Tomcat normally derives a WAR application’s context path from the WAR filename. Rename app.war to orders.war and deploy it to the Host’s appBase (often webapps) to serve it at /orders. Name it ROOT.war to serve the application at /. For a path that cannot be represented conveniently by a filename, define a per-Host Context descriptor or deploy through Tomcat Manager.
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What the Tomcat context path controls
A Tomcat Context is the routing and deployment boundary for one web application. The context path is the URL prefix Tomcat uses to select that application. If the path is /orders, a request such as https://example.test/orders/checkout is routed to the orders application, while a request beginning with another prefix can be handled by a different Context.
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The context path is independent of the WAR’s internal Java package names and is normally independent of the application’s display name. Changing the path changes where users reach the deployed application; it does not rename classes, servlet mappings, or files inside the archive.
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Choose a deployment method
| Method | Typical use | Must the WAR filename change? | Where the WAR can live | Operational considerations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filename-derived deployment | Simple deployments dropped into a Host appBase | Yes | Inside the Host’s appBase, commonly webapps |
Automatic deployment derives the path from the basename; the deployment settings must permit auto-deploy or deploy-on-startup |
| Per-Host Context XML | Stable configuration, custom path, or a WAR outside appBase | No | Any location allowed by the configured docBase |
Uses an explicit Context descriptor; the per-Host descriptor takes precedence over a packaged descriptor |
| Tomcat Manager | Interactive or API-driven deployment | Usually no, if a path is supplied | A WAR or directory supplied to Manager | Without a path, Manager uses the WAR filename without .war; explicit WAR or directory input can override an XML docBase |
server.xml Context |
Deployments managed centrally in the server configuration | No | Defined by the Context’s deployment settings | Changes generally require the server configuration lifecycle; use this approach deliberately because Context entries in server.xml are tightly coupled to that file |
For a one-off application in the normal appBase, renaming the WAR is the least configuration-heavy option. Use an explicit descriptor when the URL must remain fixed while the artifact filename changes, when the WAR is stored outside appBase, or when deployment needs an explicit docBase.
How Tomcat converts a WAR filename into a context path
Ordinary names
During autoDeploy or deployOnStartup, Tomcat removes the .war extension and uses the remaining basename as the context path. Thus:
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|---|---|---|
app.war |
/app |
https://example.test/app/ |
orders.war |
/orders |
https://example.test/orders/ |
ROOT.war |
Empty path (root Context) | https://example.test/ |
The special basename ROOT is case-sensitive in the conventional deployment layout. It is the filename Tomcat uses to represent the empty context path rather than a literal /ROOT prefix.
Nested paths
Tomcat encodes a multi-level context path in a filename by replacing each slash separator with a hash character. The path /foo/bar is therefore represented by foo#bar.war. This naming convention is useful when automatic deployment is required but the desired URL contains more than one segment.
| Desired path | Filename |
|---|---|
/foo/bar |
foo#bar.war |
/team/reports |
team#reports.war |
Do not put a literal slash in a filesystem filename. Use the hash encoding when the deployment is being derived from the basename.
Set the path by renaming and dropping the WAR
This procedure is appropriate when the WAR will be deployed from the Host’s appBase and the Host allows automatic deployment.
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- Identify the Host appBase. In a standard installation it is often the
webappsdirectory, but the actual value belongs to the relevant Host configuration. Copying a WAR somewhere else does not make it visible to that Host’s automatic deployer. - Stop or undeploy the old application. If the previous artifact still exists under its old basename, Tomcat can continue to expose the old Context. Remove the old deployment through the same mechanism you used to deploy it, or stop Tomcat before cleaning up files.
- Choose the basename from the required URL. Use
orders.warfor/orders,ROOT.warfor the host root, or a hash-encoded name such asfoo#bar.warfor/foo/bar. - Place the renamed archive in appBase. Copy the file with the final name, for example
orders.war, into the configured appBase. Avoid leaving a second copy with a competing basename. - Allow deployment to complete. With
autoDeployordeployOnStartupenabled, Tomcat creates or updates the Context according to the filename. Watch the Catalina log for deployment and startup errors. - Test the resulting prefix. Request the application at
/orders,/, or the corresponding nested path. Check a URL that exercises the application rather than relying only on the default welcome page.
Renaming changes the Context path, not the WAR’s contents. If the application has hard-coded absolute links, redirects, cookie paths, or reverse-proxy rules, those components may also need to know the new prefix.
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Use a per-Host Context descriptor
An explicit descriptor is useful when the deployment name and public URL should be decoupled. Tomcat supports Context descriptors embedded in the application at META-INF/context.xml, per-Host XML files under $CATALINA_BASE/conf/[enginename]/[hostname]/, and Context elements in server.xml. A per-Host descriptor is normally the clearest choice for a custom path.
