Sending data between a web server and a java application

I am looking to create a java application that can send data to a web server and then web server will return data back to application.

The application will send data to the web server, a metric system that will collect stats and check for the latest version. After it checks the data the application sent, it will return data with the latest version.

What would be the best way to achieve this for both the webserver and java application? Are there any specific APIs or frameworks to make this simpler?

Thanks, Bart