP extensions.

The first IM service based on XMPP was Jabber.org,<ref name=":0" /> which has operated continuously and offered free accounts since 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/6489 |title=Chatting Up the Chef |website=Linux Journal |date=March 1, 2003 |author=Marcel Gagné}}</ref> From 1999 until February 2006, the service used jabberd as its server software, at which time it migrated to [[ejabberd]] (both of which are [[free software]] application servers). In January 2010, the service migrated to the [[Proprietary software|proprietary]] M-Link server software produced by Isode Ltd.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.jabber.org/2009/08/xmpp-server-migration/ 
 |title=Jabber.org – XMPP Server Migration 
 |date=August 12, 2009 
 |access-date=December 14, 2009 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213180443/http://www.jabber.org/2009/08/xmpp-server-migration/ 
 |archive-date=December 13, 2009 
}}</ref>

In September 2008, [[Cisco Systems]] acquired Jabber, Inc., the creators of the commercial product Jabber XCP.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2008/corp_091908.html 
 |title=Cisco Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Jabber 
 |access-date=January 2, 2010 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091223033256/http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2008/corp_091908.html 
 |archive-date=December 23, 2009 
}}</ref>

The [[XMPP Standards Foundation]] (XSF) develops and publishes extensions to XMPP through a standards process centered on ''XMPP Extension Protocols'' (XEPs, previously known as Jabber Enhancement Proposals - JEPs). The following extensions are in especially wide use:

* Data Forms<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0004.html|title=XEP-0004: Data Forms|work=xmpp.org|date=June 8, 2021}}</ref>
* Service Discovery<ref name="XEP-0030">{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0030.html|title=XEP-0030: Service Discovery|work=xmpp.org|date=October 3, 2017}}</ref>
* Multi-User Chat<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0045.html|title=XEP-0045: Multi-User Chat|work=xmpp.org|date=March 4, 2021}}</ref>
* Publish-Subscribe<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0060.html|title=XEP-0060: Publish-Subscribe|work=xmpp.org|date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> and Personal Eventing Protocol<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0163.html|title=XEP-0163: Personal Eventing Protocol|work=xmpp.org|date=March 18, 2018}}</ref>
* XHTML-IM<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0071.html|title=XEP-0071: XHTML-IM|work=xmpp.org|date=March 8, 2018}}</ref>
* File Transfer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0096.html|title=XEP-0096: SI File Transfer|work=xmpp.org|date=November 29, 2017}}</ref>
* Entity Capabilities<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0115.html|title=XEP-0115: Entity Capabilities|work=xmpp.org|date=May 5, 2020}}</ref>
* HTTP Binding<ref name="bosh" />
* [[Jingle (protocol)|Jingle]] for voice and video

=== Internet of Things ===
XMPP features such as federation across domains, publish/subscribe, authentication and its security even for mobile endpoints are being used to implement the [[Internet of Things]]. Several XMPP extensions are part of the experimental implementation: Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) Format;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0322.html|title=XEP-0322: Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) Format|work=xmpp.org|date=January 25, 2018}}</ref> Sensor Data;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0323.html|title=XEP-0323: Internet of Things - Sensor Data|work=xmpp.org|date=May 20, 2017}}</ref> Provisioning;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0324.html|title=XEP-0324: Internet of Things - Provisioning|work=xmpp.org|date=March 4, 2021}}</ref> Control;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0325.html|title=XEP-0325: Internet of Things - Control|work=xmpp.org|date=March 4, 2021}}</ref> Concentrators;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0326.html|title=XEP-0326: Internet of Things - Concentrators|work=xmpp.org|date=May 20, 2017}}</ref> Discovery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0347.html|title=XEP-0347: Internet of Things - Discovery|work=xmpp.org|date=November 3, 2018}}</ref>

These efforts are documented on a page in the XMPP wiki dedicated to Internet of Things<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wiki.xmpp.org/web/Tech_pages/IoT_systems|title=Tech pages/IoT systems|work=xmpp.org}}</ref> and the XMPP IoT mailing list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mail.jabber.org/mailman/listinfo/iot|title=IOT Info Page|work=jabber.org}}</ref>

== Specifications and standards ==
The [[Internet Engineering Task Force|IETF]] XMPP working group has produced a series of [[Request for Comments]] (RFC) documents:

* <nowiki>RFC 3920</nowiki> (superseded by <nowiki>RFC 6120</nowiki>)
* <nowiki>RFC 3921</nowiki> (superseded by <nowiki>RFC 6121</nowiki>)
* <nowiki>RFC 3922</nowiki>
* <nowiki>RFC 3923</nowiki>
* <nowiki>RFC 4622</nowiki> (superseded by <nowiki>RFC 5122</nowiki>)
* <nowiki>RFC 4854</nowiki>
* <nowiki>RFC 4979</nowiki>
* <nowiki>RFC 6122</nowiki> (superseded by <nowiki>RFC 7622</nowiki>)

The most important and most widely implemented of these specifications are:

* <nowiki>RFC 6120</nowiki>, ''Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP): Core'', which describes [[Client–server model|client–server]] messaging using two open-ended [[XML]] streams. XML streams consist of &lt;presence/&gt;, &lt;message/&gt; and &lt;iq/&gt; (info/query). A connection is authenticated with [[Simple Authentication and Security Layer]] (SASL) and [[Encryption|encrypted]] with [[Transport Layer Security]] (TLS).
* <nowiki>RFC 6121</nowiki>'', Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP): Instant Messaging and Presence'' describes [[instant messaging]] (IM), the most common application of XMPP.
* <nowiki>RFC 7622</nowiki>, ''Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP): Address Format'' describes the rules for XMPP addresses, also called JabberIDs or JIDs. Currently JIDs use PRECIS (as defined in <nowiki>RFC 7564</nowiki>) for handling of [[Unicode]] characters outside the ASCII range.

=== Competing standards ===
XMPP has often been regarded as a competitor to [[SIMPLE (instant messaging protocol)|SIMPLE]], based on [[Session Initiation Protocol]] (SIP), as the standard protocol for instant messaging and presence notification.<ref>"XMPP rises to face SIMPLE standard", Infoworld magazine, April 17, 2003 [http://www.infoworld.com/d/developer-world/xmpp-rises-face-simple-standard-018 XMPP rises to face SIMPLE standard]</ref><ref>"XMPP vs SIMPLE: The race for messaging standards", Infoworld magazine, May 23, 2003 [http://www.infoworld.com/t/platforms/xmpp-vs-simple-race-messaging-standards-295 Infoworld.com]</ref>

The XMPP extension for multi-user chat<ref name="autogenerated1" /> can be seen as a competitor to [[IRC]], although IRC is far simpler, has far fewer features, and is far more widely used.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

The XMPP extensions for publish–subscribe<ref name="autogenerated2" /> provide many of the same features as the [[Advanced Message Queuing Protocol]] (AMQP).

== See also ==
* [[Comparison of instant messaging clients]]
* [[Comparison of instant messaging protocols]]
* [[Matrix (protocol)]]
* [[Secure communication]]
* [[:Category:XMPP clients|XMPP clients]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol}}
* {{Official website|http://xmpp.org/}}
{{URI_scheme}}
{{Instant messaging}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:XMPP| ]]
[[Category:Application layer protocols]]
[[Category:Cloud standards]]
[[Category:Cross-platform software]]
[[Category:Instant messaging protocols]]
[[Category:Online chat]]
[[Category:Open standards]]
[[Category:XML-based standards]]