Https on Apache Tomcat 5.5

I tried to play around with Flex Data Services today. So I downloaded the package and went through the install. Now since I already have an instance of Apache Tomcat 5.5 running on my laptop I was less than inclined to install JRun. So I installed the non-JRun package and deployed the FDS WARs. I ran the the collaborative dashboard example and things looked good. The other application I had been eyeing for a while was the NoteTag example application written by Adobe. For the uninitiated, NoteTag is a collaborative note taking application. The coolest part of NoteTag is that it doesnt have a backend database but rather uses Blogger, TypePad and Del.icio.us to store the data. However since these services require authentication over SSL, I had to install a security certificate on my Tomcat instance.

So here is how I went about it. First of all, the SSL key generator is part of the core JDK as of Java 1.4. The keytool is available at %JAVA_HOME%binkeytool.exe. Run it as specified at the Apache Tomcat tutorial site:

keytool -genkey -alias tomcat -keyalg RSA

The tool asks a series of questions like name, address etc to write the keystore. Once the key is written, move it to where tomcat can access it in the Catalina directory. Lastly uncomment the HTTPS connector and add the following attributes:

keystoreFile=”tomcat.keystore”
keystorePass=””

Ta..daaa…https!!

I still havent managed to run NoteTag (I am getting connection errors) but thats a battle for tomorrow. Right now I need to go to sleep.

Author: Arpit Mathur

Arpit Mathur is a Principal Engineer at Comcast Labs where he is currently working on a variety of topics including Machine Learning, Affective Computing, and Blockchain applications. Arpit has also worked extensively on Android and iOS applications, Virtual Reality apps as well as with web technologies like JavaScript, HTML and Ruby on Rails. He also spent a couple of years in the User Experience team as a Creative Technologist. View all posts by Arpit Mathur