GeoWebCache · groldan · Jul 9, 2025 · Jul 8, 2025 · aaime · Jun 30, 2025
diff --git a/.github/workflows/azure-integration.yml b/.github/workflows/azure-integration.yml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        java-version: [ 11, 17, 21 ]
+        java-version: [ 17, 21 ]
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
     - uses: actions/setup-java@v3
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ jobs:
     - uses: actions/setup-java@v3
       with:
         distribution: 'temurin'
-        java-version: 11
+        java-version: 17
         cache: 'maven'
 
     - name: Tests against Azure

diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration.yml b/.github/workflows/integration.yml
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
 
     steps:
-    - name: Set up JDK 11
+    - name: Set up JDK 17
       uses: actions/setup-java@v3
       with:
-        java-version: 11
+        java-version: 17
         distribution: 'temurin'
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
     - name: Maven repository caching

diff --git a/.github/workflows/linux.yml b/.github/workflows/linux.yml
@@ -7,31 +7,9 @@ concurrency:
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 env:
-  MAVEN_OPTS: -Dmaven.wagon.httpconnectionManager.ttlSeconds=120 -Dmaven.wagon.http.retryHandler.count=3 -Xmx512m -Djava.awt.headless=true -Dorg.slf4j.simpleLogger.showDateTime=true -Dorg.slf4j.simpleLogger.dateTimeFormat=HH:mm:ss,SSS
+  MAVEN_OPTS: -Dmaven.wagon.httpconnectionManager.ttlSeconds=120 -Dmaven.wagon.http.retryHandler.count=3 -Xmx1g -Djava.awt.headless=true -Dorg.slf4j.simpleLogger.showDateTime=true -Dorg.slf4j.simpleLogger.dateTimeFormat=HH:mm:ss,SSS
 
 jobs:
-  openjdk11:
-    runs-on: [ubuntu-22.04]
-    steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-    - name: Set up JDK 11
-      uses: actions/setup-java@v3
-      with:
-        java-version: 11
-        distribution: 'temurin'
-    - name: Maven repository caching
-      uses: actions/cache@v3
-      with:
-        path: ~/.m2/repository
-        key: gwc-${{ runner.os }}-maven-${{ hashFiles('**/pom.xml') }}
-        restore-keys: |
-          ${{ runner.os }}-maven-
-    - name: Build with Maven
-      run: mvn -B clean install -Dspotless.apply.skip=true -Dall -T2 --file geowebcache/pom.xml
-    - name: Remove SNAPSHOT jars from repository
-      run: |
-        find .m2/repository -name "*SNAPSHOT*" -type d | xargs rm -rf {}
-
   openjdk17:
     runs-on: [ubuntu-22.04]
     steps:
@@ -80,10 +58,10 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: [ubuntu-22.04]
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-    - name: Set up JDK 11
+    - name: Set up JDK 17
       uses: actions/setup-java@v3
       with:
-        java-version: 11
+        java-version: 17
         distribution: 'temurin'
     - name: Maven repository caching
       uses: actions/cache@v3

diff --git a/.github/workflows/macos.yml b/.github/workflows/macos.yml
@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@ jobs:
 
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-    - name: Set up JDK 11
+    - name: Set up JDK 17
       uses: actions/setup-java@v3
       with:
-        java-version: 11
+        java-version: 17
         distribution: 'temurin'
     - name: Maven repository caching
       uses: actions/cache@v3

diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows.yml b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@ jobs:
 
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-    - name: Set up JDK 11
+    - name: Set up JDK 17
       uses: actions/setup-java@v3
       with:
-        java-version: 11
+        java-version: 17
         distribution: 'temurin'
     - name: Maven repository caching
       uses: actions/cache@v3

diff --git a/RELEASE_NOTES.txt b/RELEASE_NOTES.txt
@@ -1,16 +1,20 @@
 GeoWebCache 1.28-SNAPSHOT (2025-04-03)
 --------------------------------------
 
-<Release Description>
+Stable release, GeoNetwork 1.28.0 is the first release requiring a Java 17 environment.
 
