How to Remotely Debug Java Applications on Cloud Foundry
Article ID: 297928
Updated On: 01-08-2025
Products
Issue/Introduction
Note: Pivotal Cloud Foundry is now Tanzu Application Service (TAS) for VMs.
Environment
Resolution
1. Enable the JBP_CONFIG_DEBUG environment variable, this can be done by editing application manifest.yml or invoking the "cf set-env" command. In this article, we use application manifest as an example.
---
applications:
- name: <APP_NAME>
memory: 512M
instances: 1
path: path/java-app.war
env:
JBP_CONFIG_DEBUG: '{enabled: true}'
2. Use "cf push" to deploy the Java application to PCF or Pivotal Web Services.
3. Set up the SSH tunnel for the debug framework via JDWP.
cf ssh -N -T -L 8000:localhost:8000 <APP_NAME>
Once the SSH tunnel has been created, Eclipse/STS should connect to the localhost:8000 for debug access. Please refer to the detailed instructions in the Java Buildpack Debug Framework.
These instructions are only useful in Diego-based containers with SSH access enabled. Diego was introduced in PCF v1.6.x and is mandatory in PCF v1.7.x. Additionally, the remote debug feature is only available from Java Buildpack v3.4+.
PCF is not a development platform, you can use it but it is going to be slow. Users should develop software locally and treat PCF as a deployment target. PCF Dev is provided to set up a compact PCF on a local machine for development/debugging use.
Additional Information
The instructions are only useful in Diego-based containers with SSH access enabled. Diego was introduced in PCF v1.6.x and turns to be mandatory in v1.7.x. Additionally, the remote debug feature is only available from Java Buildpack v3.4+.
PCF is not a development platform, you can use it but it is going to be slow. Users should develop software locally and treat PCF as a deployment target. PCF Dev is provided to set up a compact PCF on a local machine for development/debugging use.
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