WildFly on Windows

Prerequisites

Before you launch the WildFly on Windows AMI, make sure you have the following in place:

• AWS account. You need an active AWS account with permissions to launch EC2 instances and manage security groups.
• EC2 key pair. Create or select an existing EC2 key pair in the region where you plan to launch the instance. You need this key pair to decrypt the Windows Administrator password.
• Remote Desktop client. Install a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) client on your local machine. Options include Microsoft Remote Desktop (macOS/Windows), Remmina (Linux), or any compatible RDP client.
• Security group configuration. Your security group must allow inbound traffic on the ports listed below.

Protocol Type Port Description

RDP TCP 3389 Remote Desktop access

TCP TCP 9990 WildFly Administration Console

TCP TCP 8080 WildFly Welcome Page and application access

Restrict RDP access to your own IP address or a trusted CIDR range. Also limit the WildFly management port (9990) to trusted administrators only.

Minimum system requirements

Minimum CPU Minimum RAM Required Disk Space

1 vCPU 1 GB 30 GB

For production workloads, consider a t3.medium or larger instance type with at least 4 GB of RAM for consistent performance under load.

Step by Step Setup

Step 1 - Launch the Instance

• Open the AWS Marketplace listing for WildFly on Windows by SecureAnyCloud.
• Select Continue to Subscribe, then Continue to Configuration.
• Select your preferred AWS Region and instance type.
• On the launch page, choose your VPC and subnet, and assign the security group that you prepared above.
• Select your EC2 key pair and launch the instance.

Step 2 - Wait for Status Checks

Wait until the EC2 instance reaches 2/2 status checks passed before you try to connect. Windows instances can take several minutes to complete their initial boot process.

Step 3 - Retrieve the Windows Administrator Password

• Sign in to the AWS Console and open EC2 > Instances.
• Select the radio button next to your newly launched instance.
• Choose Actions > Security > Get Windows password.
• Choose Browse and upload the .pem key pair file that you selected during launch.
• Choose Decrypt password.
• Copy the Administrator password, which appears in plain text, and store it securely.

Step 4 - Connect via Remote Desktop

• Open your Remote Desktop client application.
• Create a new connection using the public IP address of your EC2 instance. If your instance is on a private subnet and you have a VPN connection, use the private IP address instead.
• Choose Add or Connect.
• When prompted for credentials, enter the username Administrator and, as the password, the decrypted password from Step 3.
• Choose Continue.
• If a certificate warning states that the certificate could not be verified back to a root certificate, choose Continue to proceed.

The Windows Server desktop appears.

Step 5 - Verify the WildFly Service Is Running

The WildFly service starts automatically on boot. To verify that it is running:

• Open the Start Menu and search for Services.
• Select Services to open the Services management console.
• Locate the Wildfly service in the list.
• Verify that the Status column shows Running and that Startup Type shows Automatic.

The service properties show:

• Service name: Wildfly
• Display name: Wildfly
• Description: Wildfly Application Server
• Path to executable: C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\bin\service\wildfly-service.exe //RS//Wildfly
• Startup type: Automatic

Step 6 - Verify the WildFly Welcome Page

Open a web browser and go to:

http://<PUBLIC_IP>:8080

The WildFly Welcome Page confirms that the application server is running.

Step 7 - Create a Management User

Before you access the Administration Console, create a management user. Open a Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

cd C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\bin add-user.bat

The script prompts you for the following:

• What type of user do you wish to add? Enter a for Management User.
• Username: Enter your desired username (for example, admin). If the user already exists, enter a to update the existing user's password and roles.
• Password: Enter a strong password. The password must contain at least 8 characters, including 1 alphabetic character, 1 digit and 1 non-alphanumeric symbol. It must not be the same as the username or a restricted value (root, admin, administrator).
• Re-enter Password: Confirm the password.
• What groups do you want this user to belong to? Press Enter to leave the field blank.
• Is this new user going to be used for one AS process to connect to another? Enter no.

