How to Download and Use Liberty Server for Eclipse
If you are looking for a fast and easy way to develop Java EE applications, you might want to consider using Liberty Server for Eclipse. In this article, we will show you how to download and use this powerful tool for your development needs.
Introduction
Liberty Server for Eclipse is a combination of WebSphere Liberty, a lightweight and modular application server, and Eclipse, a popular integrated development environment (IDE) for Java. Together, they provide a great local development environment for developing Java EE applications.
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What is Liberty Server for Eclipse
Liberty Server for Eclipse is a plugin that integrates WebSphere Liberty with Eclipse. It allows you to create, run, test, and debug Java EE applications on Liberty servers from within your IDE. You can also edit Liberty server.xml configuration files, develop MicroProfile applications, use Liberty dev mode functions, and access the Liberty Dashboard for organizing your projects.
Benefits of Liberty Server for Eclipse
Some of the benefits of using Liberty Server for Eclipse are:
It is fast and easy to install and use. You can install Liberty Server for Eclipse from the Eclipse Marketplace or from the WebSphere Developer Tools. You can also create and manage Liberty servers from the Servers view in Eclipse.
It supports the latest Java EE standards and MicroProfile specifications. You can develop applications using Java EE 8 or 9, as well as MicroProfile 4.1 or higher. You can also use Content Assist, validation, and hover-over descriptions for MicroProfile APIs and Liberty config elements.
It enables rapid development and testing with Liberty dev mode. Dev mode automatically detects your code changes and deploys them to your running app, without having to restart the server. It also runs tests on demand or automatically after every change, and shows test reports in the IDE.
Installing Liberty Server for Eclipse
To install Liberty Server for Eclipse, you need to have some prerequisites and follow some steps.
Prerequisites
Before you install Liberty Server for Eclipse, you need to have:
A JDK (Java Development Kit) version 8 or higher. You can download one from .
Eclipse IDE for Enterprise Java Developers version 4.9 or higher. You can download it from .
An internet connection to download the plugin and the Liberty runtime.
Steps to install Liberty Server for Eclipse
To install Liberty Server for Eclipse, follow these steps:
Open the Eclipse Marketplace from Help -> Eclipse Marketplace menu.
Type Liberty in the search box and hit Enter to search it.
In the result list, find IBM Liberty Developer Tools, then click Install button to start the installation.
Select the features you want to install, such as WebSphere Application Server Liberty Tools or Open Liberty Tools, then click Confirm button.
Review the license agreements and accept them, then click Finish button.
Restart Eclipse IDE to apply the plugin.
Creating a Liberty Server in Eclipse
Once you have installed Liberty Server for Eclipse, you can create a new Liberty server in your IDE. You can either use an existing installation of WebSphere Liberty or Open Liberty, or download one from the internet.
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Creating a runtime environment in Eclipse
The first step is to create a runtime environment in Eclipse, which is a reference to a Liberty installation on your file system. To do this, follow these steps:
Open the Preferences dialog from Window -> Preferences menu.
Expand the Server node and select Runtime Environments.
Click Add button to create a new runtime environment.
Select WebSphere Application Server Liberty or Open Liberty as the server type, then click Next button.
If you have an existing installation of Liberty, select it from the list or browse to its location. If you want to download a new Liberty runtime, select Download and install a new runtime option and choose the version and edition you want. Then click Next button.
Give a name to your runtime environment and optionally change the default JRE (Java Runtime Environment) or enable features. Then click Finish button.
Creating a server in the Liberty profile
The next step is to create a server in the Liberty profile, which is a configuration file that defines the features and settings of your Liberty server. To do this, follow these steps:
Open the Liberty Dashboard from Window -> Show View -> Other -> Liberty Dashboard menu.
Click Create New Server button to create a new server.
Select the runtime environment you created in the previous step, then click Next button.
Give a name to your server and optionally change the default host name or HTTP port. Then click Next button.
Select the features you want to enable for your server, such as Java EE 8 Web Profile or MicroProfile 4.1. You can also add additional features from the list or by typing their names. Then click Finish button.
Creating a server in Eclipse
The final step is to create a server in Eclipse, which is a representation of your Liberty server in your IDE. To do this, follow these steps:
Open the Servers view from Window -> Show View -> Servers menu.
Right-click on the Servers view and select New -> Server menu.
Select WebSphere Application Server Liberty or Open Liberty as the server type, then click Next button.
Select the server you created in the previous step from the list, then click Next button.
Add any projects you want to deploy to your server, such as dynamic web projects or enterprise application projects. Then click Finish button.
Developing Applications with Liberty Server for Eclipse
Now that you have created a Liberty server in Eclipse, you can start developing applications with it. You can use various features and tools provided by Liberty Server for Eclipse to enhance your development experience.
Editing Liberty server.xml configuration
You can edit your Liberty server.xml configuration file from within Eclipse. This file contains the settings and features of your Liberty server. To edit it, follow these steps:
Open the Servers view from Window -> Show View -> Servers menu.
Double-click on your Liberty server to open its overview page.
Click on Open Server Configuration File link to open the server.xml file in an editor.
