Tomcat for VSCode

Advanced Apache Tomcat management. Full server control, smart deployment, browser integration and debugging support.

Features

• Real-Time HTTP Traffic Monitoring
  Monitor Tomcat access logs dynamically with built-in syntax highlighting

• Customizable Deployment Strategies
  Three build strategies with memory-optimized fast deployment (4× faster than Maven)

• On-Save Deployment
  Automatically deploy your project every time you save a file — no manual steps needed.

• Built-in Debugging
  Java-specific syntax coloring in output channel with organized error messages

• Smart Resource Management
  Automatic process cleanup and EBUSY error recovery during deployments

• Cross-Browser Automation
  Automate browser testing across multiple browsers seamlessly.

Installation

1. Open VS Code
2. Launch Extensions View (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for Al-rimi.tomcat
4. Click Install

Command line:

code --install-extension Al-rimi.tomcat

Usage

ℹ️ The Editor Button and Status Bar are only visible when the current project is detected as a Java EE project, following VScode Editor Actions and Status Bar Guidelines.

When is a project considered a Java EE project? click to expand

public static isJavaEEProject(): boolean {
    const workspaceFolders = vscode.workspace.workspaceFolders;

    // Check 0: Workspace must be open
    if (!workspaceFolders) {
        return false;
    }

    const rootPath = workspaceFolders[0].uri.fsPath;
    const webInfPath = path.join(rootPath, 'src', 'main', 'webapp', 'WEB-INF');

    // Check 1: Look for WEB-INF directory in the standard structure
    if (fs.existsSync(webInfPath)) {
        return true;
    }

    // Check 2: Check for presence of deployment descriptor (web.xml)
    if (fs.existsSync(path.join(webInfPath, 'web.xml'))) {
        return true;
    }

    const pomPath = path.join(rootPath, 'pom.xml');

    // Check 3: Look for WAR packaging in Maven project
    if (
        fs.existsSync(pomPath) &&
        fs.readFileSync(pomPath, 'utf-8').includes('<packaging>war</packaging>')
    ) {
        return true;
    }

    const gradlePath = path.join(rootPath, 'build.gradle');

    // Check 4: Look for Java EE-related keywords in Gradle config
    if (
        fs.existsSync(gradlePath) &&
        fs.readFileSync(gradlePath, 'utf-8').match(/(tomcat|jakarta|javax\.ee)/i)
    ) {
        return true;
    }

    const targetPath = path.join(rootPath, 'target');

    // Check 5: Look for compiled artifacts (.war or .ear) in target folder
    if (
        fs.existsSync(targetPath) &&
        fs.readdirSync(targetPath).some(file => file.endsWith('.war') || file.endsWith('.ear'))
    ) {
        return true;
    }

    // If none match, project is not considered a Java EE project
    return false;
}

Method location, If you notice any false positives/negatives or have better ideas for detection logic, you are more than welcome to contribute:

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Editor Button

Click the Tomcat icon in the editor title bar to deploy your project.

Status Bar

Click the Tomcat status in the bottom bar to toggle auto-deploy modes.

Command Palette

Use the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) to quickly access core commands:

Command	Description
Tomcat: Start	Launch the Tomcat server
Tomcat: Stop	Stop the running server
Tomcat: Clean	Clean Tomcat webapps, temp, and work folders
Tomcat: Deploy	Deploy the current Java EE project
Tomcat: Help	Show the help documentation

Configuration

Access via Ctrl+, → Search "Tomcat"

Setting	Default	Description
tomcat.autoDeployBuildType	Fast	Default build strategy for deployments (Fast, Maven, Gradle)
tomcat.autoDeployMode	Disabled	Auto-deploy triggers (Disabled, On Save, On Shortcut)
tomcat.browser	Google Chrome	Browser for app launch & debug (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari, Brave, Opera)
tomcat.port	8080	Tomcat server listen port (valid range: 1024-65535)
tomcat.protectedWebApps	["ROOT", "docs", "examples", "manager", "host-manager"]	List of protected web apps during cleanup operations
tomcat.autoScrollOutput	true	Automatically reveal and scroll output channel when new logs are added

ℹ️ tomcat.home and tomcat.javaHome are now auto-detected and hidden from user settings.

Requirements

• Runtime:

  • JDK 11+
  • Apache Tomcat 9+

• Build Tools (optional):

  • Maven 3.6+ or Gradle 6.8+ (if using Maven or Gradle build types)

Developer Documentation

For technical implementation details and contribution guidelines, see:

• System Architecture
• Development Guide
• Testing Strategy

Known Issues

• Firefox and Safari will always open a new tab instead of reusing the existing one due to browser limitations.

What's New in 2.4.0

• HTTP Traffic Insights
  New real-time access log monitoring with dynamic file watching capabilities

• Enhanced Debugging Experience
  Added tomcat.autoScrollOutput setting to automatically scroll output channel logs disable if it interferes with your workflow

• Enhanced Deployment Reliability
  Added automatic retry mechanism for busy resource errors with process cleanup

• Diagnostics Improvements
  Syntax highlighting support for Tomcat HTTP logs and admin operations

• Optimized Build Process
  Refactored fast deployment strategy with improved directory management and JAR skiping logic

View Full Changelog

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License: MIT • 💖 Support: Star our GitHub Repo • VScode Marketplace