How to install the Jetty Java server with an NGINX reverse proxy
If you are building web-based applications, you might consider using them with the Jetty Java server. Discover how to install this and a NGINX reverse proxy together.
How to install the Jetty Java server with an NGINX reverse proxy
If you are building web-based applications, you might consider serving them with the Jetty Java server. Discover how to install this and a NGINX reverse proxy together.
Jetty is an HTTP server and Java Servlet container for communication from machine to machine within larger software frameworks. Jetty is free, open source and is used in projects such as Apache ActiveMQ, Alfresco, Scalatra, Apache Maven, Google App Engine, Eclipse, Twitter’s Streaming API and more.
Jetty is growing in popularity because it is easy to build in, very lightweight and an option for both static and dynamic content. With Jetty you can run both your web server and web applications in the same process, without suffering from overhead costs and complications.
To demonstrate Jetty’s flexibility, I will guide you through the process of installing Jetty as a Java HTTP server on Ubuntu Server 18.04, using NGINX as a reverse proxy.
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What you need
The only things you need to make this work are:
-
An active, updated copy of Ubuntu Server 18.04
-
A user with sudo rights
How to install Jetty
The first thing to do is install Jetty. Before that can be installed, Java must first be added with the command:
sudo apt-get install default-jdk -y
When that installation is complete, install Jetty with the command:
sudo apt-get install jetty9 -y
Start and enable Jetty with the commands:
sudo systemctl starts jetty9
Switch on sudo systemctl jetty9
How to install and configure NGINX
We must first install NGINX to serve as a reverse proxy for Jetty. Before doing this, you must stop and disable Apache (otherwise NGINX will not be installed). This can be achieved with the commands:
sudo systemctl stop apache2
sudo systemctl disable apache2
With Apache stopped and disabled, install NGINX with the command:
sudo apt-get install nginx -y
Start and enable NGINX with the commands:
sudo systemctl starts nginx
sudo systemctl enables nginx
Create a NGINX virtual host configuration for Jetty with the command:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/jetty.conf
Paste the following content into that file:
upstream jetty {
server 127.0.0.1:8080 weight = 100 max_fails = 5 fail_timeout = 5;
}
server {
listen 80;
servername example.com;
place / {
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Host $ host;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Server $ host;
proxy_pass http: // jetty /;
}
}
Save and close the file.
Enable the new virtual host with the command:
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/jetty.conf / etc / nginx / sites-enabled /
Restart NGINX with the command:
sudo systemctl restarts nginx
Get access to Jetty
To ensure that your Jetty and NGINX instances are active, open a web browser and point it to http: // SERVER_IP: 8080 (where SERVER_IP is the IP address of the hosting server). You should see the Jetty welcome screen (Figure A).
Figure A
The Jetty welcome screen means that it is ready to serve you.
If the NGINX welcome page appears, you must move that index file with the command:
sudo mv /var/www/html/index.nginx-debian.html ~ /
Restart NGINX and the Jetty page should appear.
And that’s all to install Jetty and use NGINX as a server reverse proxy. You can now start building your sites and applications with this flexible Java server.
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