<html><head><META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"><title>Apache Tomcat 6.0 (6.0.41) - Tomcat Web Application Deployment</title><meta name="author" content="Allistair Crossley"><style type="text/css" media="print"> | |
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" border="0"></a></td><td><h1><font face="arial,helvetica,sanserif">Apache Tomcat 6.0</font></h1><font face="arial,helvetica,sanserif">Version 6.0.41, May 19 2014</font></td><td><!--APACHE LOGO--><a href="http://www.apache.org/"><img src="./images/asf-logo.gif" align="right" alt="Apache Logo" border="0"></a></td></tr></table><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="4"><!--HEADER SEPARATOR--><tr><td colspan="2"><hr noshade="noshade" size="1"></td></tr><tr><!--LEFT SIDE NAVIGATION--><td width="20%" valign="top" nowrap="nowrap" class="noPrint"><p><strong>Links</strong></p><ul><li><a href="index.html">Docs Home</a></li><li><a href="http://wiki.apache.org/tomcat/FAQ">FAQ</a></li></ul><p><strong>User Guide</strong></p><ul><li><a href="introduction.html">1) Introduction</a></li><li><a href="setup.html">2) Setup</a></li><li><a href="appdev/index.html">3) First webapp</a></li><li><a href="deployer-howto.html">4) Deployer</a></li><li><a href="manager-howto.html">5) Manager</a></li><li><a href="realm-howto.html">6) Realms and AAA</a></li><li><a href="security-manager-howto.html">7) Security Manager</a></li><li><a href="jndi-resources-howto.html">8) JNDI Resources</a></li><li><a href="jndi-datasource-examples-howto.html">9) JDBC DataSources</a></li><li><a href="class-loader-howto.html">10) Classloading</a></li><li><a href="jasper-howto.html">11) JSPs</a></li><li><a href="ssl-howto.html">12) SSL</a></li><li><a href="ssi-howto.html">13) SSI</a></li><li><a href="cgi-howto.html">14) CGI</a></li><li><a href="proxy-howto.html">15) Proxy Support</a></li><li><a href="mbeans-descriptor-howto.html">16) MBean Descriptor</a></li><li><a href="default-servlet.html">17) Default Servlet</a></li><li><a href="cluster-howto.html">18) Clustering</a></li><li><a href="balancer-howto.html">19) Load Balancer</a></li><li><a href="connectors.html">20) Connectors</a></li><li><a href="monitoring.html">21) Monitoring and Management</a></li><li><a href="logging.html">22) Logging</a></li><li><a href="apr.html">23) APR/Native</a></li><li><a href="virtual-hosting-howto.html">24) Virtual Hosting</a></li><li><a href="aio.html">25) Advanced IO</a></li><li><a href="extras.html">26) Additional Components</a></li><li><a href="maven-jars.html">27) Mavenized</a></li></ul><p><strong>Reference</strong></p><ul><li><a href="RELEASE-NOTES.txt">Release Notes</a></li><li><a href="config/index.html">Configuration</a></li><li><a href="api/index.html">Javadocs</a></li><li><a href="http://tomcat.apache.org/connectors-doc/">JK 1.2 Documentation</a></li></ul><p><strong>Apache Tomcat Development</strong></p><ul><li><a href="building.html">Building</a></li><li><a href="changelog.html">Changelog</a></li><li><a href="http://wiki.apache.org/tomcat/TomcatVersions">Status</a></li><li><a href="developers.html">Developers</a></li><li><a href="architecture/index.html">Architecture</a></li><li><a href="funcspecs/index.html">Functional Specs.</a></li></ul></td><!--RIGHT SIDE MAIN BODY--><td width="80%" valign="top" align="left" id="mainBody"><h1>Apache Tomcat 6.0</h1><h2>Tomcat Web Application Deployment</h2><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"><tr><td bgcolor="#525D76"><font color="#ffffff" face="arial,helvetica.sanserif"><a name="Table of Contents"><!--()--></a><a name="Table_of_Contents"><strong>Table of Contents</strong></a></font></td></tr><tr><td><blockquote> | |
<ul><li><a href="#Introduction">Introduction</a></li><li><a href="#Installation">Installation</a></li><li><a href="#A_word_on_Contexts">A word on Contexts</a></li><li><a href="#Deployment_on_Tomcat_startup">Deployment on Tomcat startup</a></li><li><a href="#Deploying_on_a_running_Tomcat_server">Deploying on a running Tomcat server</a></li><li><a href="#Deploying_using_the_Tomcat_Manager">Deploying using the Tomcat Manager</a></li><li><a href="#Deploying_using_the_Client_Deployer_Package">Deploying using the Client Deployer Package</a></li></ul> | |
</blockquote></td></tr></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"><tr><td bgcolor="#525D76"><font color="#ffffff" face="arial,helvetica.sanserif"><a name="Introduction"><strong>Introduction</strong></a></font></td></tr><tr><td><blockquote> | |
<p> | |
Deployment is the term used for the process of installing a web | |
application (either a 3rd party WAR or your own custom web application) | |
into the Tomcat server. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
Web application deployment may be accomplished in a number of ways | |
within the Tomcat server.</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li>Statically; the web application is setup before Tomcat is started</li> | |
