How to set Java PATH and CLASSPATH in a servlet container (Tomcat, Jetty, etc.)

01 Oct 2023

servletcontainer

When working with a servlet container like Tomcat or Jetty, it is important to properly set the Java PATH and CLASSPATH to ensure that your Java application can find and load its required dependencies. In this blog post, we will walk through the steps to set the Java PATH and CLASSPATH in a servlet container.

What is PATH?

The PATH variable in Java determines the directories where the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) searches for executable Java programs.

Steps to set the Java PATH:

Open your terminal or command prompt.
Find the location of your Java installation directory.
Locate the bin directory within the Java installation directory.
Copy the full path of the bin directory.
Type the following command in the terminal to set the PATH:
```
export PATH=/path/to/java/bin:$PATH
```
Replace /path/to/java/bin with the actual path you copied in step 4.
Verify that the PATH has been set correctly by running the following command:
```
java -version
```
You should see the Java version displayed if the PATH has been set successfully.

What is CLASSPATH?

The CLASSPATH variable in Java specifies the directories or JAR files where Java looks for class files.

Steps to set the Java CLASSPATH:

Determine the location of your Java application’s required libraries or JAR files.
Copy the full path of each library or JAR file.
Type the following command to set the CLASSPATH in your servlet container’s configuration file (e.g., catalina.bat for Tomcat):

For Windows:
```
set "CLASSPATH=/path/to/library1.jar;/path/to/library2.jar;%CLASSPATH%"
```
For Unix/Linux:
```
CLASSPATH="/path/to/library1.jar:/path/to/library2.jar:$CLASSPATH"
export CLASSPATH
```
Replace /path/to/library1.jar and /path/to/library2.jar with the actual paths to your library or JAR files.
Save the changes to the configuration file and restart the servlet container.

Setting the Java PATH and CLASSPATH correctly ensures that your servlet container can find the necessary Java libraries and executes your Java application smoothly.

#java #servletcontainer