How to Install Apache Tomcat on Ubuntu 20.04

Apache Tomcat is an open-source web server and servlet container used to deploy Java-based web applications. It provides a lightweight and efficient environment for running Java servlets and JavaServer Pages (JSPs).

Installation Steps

To begin, we need to update the system packages to their latest version. Open a terminal and run the following commands:

Tomcat requires Java to be installed on your system. Install the default JDK package by running the following command:

Go to the official Apache Tomcat website and navigate to the Tomcat 9 Downloads page. Copy the URL of the latest version of Tomcat 9 (e.g., https://downloads.apache.org/tomcat/tomcat-9/v9.0.46/bin/apache-tomcat-9.0.46.tar.gz).

Back in the terminal, change to the /tmp directory and download the Tomcat package using wget:

Once the download is complete, extract the Tomcat archive using the following command:

Create a symbolic link to have a shorter path to the Tomcat installation directory:

Change ownership and permissions of the Tomcat installation directory:

Edit the ~/.bashrc file to set the required environment variables:

To start the Tomcat service, run the following command:

If you have a firewall enabled on your system, you need to allow inbound traffic on port 8080. Run the following command to open the Tomcat port:

1. Update System Packages
2. sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
3. Install Java Development Kit (JDK)
4. sudo apt install default-jdk
5. Download Apache Tomcat
6. cd /tmp
wget [paste_the_url_copied_above]
7. Extract Tomcat Archive
8. sudo tar -xf apache-tomcat-*.tar.gz -C /opt
9. Create Symbolic Link
10. sudo ln -s /opt/apache-tomcat-* /opt/tomcat
11. Update Permissions
12. sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /opt/tomcat
sudo chmod +x /opt/tomcat/bin/*.sh
13. Set Environment Variables
14. nano ~/.bashrc

    Add the following lines at the end of the file:

    export CATALINA_HOME="/opt/tomcat"
export JAVA_HOME="/usr/lib/jvm/default-java"

    Save and close the file, then apply the changes using:

    source ~/.bashrc
15. Start Tomcat
16. $CATALINA_HOME/bin/startup.sh

    To verify that Tomcat is running, open a web browser and visit:

    http://localhost:8080
17. Configure Firewall
18. sudo ufw allow 8080

    Now, your Apache Tomcat installation should be complete and ready to use.

For more advanced configuration and securing Apache Tomcat, refer to the official documentation: https://tomcat.apache.org/