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- Aug 3, 2023
- 12 min read

Liberty Profile: A Fast and Flexible Java EE 8 Web Server

download liberty profile

com.ibm.websphere.appserver.runtime

wlp-kernel

23.0.0.4

zip

``` ```groovy dependencies libertyRuntime group: 'com.ibm.websphere.appserver.runtime', name: 'wlp-kernel', version: '23.0.0.4' ``` To install additional features with Maven or Gradle, see the [Liberty Maven plugin docs]( or the [Liberty Gradle plugin docs]( - As a container using Docker or Podman. You can pull one of the Liberty images from icr.io or Docker Hub and run it as a container. For example: ```bash docker pull icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty docker run -d -p 9080:9080 -p 9443:9443 icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty ``` or ```bash podman pull icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty podman run -d -p 9080:9080 -p 9443:9443 icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty ``` For more details on using Liberty images, see [this page]( - From within your Eclipse IDE. You can install WebSphere Liberty using Eclipse by following these steps: - Open the Servers view in Eclipse (if not visible in the menu select Window > View > Others then enter servers in the Show View dialog and click OK. - Right click in the servers view. Click New > Server - Select IBM > Liberty Server and click Next. - If this option is not visible install the WebSphere Developer Tools using the instructions below. - Select the Install from an archive or a repository radio button and click Next. - Enter a file path into the destination path field. - Select the Download and install a new runtime environment from ibm.com radio button. - Select a Liberty Runtime install from the list. - Click Next on this screen and the next. - Accept the license agreement. - Click Finish. If you do not yet have IBM Liberty Developer Tools installed follow these steps. Note the IBM Liberty Developer Tools version and the Liberty runtime version are unrelated and as a result do not have to match. - If you dont already have Eclipse, install Eclipse 2022.03 for Enterprise Java and Web Developers. - Drag the following Install button onto the Eclipse toolbar then follow the prompts. This installs the WebSphere Developer Tools into your Eclipse installation. [![Install]( ## Benefits of using Liberty profile There are some key benefits of using Liberty profile runtime which are listed below: - Simple configuration: Liberty profile makes it really easy to configure your server in a very simple and efficient way using XML file. For example, default server.xml configuration file may look like below: ```xml

servlet-3.0

