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ogTAK Server Setup Guides

Practical, tested install guides for TAK Server 5.5, 5.6, and 5.7 on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS — including federation, LDAP, Docker, and an end-to-end smoke test using OmniTAK.

Latest TAK Server upstream tags (TAK-Product-Center/Server, April 2026):

  • 5.7-RELEASE-14 — newest, includes WebTAK 4.10.5 and major messaging perf wins
  • 5.6-RELEASE-35 — current stable
  • 5.5-RELEASE-82 — long-term stable; 5.5-RELEASE-58 (the original target of these guides) is superseded

Pick the version that matches the .deb you downloaded from tak.gov.

Which guide should I use?

You want to... Read this
Install the newest TAK Server TAK_SERVER_5.7_COMPLETE_TUTORIAL.md
Install current stable TAK_SERVER_5.6_COMPLETE_TUTORIAL.md
Install 5.5 (legacy) TAK_SERVER_5.5_COMPLETE_TUTORIAL.md
Run TAK Server in Docker TAK_SERVER_DOCKER_GUIDE.md
5.7-on-Docker deltas vs the 5.5 guide (Colima, .zip package, martiuser, etc.) TAK_5.7_DOCKER_DELTAS.md
Build a one-tap .zip data package for sim / emulator / phone TAK_5.7_DATA_PACKAGE_GUIDE.md
Federate to OpenTAKServer / another TAK Server FEDERATION_SETUP.md
Wire up OpenLDAP / Active Directory auth LDAP_SETUP_GUIDE.md
Smoke-test the install with a real client OMNITAK_TEST_GUIDE.md

The same gotchas apply across 5.5 / 5.6 / 5.7

These bite on every fresh Ubuntu 24.04 install. None of them have been fixed upstream because they're really Ubuntu/packaging quirks, not TAK Server bugs:

1. PostgreSQL MUST be version 15

  • TAK Server 5.5/5.6/5.7 all pin to PostgreSQL 15 (verified in source — requires('postgresql-15'), requires('postgresql-15-postgis-3'))
  • Ubuntu 24.04's default apt install postgresql installs 16, which breaks TAK Server with cryptic DB errors
  • Install 15 explicitly from the PGDG APT repo (every guide above shows the steps)

2. Keep OpenJDK 17 installed alongside Temurin

  • The TAK Server .deb declares requires('openjdk-17-jdk') — don't remove it
  • Run Temurin 17 as the runtime AND keep OpenJDK 17 to satisfy the package dependency
  • Removing OpenJDK 17 will fail your dpkg -i

3. Federation Hub is a separate .deb

  • takserver-fed-hub_<version>_all.deb — separate download from tak.gov
  • The fed-hub scripts need PATH fixes for Ubuntu 24.04 (full paths to /usr/bin/awk and /usr/bin/java)
  • See FEDERATION_SETUP.md

4. Re-apply launcher-script PATH fixes after every dpkg -i

  • dpkg overwrites /opt/tak/setenv.sh, takserver-messaging.sh, etc.
  • Each tutorial's "Fix Startup Scripts" section is the same fix — re-run it on upgrade

Version-specific notes

What's new in 5.7

  • WebTAK 4.10.5 — performance overhaul, scales to ~2800 clients on c5.2xlarge
  • takproto over UDP inputs (previously TCP/TLS only) — useful for Meshtastic/LoRa gateways
  • Optional broadcast filter to prevent specific users from broadcasting map items
  • Websocket compression off by default for performance — re-enable in CoreConfig.xml if you need it for low-bandwidth clients

What changed in 5.6 (vs 5.5)

  • Spring Security bumped to 6.5.9 — re-test custom OAuth/SSO config
  • Apache Commons Codec 1.15 → 1.17.1
  • Spring LDAP 3.1.6 → 3.2.0 — re-test custom LDAP/AD bind
  • commons-beanutils no longer pulled in by core
  • OS deps unchanged (Java 17, PostgreSQL 15)

5.5 baseline

Tested environments

  • OS: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS (Noble Numbat)
  • Java: Eclipse Temurin 17.0.16 + OpenJDK 17 (both required)
  • PostgreSQL: 15.x with PostGIS 3
  • TAK Server: 5.5-RELEASE-82, 5.6-RELEASE-35, 5.7-RELEASE-14
  • Federation Hub: matching <version>-RELEASE-<n> to the server
  • Clients: OmniTAK-Android (Kotlin/Compose), OmniTAK-iOS (Swift/SwiftUI), ATAK 5.5+, WinTAK

Port reference (all versions)

TAK Server core

Port Protocol Purpose
5432 TCP PostgreSQL 15
8089 TCP/TLS Client connections (ATAK / WinTAK / OmniTAK)
8443 TCP/HTTPS Web admin / WebTAK (client cert required)
8444 TCP/HTTPS Federation HTTPS
8446 TCP/HTTPS Certificate enrollment
6969 UDP Multicast SA discovery

Federation Hub

Port Protocol Purpose
9000 TCP/TLS Federation V1 (legacy)
9001 TCP/TLS Federation V2 server
9100 HTTPS Federation Hub web UI
9101 TCP/TLS Fed Hub V1 broker
9102 TCP/TLS Fed Hub V2 broker

Quick start

  1. Download the TAK Server .deb from tak.gov (registration required)
  2. Read the gotchas above
  3. Follow the matching TAK_SERVER_5.X_COMPLETE_TUTORIAL.md top-to-bottom
  4. Verify with OMNITAK_TEST_GUIDE.md
  5. Optionally add federation, LDAP, or Docker

Time budget: 1–2 hours for a clean install on a fresh VM, plus 15 minutes for the OmniTAK smoke test.

Security notes

  • Default cert password is atakatak — change cert-metadata.sh (CAPASS= and PASS=) before running makeRootCa.sh
  • Database password takserver123 in the tutorials is a placeholder — replace it before exposing the server
  • Never commit certificates or private keys
  • Review firewall rules before exposing the server to the internet
  • For production, consider running behind a reverse proxy and fronting it with proper CA-issued certs (the self-signed CA is fine for internal use)

Package downloads

All TAK Server packages must be downloaded from tak.gov (free registration). This repo cannot redistribute them.

You'll typically need:

Filename pattern Purpose
takserver_5.X-RELEASE<n>_all.deb Main server
takserver-fed-hub_5.X-RELEASE<n>_all.deb Federation Hub (optional)
takserver-docker-5.X-RELEASE-<n>.tar.gz Docker bundle (optional)

Contributing

Issues, corrections, and improvements welcome. Please ensure:

  • No sensitive data (certificates, keys, passwords)
  • Commands tested on Ubuntu 24.04 (or the OS you're documenting)
  • Steps are concrete and reproducible

Disclaimer

This is an unofficial community guide. For official TAK Server documentation and support:

TAK Server is government software. All packages must be obtained from official sources.

Version history

  • v2.0 — Added 5.6 + 5.7 install guides, OmniTAK end-to-end smoke test, refreshed README
  • v1.2 — Added Docker installation guide
  • v1.1 — Added Federation Hub setup with detailed gotchas
  • v1.0 — Initial 5.5 install guide for Ubuntu 24.04