OpenL Tablets Installation Guide

Installation guide for setting up OpenL Tablets for development and testing environments. For production deployment, see the Deployment Guide.

Purpose and Scope

This guide covers installing OpenL Tablets on a single node for development and testing:

✅ Covered in this guide:

  • Installing on local machine or development server
  • Setting up with Apache Tomcat (traditional deployment)
  • Basic database configuration (single node)
  • Development and testing scenarios

❌ Not covered (see Deployment Guide):

  • Production deployment and scaling
  • Docker/Kubernetes deployment
  • Cloud platform deployment (AWS, Azure)
  • High availability and clustering
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Helm)

Before You Start

New to OpenL Tablets? Try the Demo Package first - it’s the quickest way to explore OpenL Tablets with zero configuration.

Ready for production? Skip this guide and go directly to Deployment Guide for production-ready deployment options.

Guide Contents

Getting Started

Configuration

Support

Quick Start

For Development (Single User)

# 1. Install Java 21+
java -version

# 2. Download and install Apache Tomcat 10
# Download from https://tomcat.apache.org/

# 3. Download OpenL Studio WAR
# Download from https://openl-tablets.org/downloads

# 4. Deploy to Tomcat
cp openl-studio.war $TOMCAT_HOME/webapps/

# 5. Start Tomcat
$TOMCAT_HOME/bin/startup.sh

# 6. Access OpenL Studio
open http://localhost:8080/openl-studio

See Quick Start Installation for detailed steps.

Installation Path

┌─────────────────┐
│  Demo Package   │  ← Start here if you're exploring
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  Installation   │  ← You are here (Dev/Test setup)
│  (This Guide)   │
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  Deployment     │  ← Production deployment
│   (See link)    │
└─────────────────┘

What You’ll Install

OpenL Studio

  • Web-based IDE for rule development
  • Repository management (Git integration)
  • Testing and debugging tools
  • Use Case: Development environment

OpenL Rule Services (Optional)

  • REST rule execution engine
  • For testing rule services locally
  • Use Case: Testing rule execution

Database

  • PostgreSQL or MySQL recommended for testing
  • H2 embedded database for quick start (not for production)

Prerequisites

Before installing, ensure you have:

  • Java 21 or higher - Download JDK
  • Apache Tomcat 10 or higher - Download Tomcat
  • Database (optional for quick start):
    • PostgreSQL 12+ (recommended)
    • MySQL 8+ (supported)
    • H2 (embedded, development only)

See System Requirements for detailed prerequisites.

Installation Options

Option 1: Quick Start (Tomcat + H2)

Best for: First-time users, quick setup

Option 2: Tomcat + PostgreSQL

Best for: Development environment closer to production

Option 3: Studio + Rule Services

Best for: Testing complete workflow

  • OpenL Studio for development
  • Rule Services for testing rule execution
  • See: Integration

After Installation

Once OpenL Tablets is installed:

  1. Complete the setup wizard - Configure initial settings
  2. Explore the demo projects - Learn by example
  3. Read the user guides:
  4. Create your first project - Start building rules

Moving to Production

When you’re ready to deploy to production:

  1. Review production requirements - Deployment Guide
  2. Choose deployment platform:
    • Docker - Container-based deployment
    • Kubernetes - Orchestrated deployment
    • Cloud - AWS, Azure, or GCP
    • VM - Traditional VM deployment
  3. Configure for production - Configuration Guide
  4. Secure your deployment - Security Guide

Getting Help

Last Updated: 2025-11-05 Version: 6.0.0-SNAPSHOT Scope: Development and testing installation