Here's a comprehensive tutorial on deploying a Tomcat application server:

'Tomcat Application Server Tutorial'

Introduction

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In this tutorial, we will learn how to create a simple Java web application, build a deployable WAR file, and then deploy it inside an application server running as a Docker container. We will be using IntelliJ IDEA as our development environment.

Installing Docker and Enabling the Docker Plugin

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Before we begin, make sure you have installed and run Docker on your system. Also, enable the Docker plugin in IntelliJ IDEA by going to Settings > Build, Execution, Deployment > Docker > Dockerfile.

Creating a New Project

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In IntelliJ IDEA, create a new project by selecting 'New' from the start page or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + N. In the New Project dialog, select 'Web' and then 'Java EE' as the project type. Name your project 'DockerJavaWebApp'.

Configuring the Tomcat Web Management Interface

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To configure the Tomcat web management interface, we need to map the WAR artifact output directory `/target` to the Tomcat Wildfly server deployment directory: `/usr/local/tomcat/webapps /opt/jboss/wildfly/standalone/deployments`. We also need to specify the name of the container and the port number.

Building a WAR Artifact

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To build a WAR artifact, right-click on your project in the Project tool window and select 'Build Artifact'. In the Build Artifact dialog, select 'DockerJavaWebApp:war' as the artifact. Click OK to start building the WAR file.

Deploying the Application

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To deploy the application, we need to create a Docker container using the `docker run` command. We will use the Tomcat Wildfly server image and map port 8080 to the host IP address 127.0.0.1 and port 8080.

Creating a Docker Container

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In the Services tool window, right-click on the 'tomcat:latest' image and select 'Create Container'. In the Create Docker Configuration dialog, specify the name of the container as 'TomcatContainer' and set the port number to 8080. Click OK to create the container.

Running a Docker Container

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To run the Docker container, right-click on the TomcatContainer in the Services tool window and select 'Run'. The container will start running and you can access your application by visiting `http://localhost:8080` in your web browser.

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In this tutorial, we learned how to create a simple Java web application, build a deployable WAR file, and then deploy it inside an application server running as a Docker container. We used IntelliJ IDEA as our development environment and the Tomcat Wildfly server image for deploying the application. This tutorial demonstrates the power of using Docker to run an application server and deploy Java web applications in it.

By following this tutorial, you should now have a basic understanding of how to deploy a Tomcat application server using Docker. You can use this knowledge to create more complex web applications and deploy them inside a containerized environment.

Tomcat application server tutorial