 Improvements:
 +++++++++++++
-- <New feature>
+- Java 17 minimum
 
 Fixes:
 ++++++
 - <Bug fix>
 
+Updates:
+++++++++
+
+- Upgrade to GeoTools 34.x
 
 GeoWebCache 1.27.0 (2025-04-02)
 ------------------------------

diff --git a/documentation/en/build.xml b/documentation/en/build.xml
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
 
   <target name="docs"
     description="Generate html documentation">
+    <antcall target="sphinx-init"/>
 
     <mkdir dir="${build.directory}"/>
     <antcall target="sphinx">
@@ -72,13 +73,26 @@
 
   <target name="site"
     description="Generate html documentation">
+    <antcall target="autobuild-init"/>
+
 
     <mkdir dir="${build.directory}"/>
     <antcall target="autobuild">
       <param name="id" value="user" />
     </antcall>
   </target>
 
+  <target name="sphinx-init" unless="sphinx.available">
+    <local name="message"/>
+    <property name="message" value="sphinx-build not available:${line.separator}
+    ${line.separator}
+    virtualenv venv${line.separator}
+    source venv/bin/activate${line.separator}
+    pip install -r requirements.txt${line.separator}
+    "/> 
+    <fail message="${message}"/>
+  </target>
+
   <target name="sphinx" if="sphinx.available">
     <local name="argLine"/>
     <property name="argLine" value="-D release=${project.version} -q -W --keep-going -b html -d &quot;${build.directory}/user/doctrees&quot; . &quot;${build.directory}/user/html&quot;"/>
@@ -88,6 +102,16 @@
     </exec>
   </target>
 
+  <target name="autobuild-init" unless="autobuild.available">
+    <local name="message"/>
+    <property name="message" value="autobuild not available:${line.separator}
+    ${line.separator}
+    virtualenv venv${line.separator}
+    source venv/bin/activate${line.separator}
+    pip install -r requirements.txt${line.separator}
+    "/> 
+    <fail message="${message}"/>
+  </target>
 
   <target name="autobuild" if="autobuild.available">
     <local name="argLine"/>

diff --git a/documentation/en/user/source/configuration/layers/howto.rst b/documentation/en/user/source/configuration/layers/howto.rst
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ It is recommended to use a special XML editing tool or at the very least a text
 
 Two recommended free editors, both of which have support for XML validation, are:
 
-* `jEdit <http://www.jedit.org/>`_ (cross platform)
-* `Notepad++ <http://notepad-plus-plus.org/>`_ (Windows only)
+* `jEdit <https://www.jedit.org>`_ (cross platform)
+* `Notepad++ <https://notepad-plus-plus.org/>`_ (Windows only)
 
 It is also possible to validate an XML document outside of a text editor environment.
 

diff --git a/documentation/en/user/source/configuration/storage.rst b/documentation/en/user/source/configuration/storage.rst
@@ -23,53 +23,57 @@ does not explicitly indicate which blobstore shall be used.
 
 .. note:: **there will always be a "default" blobstore**. If a blobstore to be used by default is not explicitly configured, one will
    be created automatically following the legacy cache location lookup mechanism used in versions prior to 1.8.0.
-
+
+.. _configuration.file
+
 Configuration File
 ------------------
 
-The location of the configuration file, :file:`geowebcache.xml`, will be defined by the ``GEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR`` application argument.
+The location of the configuration file, :file:`geowebcache.xml`, will be defined by the ``GEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR`` application parameter.
 
-There are a few ways to define this argument:
+There are a few ways to define ``GEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR``:
 
 * JVM system environment variable
 * Servlet context parameteter
 * Operating system environment variable
 
 The variable in all cases is defined as ``GEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR``.
 
-To set as a JVM system environment variable, add the parameter ``-DGEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR=<path>`` to your servlet startup script.  
-In Tomcat, this can be added to the Java Options (JAVA_OPTS) variable in the startup script.
-
-To set as a servlet context parameter, edit the GeoWebCache :file:`web.xml` file and add the following code:
-
-.. code-block:: xml
-
-   <context-param>
-     <param-name>GEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR</param-name>
-     <param-value>PATH</param-value>
-   </context-param>
-
-where ``PATH`` is the location of the cache directory.
+1. To set as a JVM system environment variable, add the parameter ``-DGEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR=<path>`` to your servlet startup script.
 
