How to Install Tomcat 11 on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Java Runtime Environment

Tomcat is a Java application that requires installing Java on the system. If you don’t already have Java installed, read the post below to install it.

Install Java Runtime Environment on Ubuntu

After installing Java on Ubuntu, continue to install Tomcat.

Download Tomcat packages

You need to download the correct Tomcat 11 packages from the official Apache Tomcat website to install Tomcat 11 on Ubuntu 24.04. Make sure you get the latest available version of the binary code. This step gets the core software ready to install on your system.

Make sure the latest version and source from the download site.

Since we’re installing Tomcat version 11, download the 11 binary code using the command below.

curl -O https://dlcdn.apache.org/tomcat/tomcat-11/v11.0.4/bin/apache-tomcat-11.0.4.tar.gz

After downloading the file, extract the downloaded file.

tar zxvf apache-tomcat-11.0.4.tar.gz

sudo mv apache-tomcat-11.0.4 /usr/libexec/tomcat11

Create Tomcat user

Creating a dedicated user account for Tomcat on Ubuntu 24.04 is a smart security move. This new user will run Tomcat with its own specific permissions, keeping it separate from your main system account. This helps to isolate Tomcat and improve your server’s security.

Run the command below to create the Tomcat user with home directory of the extracted Tomcat packages.

The second command ensures the Tomcat user is the owner of the directory.

sudo useradd -M -d /usr/libexec/tomcat11 tomcat
sudo chown -R tomcat:tomcat /usr/libexec/tomcat11

Create system service

Making Tomcat 11 a system service on Ubuntu 24.04 lets you manage it easily using common commands to start and stop it. You create a special service file for this purpose. This setup ensures Tomcat starts automatically when your computer restarts, keeping your application running.

Run the command below to create a system service file for Tomcat.

sudo nano /usr/lib/systemd/system/tomcat11.service

Then, copy and paste the content below into the file.

[Unit]
Description=Apache Tomcat 11
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/libexec/tomcat11/bin/startup.sh
ExecStop=/usr/libexec/tomcat11/bin/shutdown.sh
RemainAfterExit=yes
User=tomcat
Group=tomcat

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save and exit the file.

Next, enable the service.

sudo systemctl enable --now tomcat11
sudo systemctl restart tomcat11

Access Tomcat web portal

You can access the Tomcat 11 web portal on your Ubuntu 24.04 server once it’s installed and running. Open your web browser and go to your server’s IP address or hostname, followed by port 8080. This is the standard way to check if Tomcat is working and reach its management pages.

You can access the Tomcat portal using the server IP address or hostname followed by port 8080 to manage your Tomcat 11 installation on Ubuntu 24.04.

http://srv1.example.com:8080

Tomcat is installed and ready.

You can create one by opening the configuration file below.

sudo nano /usr/libexec/tomcat11/conf/tomcat-users.xml

Then, copy and paste the code below in the file, just before the </tomcat-users>.

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

Save the file and exit.

To access the Tomcat server remotely, you must allow the remote IP address. To change IP address restrictions on these files, open the appropriate context.xml files.

Server Manager app:

sudo nano /usr/libexec/tomcat11/webapps/manager/META-INF/context.xml

Host Manager app:

sudo nano /usr/libexec/tomcat11/webapps/host-manager/META-INF/context.xml

Add the IP address you want to access remotely in the highlighted area.

<Context antiResourceLocking="false" privileged="true" >
  <!--<Valve className="org.apache.catalina.valves.RemoteAddrValve"
         allow="127.d+.d+.d+|::1|0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1|new_public_ip_address_here" />-->
</Context>

Save and close the files, and you’re done!

That should do it!

Conclusion:

In summary, installing Apache Tomcat 11 on Ubuntu 24.04 is a straightforward process that involves several key steps:

• Java Requirement: Ensure the Java Runtime Environment is installed before setting up Tomcat.
• ⬇️ Downloading Tomcat: Obtain the latest Tomcat 11 binary package from the official Apache website.
• User Creation: Create a dedicated system user for Tomcat to enhance security and manageability.
• System Service Setup: Configure Tomcat as a system service for easy management and automated start on boot.
• Accessing the Portal: Use the server’s IP address to access the Tomcat web portal at port 8080.
• Security Configuration: Set up user roles and permissions for the Tomcat server to manage access effectively.

You can successfully install and configure Tomcat 11, making the Java web server ready to deploy your Java web applications. Installing Tomcat 11 allows you to run web programs written in Java.