How to run a java program on a server?

Question

I have made a java application that stores data from a .csv file to a MySql database. Now my client want it to upload this application to his web space (web space he has taken for his website) so that he can run that program on that server.

I have used FileZilla software to upload the program to his web hosting but now I don't know how to run that program on his server.

To run it on localsystem, it needs to open a command-prompt window to run it.

Is there any specific feature that the web-hosting must support to run that java program?

As it stores data from a file (.csv file) to a MySql database, then would it better to deploy that program on the server on which the database is being hosted instead of the server on which the website is being hosted?

Answer 1

Your application is most likely a console application and not a web based one.

Your client will need to SSH to the server and do something like:

java com.foobar.FooBar

or:

java -jar FooBar.jar

Answer 2

Having "web space" doesn't necessarily mean he has sufficient access to the server to run arbitrary programs (or a MySql database).

You could potentially rewrite the app as a web application, but that may well not be a good fit.

The first thing to check is whether he can log in to run programs from a console of some description. If he can, that's fine - and the way to go. If he can't, you'll need to think about why he really wants it to be on his web server, and whether it makes sense to run the app there - or whether it would be better to do it elsewhere.

Answer 3

Indeed, saying "web-application", we usually mean a special application, programmed to run on the web-server all the time, just waiting for requests from user to process.

In your case, you have a console-based application.

Depending on the configuration of the server, no of these applications could be run on your client web-hosting, any of them or both.

Since, usually web-hosting is provided by hosting company, they may have configurations ready for running your applications, may have it turnable on/off or even take money for this.

In case of internal company server, you need to ask your customer and its IT-stuff to configure this.

Finally, you'll need to ask: 1. Does server support SSH? - it's simply a remote console. Usually it's running at port 22 and you many check it with command "telnet yourserver 22" (windows and linux) - if it doesn't reject your connect - means SSH is configured. 2. Does your server have java installed and if it is available for your account via SSH connection?

1. Only if your customer really mean web-application instead of console based application you need to ask if server has web-application server for Java - usually, it's something like Apache Tomcat, Jetty, JBoss, Weblogic, etc. But this way will require application modification in order to run it in web-server.

If you will decide to use console-application and not "upgrade" it to web-application, you really may run it at the host your database is running (again, you'll need SSH). You'll save time on remote database access operations - theoretically, your program will work faster.

Answer 4

If your webhost has java available you could try to execute it from a php cronjob without the need for ssh:

<?php system('java -jar /path/to/your/program.jar'); ?>

Cron jobs are easily done from cpanel.(P.S. the above is the code for the php file it is not what you put in the cron page, you put the php -f /path/to/php/file.php in the cron page)