You can use Content Assist, validation, and hover-over descriptions to edit the file. You can also use Quick Fixes to resolve errors or warnings. You can also switch between Source and Design tabs to view and edit the file in different modes.
Developing MicroProfile applications
You can develop MicroProfile applications with Liberty Server for Eclipse. MicroProfile is a set of specifications that provide enterprise Java developers with APIs and tools for building cloud-native applications. Some of the MicroProfile specifications are Config, Fault Tolerance, Health Check, Metrics, Open API, Open Tracing, Rest Client, and JWT Propagation. To develop MicroProfile applications, follow these steps:
Create a dynamic web project or an enterprise application project in Eclipse.
Add MicroProfile features to your Liberty server.xml configuration file, such as microProfile-4.1.
Add MicroProfile dependencies to your project's pom.xml file, such as org.eclipse.microprofilemicroprofile4.1pomprovided.
Create Java classes that use MicroProfile APIs and annotations, such as @ConfigProperty, @Retry, @Health, @Counted, @OpenAPIDefinition, @Traced, @RegisterRestClient, and @Claim.
You can use Content Assist, validation, and hover-over descriptions to write and edit your code. You can also use Quick Fixes to resolve errors or warnings.
Deploy your project to your Liberty server and run it. You can access the MicroProfile endpoints from your browser or a REST client, such as or
Using Liberty dev mode
You can use Liberty dev mode with Liberty Server for Eclipse. Dev mode is a feature that enables you to develop and test your applications faster and easier. It automatically detects your code changes and deploys them to your running app, without having to restart the server. It also runs tests on demand or automatically after every change, and shows test reports in the IDE. To use dev mode, follow these steps:
Open the Servers view from Window -> Show View -> Servers menu.
Right-click on your Liberty server and select Start in dev mode menu.
Make any changes to your code or configuration files. You will see the changes reflected in your app immediately.
If you have any tests in your project, such as JUnit tests or MicroProfile tests, you can run them by pressing Enter in the console view. You can also enable automatic testing by typing liberty:dev --hotTests in the console view.
You can stop dev mode by typing q or quit in the console view, or by stopping the server from the Servers view.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to download and use Liberty Server for Eclipse, a powerful tool for developing Java EE applications. We have covered how to install the plugin, how to create a Liberty server in Eclipse, how to edit Liberty server.xml configuration, how to develop MicroProfile applications, and how to use Liberty dev mode. We hope you have found this article helpful and informative.
If you want to learn more about Liberty Server for Eclipse, you can visit the following resources:
Thank you for reading this article. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Happy coding!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the frequently asked questions about Liberty Server for Eclipse:
What is the difference between WebSphere Liberty and Open Liberty?
WebSphere Liberty and Open Liberty are both lightweight and modular application servers that support Java EE and MicroProfile standards. The main difference is that WebSphere Liberty is a commercial product that offers additional features and support options, while Open Liberty is an open source project that is free to use and contribute to.
How can I update my Liberty runtime or features?
You can update your Liberty runtime or features from within Eclipse. To do this, follow these steps:
Open the Preferences dialog from Window -> Preferences menu.
Expand the Server node and select Runtime Environments.
Select your Liberty runtime environment and click Edit button.
Click Download button to check for updates.
Select the updates you want to install, such as new runtime versions or new features, then click Next button.
Review the license agreements and accept them, then click Finish button.
How can I debug my applications with Liberty Server for Eclipse?
You can debug your applications with Liberty Server for Eclipse using the standard Eclipse debugging tools. To do this, follow these steps:
Open the Servers view from Window -> Show View -> Servers menu.
Right-click on your Liberty server and select Debug menu.
This will start your server in debug mode and attach a debugger to it.
You can set breakpoints, inspect variables, step through code, and perform other debugging actions from the Debug perspective in Eclipse.
How can I deploy my applications to a remote Liberty server?
You can deploy your applications to a remote Liberty server using the Remote Server Adapter feature of Liberty Server for Eclipse. To do this, follow these steps:
Create a remote server configuration file that contains the information of your remote server, such as host name, user name, password, and port. You can use the template file provided by Liberty Server for Eclipse or create your own.
Open the Servers view from Window -> Show View -> Servers menu.
Right-click on the Servers view and select New -> Server menu.
Select WebSphere Application Server Liberty or Open Liberty as the server type, then click Next button.
Select Remote server option and browse to your remote server configuration file, then click Next button.
Add any projects you want to deploy to your remote server, then click Finish button.
Right-click on your remote server and select Publish menu to deploy your projects.
How can I access the Liberty Dashboard?
You can access the Liberty Dashboard from within Eclipse. The Liberty Dashboard is a web-based tool that allows you to organize and manage your Liberty projects and servers. To access it, follow these steps:
Open the Liberty Dashboard from Window -> Show View -> Other -> Liberty Dashboard menu.
You will see a list of your Liberty projects and servers in the dashboard. You can also create, edit, delete, start, stop, or restart them from the dashboard.
You can also access other tools and resources from the dashboard, such as OpenAPI UI, MicroProfile Config UI, MicroProfile Health UI, MicroProfile Metrics UI, or Liberty documentation.
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