``` You can add or remove features as per your application needs by modifying this XML file. - Fast startup: Liberty - Fast startup: Liberty profile has a very fast startup time, which is crucial for developing and testing applications quickly and efficiently. According to a benchmark study by IBM, Liberty profile can start up in less than 2 seconds on average, compared to 50 seconds for Apache Tomcat. This means you can save a lot of time and resources by using Liberty profile for your web applications. - Lightweight and modular: Liberty profile is designed to be lightweight and modular, meaning that it only loads the features that you need for your application. This reduces the memory footprint and improves the performance of your server. You can also customize your Liberty profile by adding or removing features as per your requirements. For example, you can add support for Java EE 8, MicroProfile, Jakarta EE 9, Spring Boot, or other technologies by simply adding the corresponding features to your server.xml file. - Cloud-ready and microservices-friendly: Liberty profile is also optimized for cloud environments and microservices architectures. You can easily deploy your Liberty applications to various cloud platforms such as IBM Cloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or Kubernetes. You can also use Liberty profile to create and run microservices that are scalable, resilient, and independent. Liberty profile supports the MicroProfile specification, which provides a set of APIs and tools for developing and deploying microservices. You can also use Liberty Bells feature to package your application and its dependencies into a single executable JAR file that can run anywhere. ## How Liberty profile compares to other web servers Liberty profile is not the only web server available in the market. There are other popular web servers such as Apache Tomcat, Jetty, WildFly, GlassFish, etc. that you might have heard of or used before. How does Liberty profile compare to these web servers? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Liberty profile over other web servers? Here is a brief comparison of Liberty profile with some of the other web servers: Web Server Advantages Disadvantages --- --- --- Apache Tomcat - Widely used and supported by the community- Easy to install and configure- Supports servlets, JSPs, and some Java EE features - Does not support full Java EE stack- Requires manual configuration of features- Slower startup time than Liberty profile Jetty - Lightweight and embeddable- Supports servlets, JSPs, and some Java EE features- Flexible and extensible - Does not support full Java EE stack- Requires manual configuration of features- Less documentation and support than Tomcat WildFly - Supports full Java EE stack- Fast and scalable- Rich set of tools and extensions - Complex and heavy- Requires more memory and resources than Liberty profile- Less cloud-ready than Liberty profile GlassFish - Supports full Java EE stack- Reference implementation of Jakarta EE- Good documentation and support - Complex and heavy- Requires more memory and resources than Liberty profile- Less cloud-ready than Liberty profile As you can see, each web server has its own strengths and weaknesses. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for every application. You have to choose the web server that best suits your needs and preferences. However, if you are looking for a web server that is simple, fast, lightweight, modular, cloud-ready, and microservices-friendly, then Liberty profile might be a good option for you. ## Main features of Liberty profile Liberty profile supports a wide range of features that enable you to develop and run various types of web applications. Some of the main features of Liberty profile are: - Servlets: Servlets are Java classes that handle HTTP requests and responses. They are the core components of any web application. Liberty profile supports servlets 3.0, 3.1, 4.0, and 5.0 specifications. - JSPs: JSPs are HTML pages that contain Java code snippets that are executed on the server side. They are used to generate dynamic web content. Liberty profile supports JSPs 2.2, 2.3, 3.0 specifications. - JavaServer Faces (JSF): JSF is a framework that simplifies the development of user interfaces for web applications. It provides a set of components, validators, converters, events, etc. that can be used to create rich and interactive web pages. Liberty profile supports JSF 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 specifications. - Java Persistence API (JPA): JPA is an API that allows you to access and manipulate data from relational databases using object-relational mapping (ORM). It abstracts the details of SQL queries and transactions from your code. Liberty profile supports JPA 2.0, - Java Persistence API (JPA): JPA is an API that allows you to access and manipulate data from relational databases using object-relational mapping (ORM). It abstracts the details of SQL queries and transactions from your code. Liberty profile supports JPA 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 specifications. - Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB): EJBs are server-side components that encapsulate business logic and provide services such as transaction management, security, concurrency, etc. They can be session beans, message-driven beans, or entity beans. Liberty profile supports EJB 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 specifications. - Contexts and Dependency Injection (CDI): CDI is a framework that enables you to inject dependencies and manage the lifecycle of your beans. It also provides features such as interceptors, decorators, events, etc. that enhance the functionality of your beans. Liberty profile supports CDI 1.0, 1.2, 2.0 specifications. - Bean Validation: Bean Validation is an API that allows you to validate the constraints and rules of your data model. It can be used to check the validity of your input data, your business logic, or your database schema. Liberty profile supports Bean Validation 1.0, 1.1, 2.0 specifications. - Java API for RESTful Web Services (JAX-RS): JAX-RS is an API that allows you to create and consume RESTful web services using annotations and standard Java classes. It supports various media types, HTTP methods, parameters, etc. Liberty profile supports JAX-RS 1.1, 2.0, 2.1 specifications. - Java API for WebSocket (JSR 356): JSR 356 is an API that allows you to create and use WebSocket connections for bidirectional communication between clients and servers. It supports text and binary messages, subprotocols, extensions, etc. Liberty profile supports JSR 356 specification. - Java API for JSON Processing (JSR 353): JSR 353 is an API that allows you to parse and generate JSON data using streaming or object model APIs. It supports various JSON features such as arrays, objects, values, etc. Liberty profile supports JSR 353 specification. - Java API for JSON Binding (JSR 367): JSR 367 is an API that allows you to bind JSON data to Java objects and vice versa using annotations or configuration files. It supports various JSON features such as arrays, objects, values, etc. Liberty profile supports JSR 367 specification. - MicroProfile: MicroProfile is a set of specifications that define a common set of APIs and tools for developing and deploying microservices using Java EE technologies. It includes features such as Config, Fault Tolerance, Health Check, Metrics, Open API, Open Tracing, Rest Client, JWT Propagation, etc. Liberty profile supports MicroProfile 1.x to 4.x versions. ## Conclusion In this article, I have given you an overview of Liberty profile runtime and how to download and install it using various methods. I have also explained the benefits of using Liberty profile over other web servers and the main features that it supports. Liberty profile is a flexible and dynamic web server that enables you to develop and run web applications with only the features that you need. It is lightweight, fast, modular, cloud-ready, and microservices-friendly. If you want to learn more about Liberty profile runtime and how to use it for your web applications, I recommend you to check out the following links and resources: - [Liberty official website]( - [Liberty documentation]( - [Liberty guides]( - [Liberty blog]( - [Liberty GitHub repository]( ## FAQs Here are some frequently asked questions about Liberty profile runtime: Q: What is the difference between Open Liberty and WebSphere Liberty? A: Open Liberty is the open source version of WebSphere Liberty that provides the core features of Liberty profile runtime. WebSphere Liberty is the commercial version of Open Liberty that provides additional features such as IBM support services, A: Open Liberty is the open source version of WebSphere Liberty that provides the core features of Liberty profile runtime. WebSphere Liberty is the commercial version of Open Liberty that provides additional features such as IBM support services, IBM Java SDK, IBM WebSphere Application Server Migration Toolkit, etc. You can switch between Open Liberty and WebSphere Liberty easily by changing the license file. Q: How can I update my Liberty profile runtime to the latest version? A: You can update your Liberty profile runtime to the latest version by using one of the following methods: - If you installed Liberty profile as a stand-alone ZIP file, you can download the latest ZIP file from [this page] and unzip it to a new location. Then, you can copy your server configuration files and applications from the old location to the new location. - If you installed Liberty profile from within Maven or Gradle, you can update the dependency version in your pom.xml or build.gradle file to the latest version. For example: ```xml