-To set as an operating system environment variable, run one of the the following commands:
+   In Tomcat, this can be added to the Java Options (``JAVA_OPTS``) variable in the startup script, or by creating :file:`setenv.sh` / :file:`setenv.bat`:
 
-Windows::
+2. To set as a servlet context parameter, edit the GeoWebCache :file:`web.xml` file and add the following code:
 
-  > set GEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR=<path>
+   .. code-block:: xml
+
+      <context-param>
+        <param-name>GEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR</param-name>
+        <param-value>PATH</param-value>
+      </context-param>
 
-Linux/OS X::
+    where ``PATH`` is the location of the cache directory.
 
-  $ export GEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR=<path>
+3. To set as an operating system environment variable, run one of the the following commands:
 
-Finally, although not recommended, it is possible to set this location directly in the :file:`geowebcache-core-context.xml` file.  Uncomment this code:
+   Windows::
+
+     > set GEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR=<path>
+
+   Linux/OS X::
+
+     $ export GEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR=<path>
 
-.. code-block:: xml
+4. Not recommended: It is possible to set this location directly in the :file:`geowebcache-core-context.xml` file.
+   However this file will be replaced each update:
 
-   <!-- bean id="gwcBlobStore" class="org.geowebcache.storage.blobstore.file.FileBlobStore" destroy-method="destroy">
-     <constructor-arg value="/tmp/gwc_blobstore" />
-   </bean -->
+   .. code-block:: xml
+
+      <!-- bean id="gwcBlobStore" class="org.geowebcache.storage.blobstore.file.FileBlobStore" destroy-method="destroy">
+        <constructor-arg value="/tmp/gwc_blobstore" />
+      </bean -->
 
-making sure to edit the path.  As usual, any changes to the servlet configuration files will require :ref:`configuration.reload`.
+   making sure to edit the path.  As usual, any changes to the servlet configuration files will require :ref:`configuration.reload`.
 
 .. note:: if ``GEOWEBCACHE_CACHE_DIR`` is not provided by any of the above mentioned methods, the directory will default
     to the temporary storage folder specified by the web application container. (For Tomcat, this is the :file:`temp` directory inside the root.)

diff --git a/documentation/en/user/source/development/index.rst b/documentation/en/user/source/development/index.rst
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ You are encouraged to help contribute code to GeoWebCache.  To do so, you will f
 
 This is the current prerequisites:
 
- * Java 8 (`OpenJDK <http://openjdk.java.net>`__ linux, `OpenJDK Temurin 8 <https://adoptium.net/?variant=openjdk8&jvmVariant=hotspot>` windows and macOS installers)
- * `Maven <http://maven.apache.org/>`_
- * `Git <http://git-scm.com>`_
+ * Java 17 (`OpenJDK <https://openjdk.java.net>`__ linux, `OpenJDK Temurin 17 <https://adoptium.net/temurin/releases/?variant=openjdk8&jvmVariant=hotspot&os=any&arch=any&version=17>` windows and macOS installers)
+ * `Maven <https://maven.apache.org/>`_
+ * `Git <https://git-scm.com>`_
 
-Please make sure you use **Java 8** to compile to ensure that we don't accidentally use new features only available in Java 11.
+Please make sure you use **Java 17** to compile to ensure that we don't accidentally use new features only available in Java 21.
 
 You are encouraged to join the `GeoWebCache Developers mailing list <https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/geowebcache-devel>`__ to discuss your work.  It is always a good idea to ask whether anyone else has already solved the same problem.
 
@@ -27,28 +27,28 @@ Setting Up
 
    .. code-block:: bash
 
-      set JAVA_HOME=c:\Program Files\Temurin\jdk8u322-b06
+      set JAVA_HOME=c:\Program Files\Temurin\jdk-17.0.15_6
 
    Linux/OS X:
 
    .. code-block:: bash
 
-      export JAVA_HOME=/opt/jdk1.7.0_79
+      export JAVA_HOME=/opt/jdk-17.0.15_6
 
-#. You can download maven from http://maven.apache.org/download.html, unpack and include the :file:`bin` directory in your PATH variable.
+#. You can download maven from https://maven.apache.org/download.html, unpack and include the :file:`bin` directory in your PATH variable.
 
