Updated March 13, 2023
Introduction to Tomcat server.xml
tomcat server.xml file is used to set the configurations of each of the modules and their corresponding properties related to the tomcat web server. There are various modules present in the tomcat server each of them having certain properties all of which are specified inside the server.xml file. In this article, we will discuss the basic introduction to the server.xml file of tomcat, using the server.xml file, some of the examples related to it, the configuration file, and its corresponding elements. Finally, we will conclude our statement.
Tomcat server.xml is the part of configurations needed to run tomcat 3.3. A model of the tomcat web server is implemented by using the set mode of various models. Every module contains various properties and has the implementation of single or multiple hooks each of one responsible for implementing particular responsibilities. We can configure the modules by using its default method of setting up the mechanism of XML files.
For each module, we will have one element of XML. The attributes of the XML file are used for describing the properties of the module. Inside the configurations of tomcat server, the Server.xml file is the main configuration file located at path TOMCAT_HOME/conf/server.xml. Inside TOMCAT_HOME/conf/name-of-server.xml file helps in manipulating configurations of the local system that is read after server.xml file.
Using Tomcat server.xml
Tomcat server.xml file can be used for setting the configurations of the modules, there corresponding class files, and its properties by using simple tags called elements. Each of the functionality can be implemented by using a separate element tag. Server.xml file helps you to get the instance of tomcat for your system in such a way that it can be completely customized as per your requirements by specifying the configurations inside the server.xml file.
Tomcat server.xml Examples
The sample example of server.xml file that represents the default elements is as shown below –
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<Server port="8005" shutdown="SHUTDOWN">
<Listener className="org.apache.catalina.core.JasperListener" />
<Listener className="org.apache.catalina.core.AprLifecycleListener" SSLEngine="on" />
<Listener className="org.apache.catalina.mbeans.GlobalResourcesLifecycleListener" />
<Listener className="org.apache.catalina.core.ThreadLocalLeakPreventionListener" />
<GlobalNamingResources>
<Resource name="EducbaDatabase" auth="Container"
type="org.apache.catalina.EducbaDatabase"
description="User database that can be updated and saved"
factory="org.apache.catalina.users.MemoryEducbaDatabaseFactory"
pathname="conf/tomcat-users.xml" />
</GlobalNamingResources>
<Service name="Catalina">
<Connector port="8080" protocol="HTTP/1.1" connectionTimeout="20000" redirectPort="8443" />
<Connector port="8009" protocol="AJP/1.3" redirectPort="8443" />
<Engine name="Catalina" defaultHost="www.Educba.com">
<Realm className="org.apache.catalina.realm.LockOutRealm">
<Realm className="org.apache.catalina.realm.EducbaDatabaseRealm"
resourceName="EducbaDatabase"/>
</Realm>
<Host name="www.Educba.com" appBase="webapps" unpackWARs="true" autoDeploy="true">
<Valve className="org.apache.catalina.valves.AccessLogValve" directory="logs" prefix="www.Educba.com_access_log." suffix=".txt" pattern="%h %l %u %t "%r" %s %b" />
</Host>
</Engine>
</Service>
</Server>
Configuration File (server.xml)
Configuration file helps in setting the multiple modules and their corresponding properties of configuration which help in determining the behavior of the tomcat web server on your system and create an instance of tomcat in a flexible way which helps in controlling the features on your system. Previously, the module was called Interceptor in Tomcat web server. The use of the Interceptor word is most of the time used as a synonym to module word in tomcat. In tomcat configuration file there are various modules that are listed in the below table along with their functionality –
| Module | Functionality |
| Access Interceptor | Authorization, Access, and Authentication |
| JDBC Realm | Authorization, Access, and Authentication |
| Credential Interceptor | Authorization, Access, and Authentication |
| Simple Realm | Authorization, Access, and Authentication |
| Error Handler | Generators |
| Invoker Interceptor | Generators |
| Static Interceptor | Generators |
| Jdk12 Interceptor | Generators |
| Log Events | Loggers |
| Access Log Interceptor | Loggers |
| Apache Config | Configuration |
| Auto Web App | Configuration |
| Auto Deploy | Configuration |
| ISS Config | Configuration |
| Mx Interceptor | Configuration |
| NS Config | Configuration |
| Trusted Loader | Configuration |
| J serv Config | Configuration |
| Loader Interceptor 11 | Configuration |
| Log Setter | Configuration |
| Work Dir Setup | Configuration |
| Context XML Reader | Configuration |
| HTTP 10 Connector | Server |
| Jni Connector | Server |
| Coyote Connector | Server |
| Ajp 13 Connector | Server |
| Ajp 12 Connector | Server |
| Reload Interceptor | Mappers |
| Decode Interceptor | Mappers |
| Simple Mapper 1 | Mappers |
| Session-Id | Session |
| Session Expirer | Session |
| Session-Id Generator | Session |
| Simple Session Store | Session |
Elements
Server.xml file is the XML file made up of elements that are mostly for each module. The setters of java are directly corresponded and associated with the attributes of elements. The documentation of elements can be extensively found in the java docs. However, let us discuss some of the most common and supported behaviors.
The instance is represented by using the parent configuration elements inside the tomcat server.xml file. The main purpose of the tomcat server.xml file is itself to define the configurations for the instance of the web server. The main element inside the configuration server.xml file is the Server element which has a single child tag of Context Manager used for describing the configurations of tomcat.
For example, the configuration server.xml file is as shown below demonstrating the main elements Server and ContextManager –
<Server>
<ContextManager>
Configurations of tomcat
</ContextManager>
</Server>
The Context Manager element is used for making the tomcat options generalized. The child elements supported by this are as listed below –
- <Context> – It helps in defining the web application. We can specify the legacy method of web application by using Context tag which helps in defining the web app. Basically, this tag is there because we want backward compatibility with the older versions of tomcat. We will need to define all the applications details in a separate file of config due to rule which has the name apps-name.xml file. We will not need to change the web apps server.xml file every time when we will configure our app.
- <module name = “name of module” javaClass = “full class name”> – This element helps in adding the module to the configurations. Modules.xml is the file in which all the standard lists of modules of the system are defined. We can even define additional modules inside the file named server.xml file. This behavior of this element is quite similar to that of taskdef inside ant.
- <name of module> This helps in adding the module to the configuration file. The names of the module are specified inside the file named modules.xml. Inside this file, each of the tag corresponds to the name of the class that helps in implementing that particular module. The attributes or properties of that tag represent the setter method that are present in that particular class file.
- <property name = “particular name” value = “particular value” >- This element is used for adding the names and values for the context manager. These are mostly used in the scenarios of variable substitution instead of attributes.
Other than the above-mentioned elements there are certain attributes such as workDir, home, and installDir.
Conclusion
The tomcat server.xml file helps in specifying the configurations and properties of each of the modules in the tomcat that enables to get the instance of tomcat that will behave in a completely customized way as per the modules and configurations defined by you.
Recommended Articles
This is a guide to Tomcat server.xml. Here we discuss the Introduction, how to use, examples with code implementation. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more –
