Installing Apache Tomcat on macOS | Generated by AI

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Here’s a step-by-step guide for installing and running Apache Tomcat on macOS:

1. Check Java

Tomcat requires Java. Verify you have it installed:

java -version

If you don’t see a Java version (e.g., 1.8 or 11 or higher), install one. On macOS the easiest way is via Homebrew:

brew install openjdk@11

Then link it:

brew link --force --overwrite openjdk@11

2. Install Tomcat (Option A: Homebrew – easiest)

With Homebrew you can quickly install Tomcat:

brew install tomcat

This typically installs the latest version (e.g., Tomcat 10).

You’ll find it under:

/usr/local/Cellar/tomcat/<version>/libexec

Or if using Apple Silicon:

/opt/homebrew/Cellar/tomcat/<version>/libexec

Run it with:

catalina run

3. Install Tomcat (Option B: Manual Download – official way)

  1. Go to the Apache Tomcat website and download the latest stable release (choose the .tar.gz).

  2. Extract it to a directory, for example:

    tar xvf apache-tomcat-10.*.tar.gz
mv apache-tomcat-10.* ~/tomcat

  3. Start Tomcat:

    cd ~/tomcat/bin
./startup.sh

  4. To stop it:

    ./shutdown.sh

4. Verify Installation

Open your browser and go to:

http://localhost:8080

You should see the Tomcat welcome page.

5. (Optional) Add to PATH

So you can run startup.sh from anywhere, add this to your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc:

export CATALINA_HOME=~/tomcat
export PATH=$CATALINA_HOME/bin:$PATH

Reload:

source ~/.zshrc

👉 That’s it. Now you have Tomcat running locally on macOS.

Do you want me to also show you how to deploy a WAR file to Tomcat on macOS after setup?

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