Get Started with Liberty Runtime in Minutes: Download, Install, and Deploy
Introduction
Liberty runtime is a lightweight Java application server that is ideal for building microservices, modern monolithic applications, and anything in between. It is built on the open source Open Liberty runtime and is compatible with MicroProfile and Jakarta EE standards. It was created by IBM in 2012 as a next-generation application server that accelerates the delivery of cloud-native applications. It offers a fast, dynamic, and easy-to-use Java runtime environment that requires less infrastructure, saves costs, and provides the flexibility to deploy on any cloud.
How to download and install Liberty runtime
There are multiple ways to download and install the Liberty runtime packages. You can choose the method that suits your needs and preferences.
download liberty runtime
ZIP file
If you want to install Liberty runtime from a ZIP file, you can follow these steps:
Download one of the from the IBM website.
Unzip the file to a location of your choice.
Add the wlp/bin folder to your system path.
You can now use the server command to create, start, stop, or manage your Liberty servers.
Maven, Gradle, or Docker
If you are using Maven, Gradle, or Docker as your build tool or container platform, you can also download and install Liberty runtime using them. Here are some examples:
Maven
If you are using Maven, you can add the following dependency to your pom.xml file:
<dependency> <groupId>com.ibm.websphere.appserver.runtime</groupId> <artifactId>wlp-kernel</artifactId> <version>23.0.0.4</version> <type>zip</type> </dependency>
To install additional features with Maven, you can use the .
Gradle
If you are using Gradle, you can add the following dependency to your build.gradle file:
dependencies libertyRuntime group: 'com.ibm.websphere.appserver.runtime', name: 'wlp-kernel', version: '23.0.0.4'
To install additional features with Gradle, you can use the Docker
If you are using Docker, you can pull the Liberty runtime image from the or build your own image using a Dockerfile. Here is an example of a Dockerfile that uses the Liberty runtime image:
FROM open-liberty:23.0.0.4-kernel COPY --chown=1001:0 server.xml /config/ RUN features.sh COPY --chown=1001:0 target/my-app.war /config/dropins/
To build and run the image, you can use the following commands:
docker build -t my-liberty-app . docker run -d -p 9080:9080 -p 9443:9443 my-liberty-app
Eclipse
If you are using Eclipse as your IDE, you can download and install Liberty runtime from within Eclipse using the . You can follow these steps:
How to download liberty runtime for microservices
Download liberty runtime zip file from IBM
Download liberty runtime with Maven dependency
Download liberty runtime for Eclipse IDE
Download liberty runtime with Docker image
Download liberty runtime with featureUtility command
Download liberty runtime for Java EE applications
Download liberty runtime for WebSphere Application Server
Download liberty runtime for Open Liberty development
Download liberty runtime for cloud-native applications
Download liberty runtime with Gradle dependency
Download liberty runtime with podman container
Download liberty runtime for MicroProfile development
Download liberty runtime for Jakarta EE development
Download liberty runtime with adminCenter feature
Download liberty runtime for Linux operating system
Download liberty runtime for Windows operating system
Download liberty runtime for Mac operating system
Download liberty runtime with servlet feature
Download liberty runtime with collectiveController feature
Download liberty runtime with ndControllerBundle feature
Download liberty runtime for Kubernetes deployment
Download liberty runtime for Red Hat OpenShift deployment
Download liberty runtime for IBM Cloud deployment
Download liberty runtime for AWS deployment
Download liberty runtime for Azure deployment
Download liberty runtime for Google Cloud deployment
Download liberty runtime with Liberty InstantOn feature
Download liberty runtime with WebSphere Developer Tools plugin
Download liberty runtime with Open J9 project support
Download liberty runtime with Spring Boot support
Download liberty runtime with Quarkus support
Download liberty runtime with Helidon support
Download liberty runtime with Micronaut support
Download liberty runtime with reactive programming support
Download liberty runtime with gRPC support
Download liberty runtime with GraphQL support
Download liberty runtime with JSON-B support
Download liberty runtime with JSON-P support
Download liberty runtime with JAX-RS support
Download liberty runtime with CDI support
Download liberty runtime with EJB support
Download liberty runtime with JPA support
Download liberty runtime with JDBC support
Download liberty runtime with JMS support
Download liberty runtime with JTA support
Download liberty runtime with JSF support
Download liberty runtime with JSP support
Install WDT from the Eclipse Marketplace or from the IBM Installation Manager.
Create a new Liberty server by right-clicking on the Servers view and selecting New > Server.
Select WebSphere Application Server Liberty and click Next.
Select Install from an archive or a repository and click Next.
Select a Liberty runtime package from the list or browse to a ZIP file and click Next.
Specify a name and location for the Liberty server and click Finish.
Benefits of Liberty runtime
Liberty runtime offers many benefits for Java developers and enterprises. Here are some of them:
Performance and efficiency
Liberty runtime is designed to be fast, lightweight, and scalable. It has a low memory footprint, high throughput, and quick startup time. It can run on any hardware, from laptops to mainframes, and on any operating system, from Windows to Linux. It can also run on any cloud platform, such as IBM Cloud, AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. Liberty runtime helps you reduce infrastructure costs, optimize resource utilization, and deliver high-performance applications.
Cloud-native and open standards
Liberty runtime is built for cloud-native development. It supports microservices architecture, containerization, DevOps practices, and continuous delivery. It also supports open standards such as MicroProfile and Jakarta EE, which provide common APIs and specifications for developing portable and interoperable Java applications. With Liberty runtime, you can avoid vendor lock-in, leverage existing skills and code, and benefit from the innovation of the open source community.
Developer experience
Liberty runtime provides a great developer experience. It offers tools and features that enhance developer productivity and satisfaction. For example, it has a dynamic configuration that allows you to add or remove features without restarting the server. It also has a zero migration policy that ensures backward compatibility and minimizes migration efforts. It also has a developer mode that enables hot reload, testing, debugging, and live coding. With Liberty runtime, you can focus on writing code rather than managing servers.
Features of Liberty runtime
Liberty runtime has many features that make it a powerful and flexible Java application server. Here are some of them:
Modular structure
Liberty runtime is based on features that enable the required capabilities for applications. Features are modular components that provide specific functionality such as web container, security, database access, messaging, etc. You can choose the features that you need for your application and add or remove them as needed. This way, you can create a customized runtime that suits your application requirements and avoids unnecessary overhead.
Open Liberty and WebSphere Liberty
Liberty runtime has two versions: Open Liberty and WebSphere Liberty. Open Liberty is the open source version of Liberty runtime that is available for free under the Eclipse Public License v1. You can download Open Liberty from .
Jakarta EE, MicroProfile, and Java EE
Liberty runtime supports various standards and specifications for developing Java applications. Jakarta EE is the successor of Java EE that provides a set of APIs for developing enterprise applications such as web services, security, persistence, etc. MicroProfile is a set of specifications that complement Jakarta EE and provide additional features for developing microservices such as fault tolerance, health check, metrics, etc. Java EE is the predecessor of Jakarta EE that provides similar APIs but is no longer maintained by Oracle. Liberty runtime supports all these standards and allows you to develop applications that are portable and interoperable across different platforms and vendors.
Liberty runtime vs Tomcat
Tomcat is another popular Java application server that is widely used by developers and enterprises. How does Liberty runtime compare to Tomcat? Here are some similarities and differences:
Similarities
Both Liberty runtime and Tomcat are lightweight, fast, and scalable Java application servers that can run on any hardware, operati