    Windows:
 
    .. code-block:: bash
 
-      set M2_HOME = C:\java\apache-maven-3.8.5
+      set M2_HOME = C:\java\apache-maven-3.9.5
       set PATH=%PATH%;%M2_HOME%\bin;%JAVA_HOME%\bin
 
    Linux:
 
    .. code-block:: bash
 
-      export M2_HOME = ~/java/apache-maven-3.8.5
+      export M2_HOME = ~/java/apache-maven-3.9.5
       export PATH=$PATH:$M2_HOME/bin:$JAVA_HOME/bin
 
    For more detail instructions on maven see the `download page <http://maven.apache.org/download.cgi>`_.
@@ -89,6 +89,9 @@ Build
 
       cd web
       mvn jetty:run
+
+   The service is available on http://localhost:8081/geonetwork allowing local testing with http://localhost:8080/geoserver layers.  To change the port number use ``jetty.http.port``
+   as describde in `jetty 10 documentation <https://jetty.org/docs/jetty/10/programming-guide/maven-jetty/jetty-maven-plugin.html>`_.
 
 #. A WAR is built as the last step in ``mvn clean install`` above.
 

diff --git a/documentation/en/user/source/faq/index.rst b/documentation/en/user/source/faq/index.rst
@@ -4,5 +4,7 @@ Frequently Asked Questions
 This section will answer common questions about GeoWebCache.
 
 Does GeoWebCache support WFS feature caching?
-  Not currently.  Earlier versions of GeoWebCache had an experimental prototype of vector feature caching, but it was highly unstable and was removed from GeoWebCache as of version 1.2.5.
 
+  Not currently.  Earlier versions of GeoWebCache had an experimental prototype of vector feature caching, but it was highly unstable and was removed from GeoWebCache as of version 1.2.5.
+
+  However when used with a vector tiles output format GeoWebCache can cache a vector representation of the features within each tile. It is up to client software to stich together the resulting shapes during vector tile rendering.
diff --git a/documentation/en/user/source/installation/geowebcache.rst b/documentation/en/user/source/installation/geowebcache.rst
@@ -3,11 +3,11 @@
 Installing GeoWebCache
 ======================
 
-Once the :ref:`Java Servlet environment <prerequisites>` is in place, installing GeoWebCache is simple. 
+Once the :ref:`Java Servlet environment <prerequisites>` is in place:
 
-The latest Web ARchive (WAR) file can be downloaded from `GeoWebCache.osgeo.org <https://geowebcache.osgeo.org>`_.  
+1. The :file:`geowebcache-war.zip` Web ARchive (WAR) file can be downloaded from `GeoWebCache.osgeo.org <https://geowebcache.osgeo.org>`_.  
 
-Unpack the zip file and make sure to read the software :ref:`license`.
+2. Unpack the zip file and make sure to read the software :ref:`license`, and locate the :file:`geowebcache.war` for deployment.
 
 Option 1: Tomcat Administration Tool
 ------------------------------------
@@ -18,13 +18,23 @@ Option 1: Tomcat Administration Tool
 
 #. After the upload is complete, look for :guilabel:`geowebcache` in the :guilabel:`Applications` table. 
 
-#. GeoWebCache should be installed at ``http://localhost:8080/geowebcache``.
+#. Once the application is started, GeoWebCache is available ``http://localhost:8080/geowebcache``.
 
 Option 2: Manual Installation
 -----------------------------
 
-The file :file:`geowebcache.war` is just a zip file.  The Tomcat Administration Tool unpacks this file to a folder inside the Tomcat webapps directory called ``<tomcat dir>/webapps/geowebcache``.  If you wish, you can unpack this archive manually in this location. You can also make configuration changes before copying to the webapps directory.
+1. Tomcat will need to be stopped before making any changes to the webapps directory.
+
+   Ensure that the Tomcat process is stopped before proceeding, as the JVM does not always release file handles immediately.
 
-.. note:: Tomcat will need to be stopped before making any changes to the webapps directory.  Ensure that the Tomcat process is stopped before proceeding, as the JVM does not always release file handles immediately.
+2. To manually deploy:
 
-After restarting Tomcat, GeoWebCache should be installed at ``http://localhost:8080/geowebcache``.
+   * Copy the file :file:`geowebcache.war` to :file:`<tomcat dir>/webapps`.
+
+     On startup Tomcat will deploy the application to the folder :file:`<tomcat dir>/webapps/geowebcache`
+
+   * If you wish, you can unpack this archive manually in this location. The :file:`geowebcache.war` may be treated as a zip file and be unpacked to :file:`<tomcat dir>/webapps/geowebcache`.
+
+    This approach allows you to make configuration changes before restartig Tomcat.
+
+3. After restarting Tomcat, GeoWebCache is available ``http://localhost:8080/geowebcache``.