How to Install Apache Tomcat on an Ubuntu 24.04 VPS

Apache Tomcat is the most widely used open-source Java application server developed by the Apache Software Foundation and built for deploying Java Servlets and JSPs. Tomcat is now a lightweight but highly extensible and detailed server for developing into a cross-cutting set of development applications, making it probably the best known and most used free or open source servlet container. Setting up Apache Tomcat on a VPS You can host your web application that is capable of serving dynamic web pages using Tomcat.

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Apache Tomcat 8 on an Ubuntu 24.04 VPS and have it run under the default Tomcat user account, making your installation more secure from potential attacks.

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I’ll walk through each step with commands and explanations.

How to Install Apache Tomcat on an Ubuntu 24.04 VPS

For developers and system administrators who need a reliable, scalable Java application server built using the professional-quality open source package from the Apache Software Foundation, Tomcat will be a backbone for anyone navigating their Ubuntu 24.04 VPS looking for performance, stability, and dependability.

Step 1: Update packages & install Java

Tomcat runs on Java. Install an up-to-date OpenJDK (Tomcat 10.1 is built with OpenJDK 18) x needs Java 11+). Check on their site for what Java version your version of Tomcat needs.

sudo apt update

Install OpenJDK 17 (safe and modern default). If you prefer, you can also use openjdk-11-jdk. Tomcat is a Java servlet container; it needs JRE/JDK.

sudo apt install -y openjdk-17-jdk

Verify Java:

From the above command, Java is installed. First, the readlink | sed command prints the JAVA_HOME path (to then be able to populate correctly with Help in editing here) systemd file.

java -version

# and determine JAVA_HOME

readlink -f "$(which java)" | sed 's:bin/java::'

Step 2: Create a dedicated Tomcat user

Running Tomcat as a stand-alone user lowers the attack vector: if an attacker compromises Tomcat, there is only limited access to the system. Use a non-privileged user to start Tomcat for security.

sudo groupadd --system tomcat

sudo useradd -s /bin/false -g tomcat -d /opt/tomcat --system tomcat

Step 3: Download Tomcat

Choose the latest stable Tomcat release (below is an example with 10.1.47 – go to the Tomcat download page and mirrors for the current). Always choose the Official Releases download and check their checksums/signatures.

cd /tmp

wget https://archive.apache.org/dist/tomcat/tomcat-10/v10.0.8/bin/apache-tomcat-10.0.8.tar.gz

Extract to /opt/tomcat:

# create install dir and extract (strip top component into /opt/tomcat)

sudo mkdir -p /opt/tomcat

sudo tar xzf apache-tomcat-10.0.8.tar.gz

/opt is the usual place for optional or third-party software. When you go this route, your Tomcat will be kept separately from system-wide packages, and upgrades will be simpler in the future.

sudo mv apache-tomcat-10.0.8/* /opt/tomcat

Note - check your downloads: Tomcat new SHA512 checksums and OpenPGP signatures; it is recommended to check before posting the production. It is suggested by the Tomcat download page.

Step 4: Set ownership and adjust permissions

Tomcat needs to read its conf files, write logs/work/temp, and execute scripts. Assigning ownership to a loyal end-user also makes the system secure and predictable.

Enter the user and group that should own the installation, tomcat in this example.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /opt/tomcat/

sudo chmod -R 755 /opt/tomcat/

Step 5: Create a systemd unit

Then create a systemd service to control Tomcat just like any other service.

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/tomcat.service

[Unit]

Description=Apache Tomcat Web Application Container

After=network.target

[Service]

Type=forking

# Point JAVA_HOME to your JDK path; adjust if different

Environment=JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64

Environment=CATALINA_PID=/opt/tomcat/temp/tomcat.pid

Environment=CATALINA_HOME=/opt/tomcat

Environment=CATALINA_BASE=/opt/tomcat

Environment='CATALINA_OPTS=-Xms512M -Xmx1024M -server -XX:+UseParallelGC'

Environment='JAVA_OPTS=-Djava.security.egd=file:/dev/./urandom'

ExecStart=/opt/tomcat/bin/startup.sh

ExecStop=/opt/tomcat/bin/shutdown.sh

User=tomcat

Group=tomcat

UMask=0007

RestartSec=10

Restart=on-failure

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

EOF

Step 6: Manage systemd services

systemd takes care of the process lifecycle, resets it when it crashes, and will autostart Tomcat on boot.

Then enable and start:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

sudo systemctl enable --now tomcat

sudo systemctl start tomcat

sudo systemctl status tomcat --no-pager

Step 7: Test that Tomcat is running

It will be great to check the status of the process and HTTP response to see if Tomcat is up, listening to the port, or not. Now go to http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8080/ from your desktop — you should see the Tomcat welcome page:

That is all from the guide.

Conclusion

Few additions are as important and simple on a Ubuntu 24.04 VPS as installing Apache Tomcat. By completing the steps to install Java, creating a new Tomcat user, downloading and configuring your server for Tomcat, and then configuring a systemd service file, you are securing your system to ensure that it runs not only efficiently but securely.

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Karim Buzdar

Dec 16, 2025 • 5 min read