Alfresco Community Edition: Prerequisites and Installation with Java

📌Alfresco Community Edition: Prerequisites and Installation with Java

Introduction

Alfresco Community Edition is the open-source version of Alfresco’s powerful Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform. It provides organizations with a free yet robust way to manage documents, automate workflows, and collaborate digitally.

If you’re planning to install Alfresco Community Edition, it’s important to know the prerequisites and follow the installation steps properly—especially when working with Java as the backend environment.

This blog will guide you through:

  1. Prerequisites for Alfresco installation

  2. Installing Alfresco Community Edition with Java support

Prerequisites for Alfresco Installation

Before installing Alfresco, ensure the following software and system requirements are in place:

1. Operating System

  • Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS, Red Hat) – Preferred for production.

  • Windows 10/11 or Server – Works for testing/development.

2. Java Development Kit (JDK)

  • Alfresco requires Java 11 (LTS version).

  • Download from Oracle JDK or AdoptOpenJDK.

  • Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable.

java -version

(Should show Java 11 installed.)

3. Database

  • PostgreSQL (preferred) – Recommended by Alfresco.

  • Alternatively: MySQL / MariaDB.

4. Application Server

  • Apache Tomcat 9 (most widely used).

5. Other Tools

  • Maven 3.6+ (for building Java modules).

  • Git (to clone Alfresco source or extensions).

  • LibreOffice (for document transformations).

Steps to Install Alfresco Community Edition with Java

Step 1: Download Alfresco

Step 2: Install and Configure Database

    sudo apt update
    sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib

  • Create a database for Alfresco:

CREATE DATABASE alfresco;
CREATE USER alfresco WITH PASSWORD 'alfresco';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE alfresco TO alfresco;

Step 3: Configure Java and Tomcat

  • Install Tomcat 9 and set CATALINA_HOME.

  • Copy the Alfresco WAR files into Tomcat’s webapps/ directory.

Step 4: Update Alfresco Global Properties

In alfresco-global.properties, set:

db.username=alfresco
db.password=alfresco
db.url=jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/alfresco
db.driver=org.postgresql.Driver

dir.root=/opt/alfresco/alf_data
alfresco.context=alfresco
alfresco.host=localhost
alfresco.port=8080

Step 5: Start Alfresco

  • Run Tomcat:

$CATALINA_HOME/bin/startup.sh

  • Access Alfresco in browser:
    👉 http://localhost:8080/alfresco

Default login:

  • Username: admin

  • Password: admin

👉Watch Alfresco

Here's a quick video to help you understand Alfresco in Action better: Coming soon

🏁 Conclusion

Alfresco Community Edition with Java setup gives you a powerful open-source ECM platform for content management and business process automation. By ensuring the right prerequisites (Java 11, PostgreSQL, Tomcat) and following the installation steps carefully, you can get Alfresco running on your system in no time.

Whether you’re experimenting as a developer or planning enterprise deployment, Alfresco is a scalable and flexible solution worth exploring.



💼 Professional Support Available

If you are facing issues in real projects related to enterprise backend development or workflow automation, I provide paid consulting, production debugging, project support, and focused trainings.

Technologies covered include Java, Spring Boot, PL/SQL, Azure, and workflow automation (jBPM, Camunda BPM, RHPAM).



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