Spring Boot applications can be packaged as JAR or WAR files. While JAR files are self-contained and runnable with an embedded server, WAR files are deployed to external servers like Apache Tomcat. This tutorial will guide you through the steps to deploy a Spring Boot WAR file into a Tomcat server.
Prerequisites
- JDK 17 or later
- Maven or Gradle
- Apache Tomcat installed
- IDE (IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, etc.)
Step 1: Set Up a Spring Boot Project
1.1 Create a New Spring Boot Project
Use Spring Initializr to create a new project with the following dependencies:
Download and unzip the project, then open it in your IDE.
1.2 Configure application.properties
Set up the application properties for your project. This file is located in the src/main/resources
directory.
# src/main/resources/application.properties
server.port=8080
Step 2: Modify the Project to Generate a WAR File
2.1 Update pom.xml
for Maven
If you are using Maven, modify the pom.xml
to package the application as a WAR file and to include the Tomcat dependency for provided scope.
<packaging>war</packaging>
<dependencies>
<!-- Other dependencies -->
<!-- Provided Tomcat dependency -->
<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-boot-starter-tomcat</artifactId>
<scope>provided</scope>
</dependency>
</dependencies>
<build>
<plugins>
<plugin>
<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
<artifactId>maven-war-plugin</artifactId>
</plugin>
<plugin>
<groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-boot-maven-plugin</artifactId>
<configuration>
<excludeDevtools>false</excludeDevtools>
</configuration>
</plugin>
</plugins>
</build>
2.2 Update build.gradle
for Gradle
If you are using Gradle, modify the build.gradle
to package the application as a WAR file and to include the Tomcat dependency for provided scope.
plugins {
id 'org.springframework.boot' version '3.2.0'
id 'io.spring.dependency-management' version '1.1.0'
id 'java'
id 'war'
}
group = 'com.example'
version = '0.0.1-SNAPSHOT'
sourceCompatibility = '17'
repositories {
mavenCentral()
}
dependencies {
implementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-web'
providedRuntime 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-tomcat'
}
bootWar {
mainClassName = 'com.example.demo.DemoApplication'
}
2.3 Extend SpringBootServletInitializer
Create a class that extends SpringBootServletInitializer
to configure the application when it's launched by a servlet container.
package com.example.demo;
import org.springframework.boot.builder.SpringApplicationBuilder;
import org.springframework.boot.web.servlet.support.SpringBootServletInitializer;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
@Configuration
public class ServletInitializer extends SpringBootServletInitializer {
@Override
protected SpringApplicationBuilder configure(SpringApplicationBuilder application) {
return application.sources(DemoApplication.class);
}
}
2.4 Main Application Class
Ensure your main application class is annotated with @SpringBootApplication
.
package com.example.demo;
import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
@SpringBootApplication
public class DemoApplication {
public static void main(String[] args) {
SpringApplication.run(DemoApplication.class, args);
}
}
2.5 Create a Simple REST Controller
Create a simple REST controller to test the application.
package com.example.demo.controller;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;
@RestController
public class HelloController {
@GetMapping("/hello")
public String hello() {
return "Hello, World!";
}
}
Step 3: Build the WAR File
3.1 Package the Application
Build and package your Spring Boot application as a WAR file using Maven or Gradle.
For Maven:
./mvnw clean package
For Gradle:
./gradlew clean build
Explanation:
- These commands compile the code, run tests, and package the application into a WAR file located in the
target
(for Maven) or build/libs
(for Gradle) directory.
Step 4: Deploy the WAR File to Tomcat
4.1 Copy the WAR File to Tomcat
Locate the generated WAR file (e.g., demo-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.war
) and copy it to the webapps
directory of your Tomcat installation.
4.2 Start Tomcat
Start the Tomcat server. You can do this by running the startup
script in the bin
directory of your Tomcat installation.
For Windows:
./bin/startup.bat
For Unix/Linux:
./bin/startup.sh
4.3 Access the Application
Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080/demo-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT/hello
. You should see the following response:
Hello, World!
Step 5: Troubleshooting and Common Issues
5.1 Tomcat Logs
If the application does not start correctly, check the Tomcat logs in the logs
directory for any errors or stack traces that can help diagnose the problem.
5.2 Application Context Path
The application will be accessible using the context path derived from the WAR file name. If you need to change the context path, rename the WAR file before copying it to the webapps
directory, or configure the context path in the server.xml
file of your Tomcat installation.
5.3 Common Errors
- ClassNotFoundException: Ensure that all necessary dependencies are included and the provided scope is set correctly.
- Port Conflicts: Ensure that the port specified in
application.properties
does not conflict with other applications.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, you have learned how to deploy a Spring Boot application as a WAR file to an external Tomcat server. We covered:
- Setting up a Spring Boot project.
- Modifying the project to generate a WAR file.
- Building the WAR file.
- Deploying the WAR file to a Tomcat server.
- Accessing the deployed application.
By following these steps, you can deploy your Spring Boot applications to any external servlet container, providing flexibility in how you deploy and manage your applications.
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