Guide on Installing Apache Tomcat 11.0.7 in Combination with Nginx and SSL on Rocky Linux 9
Deploying Apache Tomcat 11.0.7 with Nginx and SSL on Rocky Linux 9 offers several benefits for Java web applications. This combination leverages Tomcat's Java servlet expertise with Nginx's high-performance web serving and proxy abilities, running on a secure and compatible Rocky Linux 9 environment.
Key benefits include:
- Efficient Java Servlet Hosting: Apache Tomcat specializes in hosting Java-based web applications, providing a reliable, lightweight, and modular platform to run Java servlets and JSPs, managing lifecycle and concurrent requests efficiently.
- Improved Performance and Scalability: Nginx acts as a reverse proxy in front of Tomcat, handling incoming HTTP(S) requests, load balancing, and static resource caching. Nginx’s event-driven, non-blocking architecture makes it scalable and fast, reducing Tomcat load and improving response times under heavy traffic.
- Security Enhancements: Nginx allows easy setup of HTTPS with TLS termination, offloading encryption/decryption from Tomcat. It also enables web application firewall integrations and header filtering. This secures client connections and protects backend Tomcat servers.
- Flexible Deployment on Rocky Linux 9: Rocky Linux 9 is a stable, enterprise-grade OS compatible with both Tomcat and Nginx, offering strong security updates and performance optimizations ideal for production Java web applications.
- Better Resource Management: By letting Nginx serve static content (images, CSS, JS) and forward only dynamic requests to Tomcat, system resource usage is optimized and request handling streamlined.
- Simplified Configuration and Maintenance: Tomcat’s modular architecture together with Nginx reverse proxy setup provides flexibility in tuning components separately according to application needs.
To deploy Apache Tomcat:
- Create an instance on Shape.Host by visiting our website.host, logging in, clicking "Create", choosing "Instance", selecting your desired server location, choosing Rocky Linux 9 (64-bit) as the operating system, and picking a plan with at least 2 CPUs, 4 GB RAM, and 20 GB SSD.
- Install OpenJDK 17, ensuring Java is correctly installed.
- Download, extract, and move Tomcat to the final directory, setting proper permissions.
- Create a Tomcat Systemd service with the provided configuration.
- Access Tomcat in your browser by entering the IP address followed by the port number.
Security recommendations for deploying Apache Tomcat include:
- Running it under a non-root system user
- Binding it to a private network
- Using SELinux in enforcing mode with correct policies
- Restricting connectors and secure headers
- Using Certbot for TLS with automatic renewal
- Enabling firewalld to only expose necessary ports
Deploying Apache Tomcat 11.0.7 with Nginx and SSL on Rocky Linux 9 provides a modern, secure, and scalable environment for Java web applications. Common use cases for Apache Tomcat include hosting Spring Boot or Jakarta EE-based web apps, running admin panels or dashboards in Java, deploying APIs behind HTTPS reverse proxy, and serving enterprise SaaS with role-based access.
Lastly, remember to update all system packages to their latest versions and connect via SSH using PuTTY (for Windows). Enjoy building your Java web applications with this robust, secure, and performant stack!
- The efficient Java Servlet hosting provided by Apache Tomcat, in conjunction with the high-performance web serving capabilities of Nginx and secure environment of Rocky Linux 9, makes for a modern, secure, and scalable solution for hosting Java web applications.
- This combination of technology, finance (needing secure and scalable solutions), business (Java web applications), data-and-cloud-computing (leveraging Nginx's reverse proxy and Tomcat's Java servlet expertise), and industry (utilizing Nginx's event-driven architecture for improved performance and scalability) offers a robust and performant environment for various purposes such as hosting Spring Boot or Jakarta EE-based web apps, running admin panels or dashboards, deploying APIs, and serving enterprise SaaS.
