Deploy java web application to Tomcat with Visual Studio Code

Question

I'm trying to deploy a java web application to Tomcat using Visual Studio Code and I'm having some issues that I'd like to share.

After installing the extension Tomcat for Java, I've tried to deploy a Maven Java Web project. To do so, I've clicked over project's folder and selected "Run on Tomcat Server" option. The result is an error with this message: The folder is not a valid web app to run on Tomcat Server.

Then, I've realized that maybe I should create a war file before running it on Tomcat. Therefore, I've executed mvn clean package command and afterwards execute "Run on Tomcat Server" option over the war file. Doing this the project has been deployed correctly.

However, compared to Eclipse's way to work with Tomcat, it seems to me a bit tedious. Particularly if I'm working with static files, like css or js, because every time I modify a file I should execute mvn clean package and "Run on Tomcat Server". Whereas, in Eclipse, these files are deployed automatically on Tomcat without restarting.

I wonder if there is another way to work with VS Code and Tomcat for Java.

Thanks!

Answer 1

If you use Spring, there is an easy way.

The Spring Initializr extension comes with an embedded Tomcat installation, and hot reloading works out of the box.

Rely on the following guide to install it:

https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/java/java-spring-boot