## Host Manager App -- Text Interface

### Table of Contents

- Introduction
- Configuring Manager Application Access
- List of Commands
  1. List command
  2. Add command
  3. Remove command
  4. Start command
  5. Stop command
  6. Persist command

### Introduction

The Tomcat Host Manager application enables you to create, delete, and otherwise manage virtual hosts within Tomcat. This how-to guide is best accompanied by the following pieces of documentation:

- Virtual Hosting How-To for more information about virtual hosting.
- The Host Container for more information about the underlying xml configuration of virtual hosts and description of attributes.

The Tomcat Host Manager application is a part of Tomcat installation, by default available using the following context: `/host-manager`. You can use the host manager in the following ways:

- Utilizing the graphical user interface, accessible at: `{server}:{port}/host-manager/html`.
- Utilizing a set of minimal HTTP requests suitable for scripting. You can access this mode at: `{server}:{port}/host-manager/text`.

Both ways enable you to add, remove, start, and stop virtual hosts. Changes may be persisted by using the `persist` command. This document focuses on the text interface. For further information about the graphical interface, see Host Manager App -- HTML Interface.

### Configuring Manager Application Access

The description below uses `$CATALINA_HOME` to refer the base Tomcat directory. It is the directory in which you installed Tomcat, for example `C:\tomcat9`, or `/usr/share/tomcat9`.

The Host Manager application requires a user with one of the following roles:

- `admin-gui` - use this role for the graphical web interface.
- `admin-script` - use this role for the scripting web interface.

To enable access to the text interface of the Host Manager application, either grant your Tomcat user the appropriate role, or create a new one with the correct role. For example, open `${CATALINA_BASE}/conf/tomcat-users.xml` and enter the following:

    <user username="test" password="chang3m3N#w" roles="admin-script"/>

No further settings is needed. When you now access `{server}:{port}/host-manager/text/${COMMAND}`,you are able to log in with the created credentials. For example:

    $ curl -u ${USERNAME}:${PASSWORD} http://localhost:8080/host-manager/text/list
    OK - Listed hosts
    localhost:

If you are using a different realm you will need to add the necessary role to the appropriate user(s) using the standard user management tools for that realm.

### List of Commands

The following commands are supported:

- list
- add
- remove
- start
- stop
- persist

In the following subsections, the username and password is assumed to be test:test. For your environment, use credentials created in the previous sections.

#### List command

Use the list command to see the available virtual hosts on your Tomcat instance.

Example command:

`curl -u test:test http://localhost:8080/host-manager/text/list`

Example response:

    OK - Listed hosts
    localhost:

#### Add command

Use the add command to add a new virtual host. Parameters used for the add command:

- String name: Name of the virtual host. REQUIRED
- String aliases: Aliases for your virtual host.
- String appBase: Base path for the application that will be served by this virtual host. Provide relative or absolute path.
- Boolean manager: If true, the Manager app is added to the virtual host. You can access it with the /manager context.
- Boolean autoDeploy: If true, Tomcat automatically redeploys applications placed in the appBase directory.
- Boolean deployOnStartup: If true, Tomcat automatically deploys applications placed in the appBase directory on startup.
- Boolean deployXML: If true, the /META-INF/context.xml file is read and used by Tomcat.
- Boolean copyXML: If true, Tomcat copies /META-INF/context.xml file and uses the original copy regardless of updates to the application's /META-INF/context.xml file.

Example command:

    curl -u test:test http://localhost:8080/host-manager/text/add?name=www.awesomeserver.com&aliases=awesomeserver.com&appBase/mnt/appDir&deployOnStartup=true

Example response:

    add: Adding host [www.awesomeserver.com]

#### Remove command

Use the remove command to remove a virtual host. Parameters used for the remove command:

- String name: Name of the virtual host to be removed. REQUIRED

Example command:

    curl -u test:test http://localhost:8080/host-manager/text/remove?name=www.awesomeserver.com

Example response:

    remove: Removing host [www.awesomeserver.com]

#### Start command

Use the start command to start a virtual host. Parameters used for the start command:

- String name: Name of the virtual host to be started. REQUIRED

Example command:

    curl -u test:test http://localhost:8080/host-manager/text/start?name=www.awesomeserver.com

Example response:

    OK - Host www.awesomeserver.com started

#### Stop command

Use the stop command to stop a virtual host. Parameters used for the stop command:

- String name: Name of the virtual host to be stopped. REQUIRED

Example command:

    curl -u test:test http://localhost:8080/host-manager/text/stop?name=www.awesomeserver.com

Example response:

    OK - Host www.awesomeserver.com stopped

#### Persist command

Use the persist command to persist a virtual host into server.xml. Parameters used for the persist command:

- String name: Name of the virtual host to be persist. REQUIRED

This functionality is disabled by default. To enable this option, you must configure the `StoreConfigLifecycleListener` listener first. To do so, add the following listener to your server.xml:

    <Listener className="org.apache.catalina.storeconfig.StoreConfigLifecycleListener"/>

Example command:

    curl -u test:test http://localhost:8080/host-manager/text/persist?name=www.awesomeserver.com

Example response:

    OK - Configuration persisted

Example manual entry:

    <Host appBase="www.awesomeserver.com" name="www.awesomeserver.com" deployXML="false" unpackWARs="false">
    </Host>