Install Apache Tomcat on CentOS 7

What is Apache Tomcat

Apache Tomcat is a Java Servlet container developed by Apache to which allows you to deploy Java servlets and JSPs.

Apache Tomcat also functions as a web server, which is able to support small to medium-sized websites.

Install Apache Tomcat

It is simple to install Tomcat on CentOS server, just run the following command:

yum install tomcat

This will install Tomcat and its dependencies ( Including Java).

Now, we can install additional Tomcat packages which are useful specially for those who are new to tomcat:

yum install tomcat-webapps tomcat-admin-webapps tomcat-docs-webapp tomcat-javadoc

Tomcat-webapps: Install Tomcat root webpage.
Tomcat-admin-webapps: Install Tomcat web admin manager.
Tomcat-docs-webapp & Tomcat-javadoc: Install the official Tomcat documentaion.

Open the firewall port for the Tomcat

Tomcat by default use port 8080 which you should open it in the firewall using the following command:

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

Run Tomcat as a service

If your server is running Apache, you need to stop it:

systemctl stop httpd

Start Tomcat:

systemctl start tomcat

Enable Tomcat to automatically start if the server is rebooted:

systemctl enable tomcat

Now you can verify that your Apache Tomcat is working fine by visiting the URL: http://IP-Address:8080 in your browser.

Use Tomcat Web Admin Manager

In order to use Tomcat’s web management interface, you will need to create a user. Open the tomcat-users.xml file with the command:

vi /usr/share/tomcat/conf/tomcat-users.xml

Scroll down to below the tag <tomcat-users> and add the information for your user account:

<user username="[username]" password="[password]" roles="manager-gui,admin-gui"/>

Save and exit the file. Restart the Tomcat service for the changes to take effect:

systemctl restart tomcat

In a browser, visit the URL http://IP-Address:8080 to see the Tomcat welcome page. Click the Manager App link.

You will be prompted to log in with the username and password you created.