Example descriptor for an external WAR
<Context path="/orders" docBase="/srv/apps/orders.war" />- Create the descriptor in the correct Host directory. The directory name must match the Engine and Host that will serve the application. The file name and Host configuration must correspond to the deployment you intend to control.
- Set the desired path. In the example,
path="/orders"exposes the Context below the/ordersprefix. - Set
docBaseto the WAR or directory. The value points to the application archive or an external exploded directory. Use the path understood by the running Tomcat installation and its filesystem permissions. - Remove conflicting automatic deployments. Do not leave an appBase copy with a different basename if it would create a second Context or an old exploded directory.
- Deploy and verify the Context. Restart, reload, or redeploy according to the Host’s deployment settings, then inspect Manager or Catalina logs for the context name and startup result.
The per-Host descriptor takes precedence over a packaged META-INF/context.xml. That precedence lets an operator override an application-supplied descriptor without modifying the WAR.
Important limitation of META-INF/context.xml
A packaged descriptor is not a universal way to rename a WAR that Tomcat is deploying from its filename. When the Host derives deployment from the archive basename, the context path is determined by that filename; Tomcat’s documentation specifically states that the context path may not be defined in an embedded META-INF/context.xml for this deployment model. Use the filename method, a per-Host descriptor, Manager, or server.xml instead.
When to avoid docBase on an appBase-local WAR
The docBase attribute identifies an external directory or WAR. Tomcat restricts when it should be set for an application located in the Host’s appBase. If the archive is already appBase-local, follow the documented exception for the Tomcat release rather than adding docBase automatically. An unnecessary or conflicting value can cause duplicate deployment or make the configuration harder to reason about.
Deploy with Tomcat Manager
Tomcat Manager can deploy either a WAR archive or an exploded directory. The path behavior depends on what you submit.
Deploying a WAR without an explicit path
If no path parameter is supplied, Manager uses the WAR filename without the .war extension. Uploading orders.war therefore creates the /orders Context. Uploading ROOT.war targets the empty root path according to Tomcat’s normal naming convention.
Deploying with Context XML
A Manager deployment can use a Context XML document containing values such as path and docBase. However, when you also supply a WAR or directory URL, that explicit WAR or directory takes precedence over the XML document’s docBase. Treat the archive or directory URL as authoritative and verify the resulting Context in Manager after deployment.
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Manager workflow
- Open the Manager application’s deployment interface for the target Host.
- Choose whether to submit a WAR, a directory, or a Context XML document.
- Enter the desired path when the interface provides a path field. Leave it empty only when you deliberately want the basename-derived path.
- Submit the deployment and wait for the operation result.
- Confirm that the listed Context uses the intended prefix and that its state indicates successful startup.
- Remove the old Context if the application was previously deployed under another path and is no longer needed.
Manager labels and available operations can vary with the Tomcat release and its security configuration. Use the interface exposed by the version you operate, and do not assume that an XML docBase will win when an archive URL is supplied separately.
Deploy the root application at /
To make a WAR answer at the host root, name it ROOT.war when using filename-derived deployment. The resulting Context has an empty path, so a request to https://example.test/ enters that application without an application prefix.
Before deploying a new root application, remove or undeploy the existing root Context. A stock Tomcat installation commonly includes a default root application; leaving both the old exploded directory and the new archive in place can produce stale content or an unexpected deployment result. Clean up the old root deployment using the same lifecycle method used for the replacement, then inspect logs and request the root URL.
Root deployment also changes how relative and absolute links appear to users. An application that was previously tested under /orders may contain assumptions about that prefix, so test redirects, static resources, session cookies, and links after moving it to the empty path.
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deployXML
When deployXML is false, Tomcat ignores Context descriptors packaged inside applications. A WAR can therefore contain META-INF/context.xml and still deploy without that descriptor being applied. This setting is an intentional policy control, not an indication that the XML is malformed.
copyXML
The Host’s copyXML setting controls whether a packaged descriptor is copied into the per-Host configuration area. Its interaction with deployXML matters when administrators want to prevent application archives from supplying deployment configuration.
Both settings disabled
With both deployXML and copyXML set to false, only Contexts defined in server.xml deploy. Changes to those Contexts require a restart. This arrangement gives the central server configuration control over deployment but removes the convenience of changing a per-application descriptor independently.
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If an embedded descriptor appears to be ignored, inspect the effective Host settings before editing the WAR. A false deployXML value deliberately produces that behavior.
