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Deployment Overview

Sakai LMS can be deployed using multiple approaches depending on your infrastructure needs. This guide covers the primary deployment methods.

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Deployment Methods

Sakai supports two main deployment approaches:
  1. Docker Deployment - Containerized deployment for modern infrastructure
  2. Traditional Tomcat Deployment - Classic Java application server deployment

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System Requirements

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Minimum Requirements

  • Java: Java 17 (Java 11 for Sakai 22 and 23)
  • Application Server: Apache Tomcat 9
  • Database: MySQL 8.x, MariaDB 10.x, Oracle 12c+, or HSQLDB (development only)
  • Memory: Minimum 2GB RAM for Tomcat
  • Disk Space: 10GB+ for application and content storage
Do not use Tomcat installed via package managers (apt-get, yum). Download and extract Tomcat directly from Apache.

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Docker Deployment

Docker deployment provides a containerized, reproducible environment for Sakai.

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Building from Source

1

Install Docker

On Linux, use Docker’s installation script:
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sh get-docker.sh
2

Build Sakai Image

Navigate to the docker directory and build from source:
cd docker

docker build --build-arg GIT_CACHEBUST=$(date +%s) \
  --build-arg release=master -t sakai \
  -f ./Dockerfile.source .
For a specific branch or tag:
docker build --build-arg GIT_CACHEBUST=$(date +%s) \
  --build-arg repository=https://github.com/sakaiproject/sakai.git \
  --build-arg release=25.1 -t sakai:25.1 \
  -f ./Dockerfile.source .
3

Start Database Container

Sakai requires a database. Start MariaDB using Docker:
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:53306:3306 -d --name="sakai-mariadb" \
  -e "MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD=sakairoot" \
  -v "./mysql/scripts:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d" \
  -d mariadb:10 --lower-case-table-names=1
This command:
  • Maps port 3306 to local port 53306
  • Sets root password
  • Loads initialization scripts from mysql/scripts/
  • Enables case-insensitive table names
4

Start Sakai Container

Run Sakai and link to the database:
docker run --rm -p 8080:8080 --name sakai-tomcat \
  --link sakai-mariadb sakai
5

Access Sakai

Open your browser and navigate to:
http://localhost:8080/portal
Default credentials:
  • Username: admin
  • Password: admin

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Traditional Tomcat Deployment

For production environments, a traditional Tomcat deployment offers more control.

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Prerequisites

1

Install Java

Ensure Java 17 is installed:
java -version
Expected output should show Java 17.x.
2

Download Tomcat

Download Tomcat 9 from Apache Tomcat:
wget https://archive.apache.org/dist/tomcat/tomcat-9/v9.0.x/bin/apache-tomcat-9.0.x.tar.gz
tar -xzf apache-tomcat-9.0.x.tar.gz
mv apache-tomcat-9.0.x /opt/tomcat9
3

Configure Tomcat Environment

Create setenv.sh in /opt/tomcat9/bin/ with memory and JVM settings:
export UMASK='0022'

CATALINA_OPTS="-server \
               -Djava.awt.headless=true \
               -XX:+UseCompressedOops \
               -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch \
               -XX:+DisableExplicitGC \
               -Djava.net.preferIPv4Stack=true"

# Memory size
CATALINA_OPTS="$CATALINA_OPTS -Xms2g -Xmx2g"

# Generational New size
CATALINA_OPTS="$CATALINA_OPTS -XX:NewSize=500m -XX:MaxNewSize=500m"

# Garbage Collector
CATALINA_OPTS="$CATALINA_OPTS -XX:+UseG1GC"

# Java Modules (required for Java 17)
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS \
    --add-opens=java.base/java.lang=ALL-UNNAMED \
    --add-opens=java.base/java.util=ALL-UNNAMED \
    --add-opens=java.base/java.time=ALL-UNNAMED"
Make it executable:
chmod +x /opt/tomcat9/bin/setenv.sh
4

Build Sakai from Source

Clone and build Sakai:
git clone https://github.com/sakaiproject/sakai.git
cd sakai
mvn clean install
5

Deploy to Tomcat

Deploy the built artifacts:
mvn clean install sakai:deploy -Dmaven.tomcat.home=/opt/tomcat9
6

Start Tomcat

Start the Tomcat server:
cd /opt/tomcat9/bin
./startup.sh && tail -f ../logs/catalina.out
Watch the logs for successful startup. Initial startup typically takes 30-60 seconds.

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Post-Deployment Configuration

After deployment, configure Sakai through property files:
  • Database connection settings
  • Server URLs and DNS names
  • Email configuration
  • Security settings
See Configuration Guide for detailed property configuration.

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Deployment Checklist

  • Java 17 installed and configured
  • Tomcat 9 downloaded (not from package manager)
  • Database server running and accessible
  • Sakai database and user created
  • sakai.properties configured with database credentials
  • setenv.sh configured with appropriate memory settings
  • Firewall rules allow access to port 8080 (or configured port)
  • SSL/TLS certificate configured for production

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Production Considerations

For production deployments:
  • Always use HTTPS with valid SSL certificates
  • Configure a reverse proxy (nginx, Apache) in front of Tomcat
  • Set up regular database backups
  • Configure external content storage for scalability
  • Monitor memory usage and adjust heap sizes accordingly

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Next Steps

Configuration

Configure Sakai properties and settings

Database Setup

Set up and configure your database

Security

Secure your Sakai installation

User Management

Manage users and permissions

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