June 1999

Apache Tomcat released

SunSun Microsystems — maker of Java, Solaris, and SPARC; acquired by Oracle in 2010. donated Tomcat to the Apache Software Foundation in June 1999 — the first open-source JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. servlet containerAn isolated runtime environment packaging an app and its dependencies — lighter than full virtual machines. as Apache Tomcat 3.0.

What it was for

Apache TomcatTomcat runs JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. servlets and JSPs — the reference implementation James Duncan Davidson built at SunSun Microsystems — maker of Java, Solaris, and SPARC; acquired by Oracle in 2010. before open-sourcing it at JavaOne. It powered early enterprise JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data., JSP websites, and the Jakarta ecosystem. Ant was born as Tomcat's build tool. Example: deploy a `.war` file and Tomcat serves your servlet at `http://localhost:8080/myapp`.

Companies

  • Apache Software Foundation
  • Sun Microsystems

Why it's here

Tomcat made JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. servlet hosting open sourceSoftware whose source code is freely available to use, modify, and redistribute. and embeddable outside proprietary app servers.

Why it mattered

It became the default servlet containerAn isolated runtime environment packaging an app and its dependencies — lighter than full virtual machines. and launched the Apache Jakarta/JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. open-source wave.

What it solved

JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. web developers needed a free, portable runtime for servlets without buying WebLogic or WebSphere.

Media

  • Apache Tomcat
    ImageApache Tomcat

    Original: ™/®The Apache Software Foundation Vector: VulcanSphere and ReneeWrites, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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