How to Install Apache Solr 9.8 on Ubuntu 24.04

Apache Solr is a powerful, open-source search platform built on Apache Lucene. It is designed for fast and efficient searching, indexing, and analytics, making it ideal for enterprise applications, websites, and data-driven projects. This guide will walk you through the steps to install Apache Solr 9.8.1 on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS in a simple and detailed way.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

• A computer or server running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
• Root access or a user with sudo privileges
• Basic familiarity with Linux terminal commands
• An active internet connection to download packages

Step 1: Update Your System

Start by updating your Ubuntu system to ensure all packages are current. This helps avoid compatibility issues during installation.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

The apt update command refreshes the package list, and apt upgrade -y installs the latest versions of all installed packages without prompting for confirmation.

Step 2: Install Java

Apache Solr 9.8.1 requires Java to function. Solr 9.8.1 is compatible with Java 17 or later. Let’s check if Java is already installed on your system.

java -version

If Java is installed, you’ll see version information. If not, or if the version is older than Java 17, install OpenJDK 17 using the following command:

sudo apt install openjdk-17-jdk -y

After installation, verify the Java version again to confirm it’s correctly installed:

java -version

You should see output indicating OpenJDK 17 or higher.

Step 3: Download Apache Solr 9.8.1

Download the latest Apache Solr 9.8.1 package from the official Apache website. Use the wget command to fetch the tarball directly to your system.

wget https://dlcdn.apache.org/solr/solr/9.8.1/solr-9.8.1.tgz

This command downloads the Solr 9.8.1 tarball to your current directory. You can verify the download by listing the files:

ls

You should see solr-9.8.1.tgz in the output.

Step 4: Extract the Solr Installation Script

The downloaded tarball contains an installation script to simplify setting up Solr. Extract only the installation script using the tar command.

tar xzf solr-9.8.1.tgz solr-9.8.1/bin/install_solr_service.sh --strip-components=2

This command extracts the install_solr_service.sh script to your current directory, removing the extra folder structure with --strip-components=2.

Step 5: Install Apache Solr

Now, use the extracted script to install Solr as a service on your Ubuntu system. Run the following command:

sudo bash ./install_solr_service.sh solr-9.8.1.tgz

This script does the following:

• Extracts the Solr tarball to /opt/solr
• Creates a dedicated solr user to run the service securely
• Sets up Solr as a system service for easy management

Once the script finishes, Solr will be installed and ready to configure.

Step 6: Start the Solr Service

Start the Solr service to make it active on your system.

sudo systemctl start solr

To ensure Solr starts automatically on system boot, enable the service:

sudo systemctl enable solr

Step 7: Verify the Installation

To confirm that Solr is running correctly, open a web browser and go to http://your_server_ip:8983/solr/, replacing your_server_ip with your server’s actual IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.100 or localhost if running locally). If you’re on a local machine without a public IP, use http://localhost:8983/solr/.

You should see the Apache Solr Admin Dashboard, which confirms that Solr is up and running.

Step 8: Create a Solr Collection

A Solr collection is a logical index where you store and search data. Create your first collection named mycol1 with the following command:

sudo su - solr -c "/opt/solr/bin/solr create -c mycol1 -n data_driven_schema_configs"

This command switches to the solr user and creates a collection called mycol1 using a data-driven schema configuration, which is flexible for most use cases.

After creating the collection, revisit the Solr Admin Dashboard in your browser at http://your_server_ip:8983/solr/. Select mycol1 from the collection dropdown to explore it.

Step 9: Manage the Solr Service

You can manage the Solr service using the following commands:

• Stop Solr:

  sudo systemctl stop solr
  

• Start Solr:

  sudo systemctl start solr
  

• Check Solr status:

  sudo systemctl status solr
  

  This command shows whether Solr is running and provides details about the service.

Step 10: Basic Solr Configuration (Optional)

Solr is now installed and running, but you may want to configure it further for your needs. For example:

• Adjust memory settings: Edit the Solr configuration file at /etc/default/solr.in.sh to allocate more memory if needed (e.g., change SOLR_JAVA_MEM to -Xms512m -Xmx2048m for 512 MB minimum and 2 GB maximum heap size).
• Secure Solr: By default, Solr’s admin interface is accessible without authentication. For production, set up a firewall (e.g., ufw) and restrict access to port 8983, or configure authentication via Solr’s security plugins.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Apache Solr 9.8.1 on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. You can now start indexing data, creating collections, and using Solr for powerful search and analytics tasks. For advanced features like schema customization, security, or clustering, refer to the official Apache Solr documentation.

Disclaimer: This guide is for educational purposes. Always test installations and configurations in a non-production environment before deploying to a live system. Ensure you follow security best practices, such as restricting access to Solr’s admin interface, in production environments.