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Understand precedence and avoid duplicate Contexts
Several deployment inputs can describe the same application: a WAR basename, a packaged descriptor, a per-Host XML file, a Manager request, and a server.xml entry. Problems often arise when more than one input remains active after a path change.
- A per-Host XML descriptor overrides a packaged
META-INF/context.xml. - Filename-derived deployment uses the basename to determine the Context path; an embedded descriptor cannot be used as a general rename mechanism for that process.
- An explicitly supplied WAR or directory URL in Manager overrides the XML document’s
docBase. - A Context defined in
server.xmlis the controlling definition when Host settings allow only server.xml Contexts. - An old exploded directory can remain after an archive is renamed. Remove stale deployment artifacts or undeploy the old Context before testing the new one.
Pick one authoritative deployment path for each application. Keeping an appBase archive, a per-Host descriptor, and a server.xml entry for the same intended URL makes the result dependent on precedence rules rather than on one clear configuration.
Changing an external directory or symlink target
The docBase can point to an external directory or WAR. This allows the public Context path to remain stable while the application files are stored outside appBase. It is also useful for release layouts that switch an external directory or symlink.
Do not assume that changing a symlink target is handled by a simple Context reload. Tomcat’s Context reference requires a restart or an undeploy followed by a redeploy for symlink changes. Plan that lifecycle operation explicitly, and verify which version of the application is serving requests after the change.
When switching releases, keep the Context path unchanged, update the external target, perform the required restart or undeploy/redeploy, and then check the Catalina log for the new deployment. A successful filesystem change alone does not prove that the running web application has changed.
Verification checklist
- URL prefix: Confirm that the application responds at the intended path, such as
/orders, the root/, or a hash-encoded nested path. - Context listing: Check Tomcat Manager, when available, for the deployed context name and running state.
- Startup logs: Review Catalina logs for deployment messages, startup failures, missing files, permission errors, or an unexpected context name.
- Artifact cleanup: Remove the old WAR basename and stale exploded directory when moving an application from one path to another.
- Descriptor policy: If a packaged descriptor was ignored, inspect the Host’s
deployXMLvalue and determine whether that behavior is intentional. - Application-generated URLs: Test redirects, static resources, forms, cookies, and links because changing the Context prefix can expose assumptions inside the application.
- Host selection: Ensure that the request reaches the intended virtual Host; the same path can exist on different Hosts with different applications.
Troubleshooting common path problems
The application still opens under its old filename
Look for the old WAR and its exploded directory in appBase. Automatic deployment can preserve the old Context while the newly named archive creates another one. Undeploy the old Context or remove its obsolete artifacts using the appropriate lifecycle, then redeploy the renamed archive.
The application opens at /app instead of /orders
Tomcat is probably still seeing app.war or an old exploded app directory. Rename the archive to orders.war, remove the old deployment, and check the logs for the Context name created during startup.
META-INF/context.xml did not change the URL
For filename-derived auto-deployment, the basename determines the path, so the embedded descriptor is not a reliable rename mechanism. Also check whether deployXML=false disables packaged descriptors. Use a per-Host descriptor, Manager path, server.xml Context, or the correct WAR basename.
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Validate the docBase spelling, filesystem permissions, and whether the descriptor is in the configuration directory for the Host receiving the request. If the archive is appBase-local, remove an unnecessary docBase and follow the deployment rule for that layout.
The new root application does not appear
Check for the stock root application, an old ROOT directory, or another root Context defined in configuration. Only one application can own the empty path for a given Host. Clean up the previous deployment, redeploy ROOT.war, and inspect startup logs.
A symlink switch appears to have had no effect
A reload is not sufficient for the symlink-change case described by Tomcat’s Context reference. Restart Tomcat or undeploy and redeploy the Context, then verify the served build through the application and its logs.
Practical decision guide
- Use a renamed WAR when the artifact is in appBase, the filename can follow the URL, and you want the fewest moving parts.
- Use
ROOT.warwhen this application must be the default for a Host and the empty context path is intentional. - Use hash encoding when automatic deployment is required for a multi-segment path such as
/foo/bar. - Use a per-Host descriptor when the URL must stay stable while the WAR filename or storage location changes, or when the WAR is outside appBase.
- Use Manager when an operator or deployment process needs to provide an explicit path interactively or through the Manager interface.
- Use
server.xmlwhen deployment policy requires all Contexts to be centrally declared and the resulting restart requirement is acceptable.
The safest configuration is the one with one clear owner for the path. Decide whether the filename, a per-Host descriptor, Manager, or server.xml is authoritative, remove competing artifacts, and verify the resulting Context in both the URL and the Tomcat logs.
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