May 31, 2026 · Web Servers · 2min read

Apache Tomcat Local Development Guide

Run Apache Tomcat on localhost, default port 8080, deploy Java web applications, and access via http://localhost:8080.

Apache Tomcat is an open-source Java Servlet container used for running JSP and Servlet applications. When developing Java web projects locally, Tomcat is one of the most commonly used localhost environments.

Default localhost Access

Purpose	Address
Default Home	http://localhost:8080
Management UI	http://localhost:8080/manager/html

Tomcat listens on port 8080 by default (to avoid conflicts with Apache on port 80).

Installation and Startup

Download the appropriate version of Tomcat for your JDK from tomcat.apache.org.
Extract it to a local directory, such as /opt/tomcat or C:\tomcat.
Run bin/startup.sh (Linux/macOS) or bin\startup.bat (Windows).
Open a browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080 to see the Tomcat welcome page, indicating success.

Deploying Applications

Place the WAR file in the webapps/ directory, or extract it into a folder with the same name:

webapps/myapp.war   →  http://localhost:8080/myapp/
webapps/demo/       →  http://localhost:8080/demo/

IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse) can also be configured to run/debug Tomcat directly.

Changing the Port

Edit conf/server.xml, find Connector port="8080", change it to another port like 9090, and restart to use http://localhost:9090.

Common Issues

Port 8080 is Occupied
Change the port in server.xml, or close the program occupying port 8080 (such as another Tomcat instance or certain built-in IDE services).

404 Page
Ensure the application is deployed in webapps and the context path is correct.

JDK Version Mismatch
Tomcat 10+ requires Jakarta EE (Java 11+), ensure it matches the Servlet API version of your project.

Summary

Tomcat is the standard container for local Java web development, accessible at http://localhost:8080. Simply place your WAR file in webapps to access it.