com.ibm.websphere.appserver.runtime

wlp-kernel

23.0.0.4

zip

``` ```groovy dependencies libertyRuntime group: 'com.ibm.websphere.appserver.runtime', name: 'wlp-kernel', version: '23.0.0.4' ``` Then, you can run `mvn install` or `gradle install` to download and install the latest version of Liberty profile. - If you installed Liberty profile as a container using Docker or Podman, you can pull the latest image from icr.io or Docker Hub and run it as a new container. For example: ```bash docker pull icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty docker run -d -p 9080:9080 -p 9443:9443 icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty ``` or ```bash podman pull icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty podman run -d -p 9080:9080 -p 9443:9443 icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty ``` You can also use tags to specify the version of Liberty profile that you want to use. For example: ```bash docker pull icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty:23.0.0.4-full-java8-openj9-ubi docker run -d -p 9080:9080 -p 9443:9443 icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty:23.0.0.4-full-java8-openj9-ubi ``` or ```bash podman pull icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty:23.0.0.4-full-java8-openj9-ubi podman run -d -p 9080:9080 -p 9443:9443 icr.io/appcafe/websphere-liberty:23.0.0.4-full-java8-openj9-ubi ``` For more details on using tags, see [this page]( - If you installed Liberty profile from within your Eclipse IDE, you can update your Liberty server by following these steps: - Right click on your server in the Servers view and select Properties. - Click on Runtime Environment. - Click on Installed Runtimes. - Click on Add. - Select Install from an archive or a repository and click Next. - Enter a file path into the destination path field. - Select Download and install a new runtime environment from ibm.com and click Next. - Select a Liberty Runtime install from the list and click Next. - Accept the license agreement and click Finish. Q: How can I add or remove features to my Liberty profile runtime? A: You can add or remove features to your Liberty profile runtime by modifying your server.xml file and adding or removing the feature elements under the featureManager element. For example, if you want to add support for JAX-RS and CDI features, you can add the following lines to your server.xml file: ```xml

servlet-3.0

jaxrs-2.1

cdi-2.0

