Installation
LiveForms runs on both Linux and Windows, and requires the following software:
Java 17 or higher
The latest version of Apache Tomcat 9
A Database with an available JDBC connector
Java
Install the latest release of Java 17 or higher. We recommended JDK 21 which is linked below.
https://adoptium.net/temurin/releases/?version=21&package=jdk&arch=x64
Apache Tomcat 9.x
Install the latest release of Apache Tomcat 9.x which you may find here: https://tomcat.apache.org/download-90.cgi
Use the installer appropriate to your Operating System. This guide will demsonstrate the install process using Windows. When prompted to choose components, uncheck all optional components and install only the base “Tomcat” package.

If desired, adjust the default port numbers and change the service name to “LiveForms_Tomcat9”.

Choose an installation path such as C:/LiveForms/tomcat
.

Before clicking to finish the installation, unselect the “Run Apache Tomcat” and “Show Readme” options on the last screen.

Database Setup
LiveForms stores its application data in its own database schema, thus you will need to have an available user and database for the application to use. We recommend using PostgreSQL, though MS SQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and other database solutions with JDBC connectors are supported. The LiveForms database user will need all database rights except for the GRANT option.
SQL Configuration
The first time you deploy LiveForms in the tomcat/webapps
folder it will place a context XML configuration file at tomcat/conf/Catalina/localhost/liveforms.xml
.
Please configure your database connection there.

Note
username
and password
must match a user you set in your database. The driverClassName
depends on the library used for your database.
A list of class names can be found on this site.
Additionaly you will need to get the database connector library associated with your database and place it into the directory tomcat/lib/
.
Restart the Tomcat service to ensure all changes are applied.
LiveForms Deployment
Copy liveforms.war to tomcat/webapps
to deploy the application. If Apache Tomcat is not already running, start the service now.
Tomcat will detect the liveforms.war file and automatically initialize the application.
Note
If this is the first time deploying LiveForms, follow the instructions in SQL Configuration to connect LiveForms to the Database.
If you are deploying a patch on an existing LiveForms install, the software will reuse the existing configuration.
You should be able to access the liveforms application via the web within a minute of deploying it.
If not, check your tomcat/logs
folder for error messages.