<li> | |
Dynamically; by directly manipulating already deployed web | |
applications (relying on <em>auto-deployment</em> | |
feature) or remotely by using the Tomcat Manager web | |
application | |
</li> | |
</ul> | |
<p> | |
The <a href="manager-howto.html">Tomcat Manager</a> is a web | |
application that can be used interactively (via HTML GUI) or | |
programmatically (via URL-based API) to deploy and manage web | |
applications. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
There are a number of ways to perform deployment that rely on | |
the Manager web application. Apache Tomcat provides tasks | |
for Apache Ant build tool. | |
<a href="http://tomcat.apache.org/">Apache Tomcat Maven Plugin</a> | |
project provides integration with Apache Maven. | |
There is also a tool called the Client Deployer, which can be | |
used from a command line and provides additional functionality | |
such as compiling and validating web applications as well as | |
packaging web application into web application resource (WAR) | |
files. | |
</p> | |
</blockquote></td></tr></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"><tr><td bgcolor="#525D76"><font color="#ffffff" face="arial,helvetica.sanserif"><a name="Installation"><strong>Installation</strong></a></font></td></tr><tr><td><blockquote> | |
<p> | |
There is no installation required for static deployment of web | |
applications as this is provided out of the box by Tomcat. Nor is any | |
installation required for deployment functions with the Tomcat Manager, | |
although some configuration is required as detailed in the | |
<a href="manager-howto.html">Tomcat Manager manual</a>. | |
An installation is however required if you wish | |
to use the Tomcat Client Deployer (TCD). | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
The TCD is not packaged with the Tomcat core | |
distribution, and must therefore be downloaded separately from | |
the Downloads area. The download is usually labelled | |
<i>apache-tomcat-6.0.x-deployer</i>. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
TCD has prerequisites of Apache Ant 1.6.2+ and a Java installation. | |
Your environment should define an ANT_HOME environment value pointing to | |
the root of your Ant installation, and a JAVA_HOME value pointing to | |
your Java installation. Additionally, you should ensure Ant's ant | |
command, and the Java javac compiler command run from the command shell | |
that your operating system provides. | |
</p> | |
<ol> | |
<li>Download the TCD distribution</li> | |
<li> | |
The TCD package need not be extracted into any existing Tomcat | |
installation, it can be extracted to any location. | |
</li> | |
<li>Read Using the <a href="#Deploying using the Client Deployer Package"> | |
Tomcat Client Deployer</a></li> | |
</ol> | |
</blockquote></td></tr></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"><tr><td bgcolor="#525D76"><font color="#ffffff" face="arial,helvetica.sanserif"><a name="A word on Contexts"><!--()--></a><a name="A_word_on_Contexts"><strong>A word on Contexts</strong></a></font></td></tr><tr><td><blockquote> | |
<p> | |
In talking about deployment of web applications, the concept of a | |
<i>Context</i> is required to be understood. A Context is what Tomcat | |
calls a web application. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
In order to configure a Context within Tomcat a <i>Context Descriptor</i> | |
is required. A Context Descriptor is simply an XML file that contains | |
Tomcat related configuration for a Context, e.g naming resources or | |
session manager configuration. In earlier versions of | |
Tomcat the content of a Context Descriptor configuration was often stored within | |
Tomcat's primary configuration file <i>server.xml</i> but this is now | |
discouraged (although it currently still works). | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
Context Descriptors not only help Tomcat to know how to configure | |
Contexts but other tools such as the Tomcat Manager and TCD often use | |
these Context Descriptors to perform their roles properly. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
The locations for Context Descriptors are: | |
</p> | |
<ol> | |
<li>$CATALINA_BASE/conf/[enginename]/[hostname]/[webappname].xml</li> | |
<li>$CATALINA_BASE/webapps/[webappname]/META-INF/context.xml</li> | |
</ol> | |
<p> | |
Files in (1) are named [webappname].xml but files in (2) are named | |
context.xml. If a Context Descriptor is not provided for a Context, | |
Tomcat configures the Context using default values. | |
</p> | |
</blockquote></td></tr></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"><tr><td bgcolor="#525D76"><font color="#ffffff" face="arial,helvetica.sanserif"><a name="Deployment on Tomcat startup"><!--()--></a><a name="Deployment_on_Tomcat_startup"><strong>Deployment on Tomcat startup</strong></a></font></td></tr><tr><td><blockquote> | |