Step 8 - Access the WildFly Administration Console

Open the WildFly Administration Console in your browser:

http://<PUBLIC_IP>:9990

A sign-in dialog appears. Enter:

• Username: the management username you created (for example, admin)
• Password: the password you set in the add-user script

Select Sign In. The WildFly Application Server management console loads and gives you access to:

• Deployments for adding and managing deployed applications
• Configuration for subsystem settings and datasource creation
• Runtime for monitoring server status, JVM metrics and log files
• Patching for managing WildFly full patches
• Access Control for assigning user roles and permissions

Server Components

The WildFly on Windows AMI includes these preconfigured components:

Component Version Description

WildFly 26.1.2.Final Open source Java application server (Jakarta EE and Java EE)

Java Latest compatible version Java Runtime Environment required by WildFly

Windows Server 2012 R2 or later Windows Server operating system

WildFly is installed at C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final and is registered as a Windows Service for automatic startup.

Filesystem Layout

The AMI uses a single C: drive that holds the operating system and all WildFly components.

Drive Description

C: Local disk containing Windows Server, WildFly, and Java

Key directories and their purposes

Path Purpose

C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final WildFly installation directory

C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\bin WildFly binaries, scripts, and service management tools

C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\bin\service Windows Service executable and configuration

C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\standalone Standalone server configuration, deployments, and data

C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\standalone\configuration Server configuration files including standalone.xml

C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\standalone\deployments Application deployment directory (hot deploy folder)

C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\standalone\log Server log files

C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\domain Domain mode configuration (for multi server setups)

Managing Services

You manage the WildFly service through the Windows Services console or from the command line.

Using the Windows Services console

• Open the Start Menu and search for Services.
• Locate Wildfly in the service list.
• Right-click the service to Start, Stop, Pause or Resume it, or to change the Startup Type.

Using the command line

Open a Command Prompt as Administrator:

:: Check the WildFly service status sc query Wildfly :: Stop the WildFly service net stop Wildfly :: Start the WildFly service net start Wildfly :: Restart the WildFly service net stop Wildfly && net start Wildfly

Using PowerShell

# Check service status Get-Service Wildfly
# Stop the service Stop-Service Wildfly
# Start the service Start-Service Wildfly
# Restart the service Restart-Service Wildfly

Changing the startup type

To stop WildFly from starting automatically on boot, run:

sc config Wildfly start=demand

To re-enable automatic startup, run:

sc config Wildfly start=auto

Scripts and Log Files

Script or Log Path Description

add-user.bat C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\bin Create or modify management and application users

standalone.bat C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\bin Start WildFly in standalone mode (manual start)

jboss-cli.bat C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\bin WildFly command line interface for administration

server.log C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\standalone\log Main WildFly server log file

standalone.xml C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\standalone\configuration Primary server configuration file

mgmt-users.properties C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\standalone\configuration Management user credentials store

application-users.properties C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\standalone\configuration Application user credentials store

Deploying Applications

Hot deployment

The simplest way to deploy a Java application is to copy your WAR, EAR or JAR file into the deployments directory:

copy C:\path\to\your\application.war C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\standalone\deployments\

WildFly detects and deploys the application automatically. A .deployed marker file appears once deployment is complete. If deployment fails, WildFly creates a .failed marker file instead.

Using the Administration Console

• Sign in to the Administration Console at http://<PUBLIC_IP>:9990.
• Select Deployments on the homepage.
• Select Deploy an Application and browse to your WAR, EAR or JAR file.
• Follow the wizard to upload and enable the deployment.

Using the CLI

Open a Command Prompt and launch the WildFly CLI:

cd C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\bin jboss-cli.bat --connect deploy C:\path\to\your\application.war

To undeploy an application:

undeploy application.war

Configuring a datasource

To connect your application to a database, use the Administration Console:

• Open Configuration > Subsystems > Datasources.
• Select Create a Datasource.
• Follow the wizard to specify the JDBC driver, connection URL, username and password.
• Test the connection before you save.

