Apache Updates Tomcat Java Web Server

Darryl K. Taft,

Apache has upgraded the Tomcat web server by releasing version 7.0, the first major release of the software since 2006

Four years after it was last updated, the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) has released version 7.0 of Apache Tomcat, the popular open-source Java web server.

Apache Tomcat 7 is the project’s first major release since 2006, fully implementing the Java Servlet 3.0, JavaServer Pages (JSP) 2.2, and Expression Language (EL) 2.2 specifications for easier web framework integration.

One of the ASF’s earliest projects, the Tomcat code base was first donated to the ASF in 1999; the first Apache release, v.3.0, was made later that year.

No Manual Coding

Tomcat 7 makes it simpler to write and deploy complex web applications, providing out-of-the-box support for development features that would otherwise be coded manually.

Developers using Tomcat 7 also will benefit from improved memory leak detection and prevention and support for ‘aliasing’ directories into an application’s URL space. All known bugs reported in previous versions of Tomcat have been fixed in v.7.0.

Apache is an all-volunteer group that serves as developers, stewards, and incubators of 143 open source projects and initiatives. Apache Tomcat is shepherded by dozens of volunteers who contribute updates to its code base; its day-to-day operations, including community development and product releases, are overseen by a project management committee.

“Developers can rely on Tomcat 7 for faster, more reliable application development and integration, providing both a better user experience and better use of server resources,” said Mark Thomas, a member of the Apache Tomcat Project Management Committee.

Popular Web Server

With more than 10 million downloads to date, Apache Tomcat powers a broad range of websites.

“MuleSoft applauds the Apache Tomcat team on the release of Tomcat 7,” said Ross Mason, founder and CTO of MuleSoft, in a statement. “The improvements in this new release leverage advances in Java, including the Servlet 3 specification, significantly improving the lives of the world’s Web application developers. This release includes more than 10 years of active community development effort, continuing Tomcat’s lead as the best Java web application server to power the enterprise.”

“I am delighted to see this first release of Apache Tomcat 7,” said Rod Johnson, general manager of the SpringSource division of VMware. “Tomcat has always been the most popular deployment platform for Spring-based applications and this new release adds some great production technology. Tomcat’s small footprint and reliable execution make it the ideal choice for the runtime component of SpringSource’s tc Server. These features are also proving particularly important as organizations move their workloads to the cloud.”

Tomcat versions 5.x and 6.x will continue to be supported; however, bug fixes or updates to possible security vulnerabilities in earlier versions may be slightly delayed.

Tomcat 7 is released under the Apache Software License v2.0. Downloads, documentation, and related resources are available at http://tomcat.apache.org/.