Restart requirements for a modified application on Liberty

When you change an application on Liberty, whether an application or server restart is required depends on whether the Liberty server is started in run mode or debug mode.

Modifying an application when the server is started in debug mode

In debug mode, some changes require an application restart. For details of which changes require an application restart, use the IBM® Rational® Application Developer documentation, and see the Hot Method Replace section in WebSphere® Application Server debug limitations.

If an application restart is required, a Hot Code Replace Failed dialog box is displayed, giving you an option to restart the application. If you click Yes, the application is restarted automatically; if you click No, you must restart the application manually.

For details on how to start the server in debug mode, use the IBM Rational Application Developer documentation, and see Debug on server.

Modifying an application when the server is started in run mode

In run mode, most changes require an application restart. If an application restart is required, the application is restarted automatically as part of the application publish operation from the developer tools. Some changes require a server restart.