Troubleshooting

Cannot connect via RDP

• Confirm that the instance has reached 2/2 status checks in the EC2 console.
• Verify that your security group allows inbound TCP traffic on port 3389 from your IP address.
• Make sure you are using the correct decrypted Administrator password.
• If you have a VPN connection to the VPC, try the private IP address.

WildFly service is not running

• Open Services and check the status of the Wildfly service.
• If the service has stopped, check the server log at C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\standalone\log\server.log for error messages.
• Make sure there is sufficient disk space on the C: drive.
• Verify that Java is installed correctly. Open a Command Prompt and run java -version.

Cannot access the Administration Console on port 9990

• Verify that the Wildfly service is running.
• Make sure you created a management user with the add-user.bat script. The console requires authentication and is not accessible without a management user.
• Check that port 9990 is open in your security group.
• If you access the console from the local server, try http://localhost:9990.

Cannot access the Welcome Page on port 8080

• Verify that the Wildfly service is running.
• Check that port 8080 is open in your security group.
• Review the server log for startup errors.

Deployment fails

• Check for .failed marker files in the deployments directory.
• Review the server log at C:\wildfly-26.1.2.Final\standalone\log\server.log for deployment error details.
• Verify that the application is compatible with the installed WildFly version.
• Make sure there is sufficient disk space for the deployment.

Password requirements not met during add-user

• The password must be at least 8 characters long.
• It must contain at least 1 alphabetic character, 1 digit and 1 non-alphanumeric symbol.
• It must not match the username or be a restricted value such as root, admin or administrator.

Port conflicts

• If another application already uses port 8080 or 9990, WildFly may fail to start.
• Check for conflicting services with netstat -an | findstr 8080 or netstat -an | findstr 9990.

Security Recommendations

Change the Windows Administrator password

After your first sign-in, change the default Administrator password in Windows:

• Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, or use the RDP client's equivalent.
• Select Change a password.
• Enter the current password and set a new strong password.

Once you change the password, you cannot retrieve it again from the AWS Console.

Restrict RDP access

Limit RDP (port 3389) to specific trusted IP addresses in your security group. Never expose RDP to 0.0.0.0/0. Consider using a bastion host or AWS Systems Manager for remote access.

Restrict management console access

Port 9990 provides full administrative control over the WildFly server. Open this port only to trusted administrator IP addresses. For production environments, consider binding the management interface to localhost only and using SSH tunnelling or RDP to reach it.

Use strong management passwords

When you create management users with add-user.bat, use strong passwords that meet your enterprise password policy. The password should differ from the Windows Administrator password.

Enable Windows Firewall

In addition to AWS security groups, configure Windows Firewall to restrict inbound traffic to only the required ports.

Apply Windows updates

Keep the Windows Server operating system up to date with the latest security patches:

• Open Server Manager.
• Go to Windows Update.
• Check for and install available updates.

Apply WildFly patches

Monitor WildFly security advisories. Apply patches through the Patching section of the Administration Console, or download updated releases from the WildFly website.

Enable HTTPS

For production deployments, configure WildFly to use HTTPS with a TLS certificate for both the application port (8080 replaced by 8443) and the management port. Update the standalone.xml configuration to add an SSL context.

Remove the default Welcome Page

For production deployments, consider disabling the default welcome page to avoid exposing server information. You can do this in the Administration Console under Configuration.

Back up configuration and deployments

Back up the WildFly configuration and deployed applications regularly. Use AWS EBS snapshots for volume-level backups, or manually copy the standalone\configuration and standalone\deployments directories to a safe location.

Support

If you hit an issue that this guide does not cover, or you need further assistance, the SecureAnyCloud support team is available 24/7.

• Email: sales@secureanycloud.com
• Phone: (+44) 02045382725
• Website: secureanycloud.com
• Address: 3rd Floor, 86 90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE

When you contact support, include your EC2 instance ID, the AWS region, and a description of the issue, along with any relevant log output or screenshots.

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