<p> | |
If you are not interested in using the Tomcat Manager, or TCD, | |
then you'll need to deploy your web applications | |
statically to Tomcat, followed by a Tomcat startup. The location you | |
deploy web applications to for this type of deployment is called the | |
<code>appBase</code> which is specified per Host. You either copy a | |
so-called <i>exploded web application</i>, i.e non-compressed, to this | |
location, or a compressed web application resource .WAR file. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
The web applications present in the location specified by the Host's | |
(default Host is "localhost") <code>appBase</code> attribute (default | |
appBase is "$CATALINA_BASE/webapps") will be deployed on Tomcat startup | |
only if the Host's <code>deployOnStartup</code> attribute is "true". | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
The following deployment sequence will occur on Tomcat startup in that | |
case: | |
</p> | |
<ol> | |
<li>Any Context Descriptors will be deployed first.</li> | |
<li> | |
Exploded web applications not referenced by any Context | |
Descriptor will then be deployed. If they have an associated | |
.WAR file in the appBase and it is newer than the exploded web application, | |
the exploded directory will be removed and the webapp will be | |
redeployed from the .WAR | |
</li> | |
<li>.WAR files will be deployed</li> | |
</ol> | |
<p> | |
Note again that for each deployed web application, a | |
Context Descriptor will be created <i>unless one exists already</i>. | |
</p> | |
</blockquote></td></tr></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"><tr><td bgcolor="#525D76"><font color="#ffffff" face="arial,helvetica.sanserif"><a name="Deploying on a running Tomcat server"><!--()--></a><a name="Deploying_on_a_running_Tomcat_server"><strong>Deploying on a running Tomcat server</strong></a></font></td></tr><tr><td><blockquote> | |
<p> | |
It is possible to deploy web applications to a running Tomcat server. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
If the Host <code>autoDeploy</code> attribute is "true", the Host will | |
attempt to deploy and update web applications dynamically, as needed, | |
for example if a new .WAR is dropped into the <code>appBase</code>. | |
For this to work, the Host needs to have background processing | |
enabled which is the default configuration. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
<code>autoDeploy</code> set to "true" and a running Tomcat allows for: | |
</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li>Deployment of .WAR files copied into the Host <code>appBase</code>.</li> | |
<li> | |
Deployment of exploded web applications which are | |
copied into the Host <code>appBase</code>. | |
</li> | |
<li> | |
Re-deployment of a web application which has already been deployed from | |
a .WAR when the new .WAR is provided. In this case the exploded | |
web application is removed, and the .WAR is expanded again. | |
Note that the explosion will not occur if the Host is configured | |
so that .WARs are not exploded with a <code>unpackWARs</code> | |
attribute set to "false", in which case the web application | |
will be simply redeployed as a compressed archive. | |
</li> | |
<li> | |
Re-deployment of a web application if the /WEB-INF/web.xml file (or any | |
other resource defined as a WatchedResource) is updated. | |
</li> | |
<li> | |
Re-deployment of a web application if the Context Descriptor file from which | |
the web application has been deployed is updated. | |
</li> | |
<li> | |
Re-deployment of a web application if a Context Descriptor file (with a | |
filename corresponding to the Context path of the previously deployed | |
web application) is added to the | |
<code>$CATALINA_BASE/conf/[enginename]/[hostname]/</code> | |
directory. | |
</li> | |
<li> | |
Undeployment of a web application if its document base (docBase) | |
is deleted. Note that on Windows, this assumes that anti-locking | |
features (see Context configuration) are enabled, otherwise it is not | |
possible to delete the resources of a running web application. | |
</li> | |
</ul> | |
<p> | |
Note that web application reloading can also be configured in the loader, in which | |
case loaded classes will be tracked for changes. | |
</p> | |
</blockquote></td></tr></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"><tr><td bgcolor="#525D76"><font color="#ffffff" face="arial,helvetica.sanserif"><a name="Deploying using the Tomcat Manager"><!--()--></a><a name="Deploying_using_the_Tomcat_Manager"><strong>Deploying using the Tomcat Manager</strong></a></font></td></tr><tr><td><blockquote> | |
<p> | |
The Tomcat Manager is covered in its <a href="manager-howto.html">own manual page</a>. | |
</p> | |
