WSL + VS Code + Tomcat 9 Setup Guide

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Part A: One-Time Global WSL Configuration

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1. Enable & initialize WSL 2

# In PowerShell (Admin):
wsl --install
wsl --set-default-version 2

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2. Hide Windows ADS files globally

# In WSL, edit /etc/wsl.conf:
[automount]
options = "metadata,streams_interface=none"

# Back in PowerShell (Admin):
wsl --shutdown

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3. Configure your shell environment

# Append to ~/.bashrc (or ~/.profile):
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64
export CATALINA_HOME=/opt/tomcat9

# Reload:
source ~/.bashrc

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Part B: Install Tooling & Tomcat in WSL

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4. Install core tools

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y openjdk-8-jdk ant unzip curl

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5. Install Tomcat 9.0.85

# Download & extract
cd /tmp
wget https://archive.apache.org/dist/tomcat/tomcat-9/v9.0.85/bin/apache-tomcat-9.0.85.tar.gz
sudo mkdir -p /opt/tomcat9
sudo tar xzf apache-tomcat-9.0.85.tar.gz \
  -C /opt/tomcat9 --strip-components=1

# Create tomcat user & set permissions
sudo groupadd tomcat
sudo useradd -s /bin/false -g tomcat -d /opt/tomcat9 tomcat
sudo chown -R tomcat:tomcat /opt/tomcat9
sudo chmod -R o+rX /opt/tomcat9
sudo chmod +x /opt/tomcat9/bin/*.sh

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6. Verify Tomcat

sudo -u tomcat $CATALINA_HOME/bin/startup.sh

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Part C: VS Code & Project Workflow

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7. Install & configure VS Code Remote-WSL

1. Install Visual Studio Code on Windows.
2. In VS Code → Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X) → install Remote – WSL.
3. Click the green >< icon (bottom-left) → Remote-WSL: New Window.
4. In that WSL-connected window, install:
   • Extension Pack for Java (vscjava.vscode-java-pack)
   • Tomcat for Java (adashen.vscode-tomcat)

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8. Copy the PREDIUM project into WSL

• From Windows Explorer: copy your PREDIUM folder into
  \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\santiago\projects\PREDIUM
• Or in WSL:
  mkdir -p ~/projects
  cp -r /mnt/c/Path/To/PREDIUM ~/projects/
  

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9. Open the project in VS Code

cd ~/projects/PREDIUM
code .

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10. Register Tomcat in VS Code

• In the WSL-connected VS Code window → Tomcat Servers view (elephant icon or Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → Tomcat: Show Servers View).
• Click ➕ Add Tomcat Server → select /opt/tomcat9.
• You should now see Local Tomcat 9.0.85 listed.

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11. Build & package the WAR

cd ~/projects/PREDIUM
ant clean dist

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12. Deploy & run in VS Code

• In VS Code’s Explorer, right-click dist/PREDIUM.war → Run on Tomcat Server → Local Tomcat 9.0.85.
• VS Code will deploy and start your application.

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13. Verify & debug

• Browse to http://localhost:8080/PREDIUM/ to see your live app.
• To debug: in Tomcat Servers view → right-click the server → Debug → select the same WAR; set breakpoints in VS Code.

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14. Connect PostgreSQL on Windows from WSL (v16, copy & paste)

1. Configure PostgreSQL on Windows & open the firewall
   $winIp = (Get-NetIPConfiguration | Where-Object { $_.IPv4DefaultGateway -ne $null } | Select-Object -Expand IPv4Address).IPAddress
   $pgRoot = 'C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\16'
   & "$pgRoot\bin\psql.exe" -U postgres -d postgres -c "ALTER SYSTEM SET listen_addresses='*';"
   $hba = "$pgRoot\data\pg_hba.conf"
   Add-Content $hba ("host all all " + $winIp + "/32 md5")
   Restart-Service postgresql-x64-16
   New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName 'Postgres (WSL)' -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 5432 -Action Allow -Profile Private
   
2. Fetch the Windows-host IP inside WSL
   export DB_HOST=$(
     powershell.exe -NoProfile -Command \
       "(Get-NetIPConfiguration | Where-Object { \$_.IPv4DefaultGateway -ne \$null }).IPv4Address.IPAddress"
   )
   DB_HOST=${DB_HOST//$'\r'/}
   echo "DB_HOST → $DB_HOST"
   
3. Install the client & verify the connection
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install -y postgresql-client
   psql -h "$DB_HOST" -U postgres -d predium_vup
   
4. Configure your Spring/Hibernate application
   Replace <YOUR_WINDOWS_IP> with the value you obtained in step 2:
   <property name="url" value="jdbc:postgresql://<YOUR_WINDOWS_IP>:5432/predium_vup"/>
   

Extra Tips

• Change HTTP port: edit /opt/tomcat9/conf/server.xml.
• View logs: VS Code → Output panel → select Tomcat Server.
• Restart: right-click the server → Restart.