# Installation

## Downloading and installing Java

Java provides the cross-platform environment in which Orbeon Forms runs.

If you don't have Java installed yet, download it from <https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase-downloads.html>.

## Downloading and installing Apache Tomcat

Tomcat is the container application into which Orbeon Forms deploys. Follow these steps to download and install Tomcat if you don't have it installed yet:

1. Download Tomcat (see [supported versions](/installation/tomcat.md)) from the [Apache website](http://tomcat.apache.org/).
2. Install Tomcat as per the instructions. If you downloaded the installer version (Windows only), run the installer. If you downloaded a compressed archive, uncompress it to the location of your choice. We call the install location `TOMCAT_HOME` (on windows, this could be `c:/Program Files/Apache/Tomcat`, on a Unix system, `/home/jdoe/tomcat`, etc.).
3. Check that your Tomcat installation is working correctly:

   * Run the Tomcat startup script under `TOMCAT_HOME/bin` (`startup.sh` or `startup.bat` depending on your platform), or start Tomcat with the control application (Windows only).
   * Open a web browser and access the following URL:

   ```xml
   http://localhost:8080/
   ```

   You should see the Tomcat welcome page.

   ![](https://raw.github.com/wiki/orbeon/orbeon-forms/images/tutorial/01.png)

*NOTE: We recommend using Tomcat for this tutorial, but Orbeon Forms can deploy into containers other than Tomcat.*

## Downloading and installing Orbeon Forms

Follow these steps to download and install Orbeon Forms:

1. [Download](https://www.orbeon.com/download) Orbeon Forms.
2. Uncompress the archive into a directory of your choice. We call that directory `ORBEON_FORMS_HOME`.
3. Under `ORBEON_FORMS_HOME`, you find a file called `orbeon.war`. This is the file to deploy into Tomcat. To do so, just copy it under `TOMCAT_HOME/webapps` (alternatively, if you know what you are doing, you can uncompress it at a location of your choice and configure a context in `TOMCAT_HOME/conf/server.xml`). The `webapps` directory is already present after you have installed Tomcat.

## Testing your setup

Make sure you restart Tomcat (run the shutdown script under `TOMCAT_HOME/bin`, and then the startup script again). Then open up with a web browser the following URL:

```xml
http://localhost:8080/orbeon/
```

You should see the Orbeon Forms welcome page:

![](https://raw.github.com/wiki/orbeon/orbeon-forms/images/tutorial/02.png)


---

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