Automating Deployment to a Remote Tomcat Server Using Maven

Deploying Java web applications to a remote Apache Tomcat server can be streamlined using Maven. This guide explains how to automate the process using the cargo-maven2-plugin.

1. Prerequisites

• A Java web application (WAR file).
• Apache Tomcat installed on a remote server.
• SSH and network access to the remote Tomcat server.

2. Configure the pom.xml

Add the following plugin to your pom.xml to automate deployment:

<plugins>
    <plugin>
        <groupId>org.codehaus.cargo</groupId>
        <artifactId>cargo-maven2-plugin</artifactId>
        <version>1.9.8</version>
        <configuration>
            <container>
                <containerId>tomcat9x</containerId>
                <type>remote</type>
            </container>
            <configuration>
                <type>runtime</type>
                <properties>
                    <cargo.remote.username>admin</cargo.remote.username>
                    <cargo.remote.password>yourpassword</cargo.remote.password>
                    <cargo.remote.uri>http://your-server-ip:8080/manager/text</cargo.remote.uri>
                </properties>
            </configuration>
        </configuration>
    </plugin>
</plugins>
    

Parameters Explained

The above configuration uses several parameters. Below is an explanation of each:

• <containerId>: Specifies the target container type (e.g., tomcat9x for Tomcat 9). This tells Cargo which server instance type to use.
• <type> (within <container>): Indicates that the container is remote, meaning the server is not running on the local machine.
• <type> (within <configuration>): Specifies the configuration type; using runtime indicates that the deployment applies to a running server.
• <cargo.remote.username>: The username used to authenticate with the remote Tomcat Manager.
• <cargo.remote.password>: The password associated with the username for accessing the Tomcat Manager.
• <cargo.remote.uri>: The URI of the remote Tomcat Manager. Replace http://your-server-ip:8080/manager/text with the actual address and port of your server's manager interface.

3. Add Server Credentials

In ~/.m2/settings.xml, define the credentials:

<servers>
    <server>
        <id>cargo-tomcat</id>
        <username>admin</username>
        <password>yourpassword</password>
    </server>
</servers>
    

4. Deploy the Application

Run the following command to package and deploy the application:

mvn clean package cargo:deploy

For an update without restarting the server, use:

mvn cargo:redeploy

5. Conclusion

By integrating Maven with the Cargo plugin, you can streamline the deployment process and ensure faster updates to your application.