How to Install and Configure Apache Tomcat on Linux

Here’s a step-by-step guide to installing and configuring Apache Tomcat on AlmaLinux.

1. Prerequisites: Installing Java #

Apache Tomcat requires Java to run, so start by installing OpenJDK on your AlmaLinux system.

Update System Packages #

Update the package index to ensure you have the latest version of each package:

sudo dnf update -y

Install Java #

Use the dnf package manager to install the default Java Development Kit (JDK):

sudo dnf install -y java-11-openjdk

Once installed, verify the Java version to ensure it’s set up correctly:

java -version

2. Creating a Tomcat User #

Running Tomcat as the root user isn’t secure, so create a dedicated user for Tomcat with restricted permissions.

sudo useradd -r -m -U -d /opt/tomcat -s /bin/false tomcat

This creates a system user named tomcat, with its home directory at /opt/tomcat, which we’ll use as the Tomcat installation directory.

3. Downloading and Extracting Tomcat #

Visit the Apache Tomcat download page to get the latest version. Here, we’ll use version 9.0.34 as an example.

Download Tomcat #

Download the tarball using wget:

wget -c https://downloads.apache.org/tomcat/tomcat-9/v9.0.34/bin/apache-tomcat-9.0.34.tar.gz

Extract the Tomcat Archive #

After downloading, extract the archive to the /opt/tomcat directory:

sudo mkdir /opt/tomcat
sudo tar xf apache-tomcat-9.0.34.tar.gz -C /opt/tomcat

To make future updates easier, create a symbolic link named latest that points to the Tomcat installation directory:

sudo ln -s /opt/tomcat/apache-tomcat-9.0.34 /opt/tomcat/latest

Set Permissions #

Ensure the tomcat user has full ownership of the Tomcat directory:

sudo chown -R tomcat: /opt/tomcat
sudo chmod +x /opt/tomcat/latest/bin/*.sh

4. Configuring Tomcat as a Systemd Service #

To run Tomcat as a service on AlmaLinux, create a systemd unit file.

Create a Unit File #

Create a new file for the Tomcat service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/tomcat.service

Add the following content, adjusting the JAVA_HOME path if needed:

[Unit]
Description=Apache Tomcat Web Application Container
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=forking

Environment="JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk"
Environment="CATALINA_PID=/opt/tomcat/latest/temp/tomcat.pid"
Environment="CATALINA_HOME=/opt/tomcat/latest"
Environment="CATALINA_BASE=/opt/tomcat/latest"
Environment="CATALINA_OPTS=-Xms512M -Xmx1024M -server -XX:+UseParallelGC"
Environment="JAVA_OPTS=-Djava.awt.headless=true -Djava.security.egd=file:/dev/./urandom"

ExecStart=/opt/tomcat/latest/bin/startup.sh
ExecStop=/opt/tomcat/latest/bin/shutdown.sh

User=tomcat
Group=tomcat
UMask=0007
RestartSec=10
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Reload the Systemd Daemon #

Reload systemd to recognize the new Tomcat service file:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Start and Enable the Tomcat Service #

Now, start the Tomcat service and enable it to start on boot:

sudo systemctl start tomcat
sudo systemctl enable tomcat

Verify the Tomcat Service Status

Check the status to make sure Tomcat is running:

sudo systemctl status tomcat

5. Configuring the Firewall

If you have a firewall enabled, allow access to Tomcat’s default port, 8080:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8080/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

6. Verifying the Tomcat Installation

To verify that Tomcat is successfully installed, open a browser and go to the following URL, replacing <YourIPAddress> with the server’s IP address:

http://:your_ip_addresss:8080

If everything was configured correctly, you should see the Tomcat default welcome page.

Optional: Securing the Tomcat Manager and Host Manager #

Enable the Tomcat Manager Application by editing the tomcat-users.xml file:

sudo nano /opt/tomcat/latest/conf/tomcat-users.xml

2. Add Roles and a User: Add a user with manager-gui and admin-gui roles:

<role rolename="manager-gui"/>
<role rolename="admin-gui"/>
<user username="admin" password="your_password" roles="manager-gui,admin-gui"/>

3. Restart Tomcat to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart tomcat

You can now log in to the Manager and Host Manager applications using the configured credentials.

Author’s Final Word #

This guide covers the installation and basic configuration of Apache Tomcat on AlmaLinux. You’re now ready to deploy and manage Java web applications on Tomcat. Remember to keep Tomcat up to date for security and performance improvements.