</blockquote></td></tr></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"><tr><td bgcolor="#525D76"><font color="#ffffff" face="arial,helvetica.sanserif"><a name="Deploying using the Client Deployer Package"><!--()--></a><a name="Deploying_using_the_Client_Deployer_Package"><strong>Deploying using the Client Deployer Package</strong></a></font></td></tr><tr><td><blockquote> | |
<p> | |
Finally, deployment of web application may be achieved using the | |
Tomcat Client Deployer. This is a package which can be used to | |
validate, compile, compress to .WAR, and deploy web applications to | |
production or development Tomcat servers. It should be noted that this feature | |
uses the Tomcat Manager and as such the target Tomcat server should be | |
running. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
It is assumed the user will be familiar with Apache Ant for using the TCD. | |
Apache Ant is a scripted build tool. The TCD comes pre-packaged with a | |
build script to use. Only a modest understanding of Apache Ant is | |
required (installation as listed earlier in this page, and familiarity | |
with using the operating system command shell and configuring | |
environment variables). | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
The TCD includes Ant tasks, the Jasper page compiler for JSP compilation | |
before deployment, as well as a task which | |
validates the web application Context Descriptor. The validator task (class | |
<code>org.apache.catalina.ant.ValidatorTask</code>) allows only one parameter: | |
the base path of an exploded web application. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
The TCD uses an exploded web application as input (see the list of the | |
properties used below). A web application that is programmatically | |
deployed with the deployer may include a Context Descriptor in | |
<code>/META-INF/context.xml</code>. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
The TCD includes a ready-to-use Ant script, with the following targets: | |
</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li> | |
<code>compile</code> (default): Compile and validate the web | |
application. This can be used standalone, and does not need a running | |
Tomcat server. The compiled application will only run on the associated | |
Tomcat 6.0.x server release, and is not guaranteed to work on another | |
Tomcat release, as the code generated by Jasper depends on its runtime | |
component. It should also be noted that this target will also compile | |
automatically any Java source file located in the | |
<code>/WEB-INF/classes</code> folder of the web application.</li> | |
<li> | |
<code>deploy</code>: Deploy a web application (compiled or not) to | |
a Tomcat server. | |
</li> | |
<li><code>undeploy</code>: Undeploy a web application</li> | |
<li><code>start</code>: Start web application</li> | |
<li><code>reload</code>: Reload web application</li> | |
<li><code>stop</code>: Stop web application</li> | |
</ul> | |
<p> | |
In order for the deployment to be configured, create a file | |
called <code>deployer.properties</code> in the TCD installation | |
directory root. In this file, add the following name=value pairs per | |
line: | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
Additionally, you will need to ensure that a user has been | |
setup for the target Tomcat Manager (which TCD uses) otherwise the TCD | |
will not authenticate with the Tomcat Manager and the deployment will | |
fail. To do this, see the Tomcat Manager page. | |
</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li> | |
<code>build</code>: The build folder used will be, by default, | |
<code>${build}/webapp/${path}</code>. After the end of the execution | |
of the <code>compile</code> target, the web application .WAR will be | |
located at <code>${build}/webapp/${path}.war</code>. | |
</li> | |
<li> | |
<code>webapp</code>: The directory containing the exploded web application | |
which will be compiled and validated. By default, the folder is | |
<code>myapp</code>. | |
</li> | |
<li> | |
<code>path</code>: Deployed context path of the web application, | |
by default <code>/myapp</code>. | |
</li> | |
<li> | |
<code>url</code>: Absolute URL to the Tomcat Manager web application of a | |
running Tomcat server, which will be used to deploy and undeploy the | |
web application. By default, the deployer will attempt to access | |
a Tomcat instance running on localhost, at | |
<code>http://localhost:8080/manager</code>. | |
</li> | |
<li> | |
<code>username</code>: Tomcat Manager username (user should have a role of | |
manager-script) | |
</li> | |
<li><code>password</code>: Tomcat Manager password.</li> | |
</ul> | |
</blockquote></td></tr></table></td></tr><!--FOOTER SEPARATOR--><tr><td colspan="2"><hr noshade="noshade" size="1"></td></tr><!--PAGE FOOTER--><tr><td colspan="2"><div align="center"><font color="#525D76" size="-1"><em> | |
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