Tomcat上的HTTPClient

Question

I really apologize if this is a silly question.

I have a tomcat server running on a unix machine. I want to use the HTTPClient library. Does it come pre-bundled with tomcat or do you need to install it?

If people say to just add it to your class path. Should I download the source or the binary from here:

http://hc.apache.org/downloads.cgi

Once downloaded is there a way to auto install it using a .tar.gz as I think I have done this in the past. If not is it just a case of putting the folder on the drive and adding it to the classpath?

TIA

Answer 1

Each web application is supposed to package its own dependencies inside the deployable WAR file. It is an ill-advised practice to extend Tomcat's global library with any library an application might need.

On the WAR building front, the common practice you should stick to is not to manage dependencies on your own; it quickly turns into a nightmare. Configure your project with Maven , which will both manage the dependencies and build the WAR for you.

Answer 2

Just look for httpclient....jar file in the Tomcat directory. If there is none there, then put it inside the lib directory :)

You should download the appropriate jar file. It contains portable library code. Once placed in the classpath, Tomcat will find it. Tomcat directory has a lib subdirectory. This is global classpath part for all web applications.