``` If you want to remove support for servlets feature, you can remove the following line from your server.xml file: ```xml servlet-3.0

``` You can also use the `installUtility` command-line tool to install or uninstall features from your Liberty profile runtime. For example, if you want A: You can also use the `installUtility` command-line tool to install or uninstall features from your Liberty profile runtime. For example, if you want to install the JAX-RS and CDI features, you can run the following command: ```bash bin/installUtility install jaxrs-2.1 cdi-2.0 ``` If you want to uninstall the servlets feature, you can run the following command: ```bash bin/installUtility uninstall servlet-3.0 ``` For more details on using the `installUtility` tool, see [this page]( Q: How can I monitor and manage my Liberty profile runtime? A: You can monitor and manage your Liberty profile runtime using various tools and methods, such as: - Liberty Admin Center: Liberty Admin Center is a web-based user interface that allows you to view and modify the configuration of your Liberty servers, as well as perform administrative tasks such as starting, stopping, or restarting your servers. You can access the Liberty Admin Center by adding the `adminCenter-1.0` feature to your server.xml file and then opening the following URL in your browser: ```url ``` For more details on using the Liberty Admin Center, see [this page]( - Liberty Collectives: Liberty Collectives are a way of grouping multiple Liberty servers into a single management unit. You can use Liberty Collectives to perform common tasks such as deploying applications, configuring features, or updating servers across multiple servers at once. You can create and manage Liberty Collectives using the `collectiveController-1.0` and `collectiveMember-1.0` features in your server.xml file. For more details on using Liberty Collectives, see [this page]( - Liberty REST APIs: Liberty REST APIs are a set of APIs that allow you to interact with your Liberty servers programmatically using HTTP requests and responses. You can use Liberty REST APIs to perform various operations such as querying server status, retrieving server configuration, updating server features, etc. You can access the Liberty REST APIs by adding the `restConnector-2.0` feature to your server.xml file and then sending HTTP requests to the following URL: ```url ``` For more details on using the Liberty REST APIs, see [this page]( - Liberty Metrics: Liberty Metrics are a set of metrics that provide information about the performance and health of your Liberty servers and applications. You can use Liberty Metrics to monitor various aspects such as CPU usage, memory usage, response time, throughput, etc. You can access the Liberty Metrics by adding the `mpMetrics-2.x` feature to your server.xml file and then opening the following URL in your browser: ```url ``` For more details on using the Liberty Metrics, see [this page]( Q: How can I secure my Liberty profile runtime? A: You can secure your Liberty profile runtime using various methods and mechanisms, such as: - SSL/TLS: SSL/TLS is a protocol that encrypts and authenticates the communication between clients and servers over the network. You can enable SSL/TLS for your Liberty servers by adding the `ssl-1.0` feature to your server.xml file and then configuring the keystore and truststore elements with your certificates and keys. For more details on using SSL/TLS with Liberty, see [this page]( - Authentication and Authorization: Authentication and Authorization are processes that verify the identity and permissions of users who access your web applications. You can enable authentication and authorization for your Liberty applications by adding the `appSecurity-3.0` feature to your server.xml file and then configuring the userRegistry element with your user repository (such as LDAP or database) and the security-role elements with your role mappings. For more details on using authentication and authorization with Liberty, see [this page]( - Java EE Security: Java EE Security is a specification that defines a standard way of securing Java EE applications using annotations and interfaces. You can use Java EE Security with Liberty by adding the `appSecurity-4.0` feature to your server.xml file and then annotating your application classes with security annotations such as @RolesAllowed, @DeclareRoles, @LoginConfig, etc. For more details on using Java EE Security with Liberty, see [this page]( 44f88ac181

Liberty Profile: A Fast and Flexible Java EE 8 Web Server

download liberty profile

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