Performance tuning best practices for VMware Apache Tomcat

Products

• VMware
• Support Only for Apache Tomcat

Issue/Introduction

This article provides information that helps you to understand the challenges and processes associated with performance tuning in Tomcat.

Environment

Apache Tomcat 5.5
VMware vFabric tc Server 2.6
VMware vFabric tc Server 2.1
Apache Tomcat 6
VMware vFabric tc Server 2.0
VMware vFabric tc Server 2.5
Apache Tomcat 7
VMware vFabric Enterprise Ready Server 4

Resolution

Tomcat performance includes these factors:

• Responsiveness – Servicing individual requests with minimum delay. Requests may even have a Service Level Agreement (SLA) to meet.
• Throughput and scale – Maximizing the overall traffic or load that Tomcat can handle over time.
• Stability and security – Ensuring that Tomcat functions correctly under heavy traffic, unusual load, or even attacks.

This article provides links to some of the guidelines that are offered in SpringSource Webinars and TomcatExpert.

Note: These sites are updated regularly. Check the sites for the latest additions.

Responsiveness

• Setting Up Measurement of Garbage Collection in Apache Tomcat
• Performance Tuning the JVM for Running Apache Tomcat
• Myth or truth: One should always use Apache httpd in front of Apache Tomcat to improve performance?

Throughput and scale

• Performance Tuning Production Tomcat & tc Server: Tuning for Throughput
• Performance Tuning Production Tomcat and tc Server: Tuning for Scale
• Large Scale Tomcat Deployments
• Apache Tomcat Tips and Tricks from the Pros
• Myth or truth: One should always use Apache httpd in front of Apache Tomcat to improve performance?

Stability and security

• Securing Tomcat for Enterprise Use
• Apache Tomcat Tips and Tricks from the Pros

Additional Information

To be alerted when this article is update, click Subscribe to Article.
For related information on JVM performance optimization, see JVM performance optimization, Part 1: A JVM technology primer.

Impact/Risks:
All settings represent a trade-off between different approaches intended for different situations. During performance tuning, you should always load test and profile your specific application(s). It is important to be able to measure the specific performance gains (or losses) from making any adjustments to the settings. If you cannot do that accurately, it is impossible to determine how to maximize performance.