Maven Plugin Configuration

maven-plugin-configuration

Use when configuring Maven plugins, setting up common plugins like compiler, surefire, jar, or creating custom plugin executions.

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SKILL.md

Full skill instructions

Maven Plugin Configuration

Master Maven plugin configuration including core plugins, build plugins, reporting plugins, and custom plugin development.

Overview

Maven plugins provide the actual functionality for building projects. Understanding how to configure plugins effectively is essential for customizing builds, optimizing performance, and ensuring code quality.

Plugin Basics

Plugin Structure

<build>
    <plugins>
        <plugin>
            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
            <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
            <version>3.12.1</version>
            <configuration>
                <!-- Plugin-specific configuration -->
            </configuration>
            <executions>
                <execution>
                    <id>compile-java</id>
                    <phase>compile</phase>
                    <goals>
                        <goal>compile</goal>
                    </goals>
                </execution>
            </executions>
        </plugin>
    </plugins>
</build>

Plugin Management

<build>
    <pluginManagement>
        <plugins>
            <!-- Define versions and shared config -->
            <plugin>
                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
                <version>3.12.1</version>
                <configuration>
                    <release>17</release>
                </configuration>
            </plugin>
        </plugins>
    </pluginManagement>
    <plugins>
        <!-- Actually use plugin (inherits config) -->
        <plugin>
            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
            <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
        </plugin>
    </plugins>
</build>

Core Build Plugins

Compiler Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.12.1</version>
    <configuration>
        <release>17</release>
        <encoding>UTF-8</encoding>
        <showWarnings>true</showWarnings>
        <showDeprecation>true</showDeprecation>
        <compilerArgs>
            <arg>-Xlint:all</arg>
            <arg>-parameters</arg>
        </compilerArgs>
        <annotationProcessorPaths>
            <path>
                <groupId>org.projectlombok</groupId>
                <artifactId>lombok</artifactId>
                <version>1.18.30</version>
            </path>
        </annotationProcessorPaths>
    </configuration>
</plugin>

Resources Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-resources-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.3.1</version>
    <configuration>
        <encoding>UTF-8</encoding>
        <propertiesEncoding>UTF-8</propertiesEncoding>
        <nonFilteredFileExtensions>
            <nonFilteredFileExtension>pdf</nonFilteredFileExtension>
            <nonFilteredFileExtension>ico</nonFilteredFileExtension>
            <nonFilteredFileExtension>png</nonFilteredFileExtension>
            <nonFilteredFileExtension>jpg</nonFilteredFileExtension>
        </nonFilteredFileExtensions>
    </configuration>
</plugin>

JAR Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-jar-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.3.0</version>
    <configuration>
        <archive>
            <manifest>
                <addClasspath>true</addClasspath>
                <mainClass>com.example.Main</mainClass>
                <addDefaultImplementationEntries>true</addDefaultImplementationEntries>
                <addDefaultSpecificationEntries>true</addDefaultSpecificationEntries>
            </manifest>
            <manifestEntries>
                <Build-Time>${maven.build.timestamp}</Build-Time>
                <Built-By>${user.name}</Built-By>
            </manifestEntries>
        </archive>
        <excludes>
            <exclude>**/logback-test.xml</exclude>
        </excludes>
    </configuration>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>test-jar</id>
            <goals>
                <goal>test-jar</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Source Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-source-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.3.0</version>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>attach-sources</id>
            <goals>
                <goal>jar-no-fork</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Javadoc Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-javadoc-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.6.3</version>
    <configuration>
        <doclint>none</doclint>
        <source>17</source>
        <quiet>true</quiet>
        <links>
            <link>https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/17/docs/api/</link>
        </links>
    </configuration>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>attach-javadocs</id>
            <goals>
                <goal>jar</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Testing Plugins

Surefire Plugin (Unit Tests)

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.2.3</version>
    <configuration>
        <includes>
            <include>**/*Test.java</include>
            <include>**/*Tests.java</include>
            <include>**/Test*.java</include>
        </includes>
        <excludes>
            <exclude>**/*IT.java</exclude>
            <exclude>**/*IntegrationTest.java</exclude>
        </excludes>
        <argLine>-Xmx1024m -XX:+UseG1GC</argLine>
        <parallel>methods</parallel>
        <threadCount>4</threadCount>
        <forkCount>1C</forkCount>
        <reuseForks>true</reuseForks>
        <systemPropertyVariables>
            <spring.profiles.active>test</spring.profiles.active>
        </systemPropertyVariables>
        <environmentVariables>
            <TEST_ENV>true</TEST_ENV>
        </environmentVariables>
    </configuration>
</plugin>

Failsafe Plugin (Integration Tests)

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-failsafe-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.2.3</version>
    <configuration>
        <includes>
            <include>**/*IT.java</include>
            <include>**/*IntegrationTest.java</include>
        </includes>
        <skipAfterFailureCount>3</skipAfterFailureCount>
    </configuration>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <goals>
                <goal>integration-test</goal>
                <goal>verify</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

JaCoCo Plugin (Code Coverage)

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.jacoco</groupId>
    <artifactId>jacoco-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>0.8.11</version>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>prepare-agent</id>
            <goals>
                <goal>prepare-agent</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
        <execution>
            <id>report</id>
            <phase>test</phase>
            <goals>
                <goal>report</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
        <execution>
            <id>check</id>
            <goals>
                <goal>check</goal>
            </goals>
            <configuration>
                <rules>
                    <rule>
                        <element>BUNDLE</element>
                        <limits>
                            <limit>
                                <counter>LINE</counter>
                                <value>COVEREDRATIO</value>
                                <minimum>0.80</minimum>
                            </limit>
                            <limit>
                                <counter>BRANCH</counter>
                                <value>COVEREDRATIO</value>
                                <minimum>0.70</minimum>
                            </limit>
                        </limits>
                    </rule>
                </rules>
            </configuration>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Quality Plugins

Enforcer Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-enforcer-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.4.1</version>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>enforce</id>
            <goals>
                <goal>enforce</goal>
            </goals>
            <configuration>
                <rules>
                    <requireMavenVersion>
                        <version>[3.8.0,)</version>
                    </requireMavenVersion>
                    <requireJavaVersion>
                        <version>[17,)</version>
                    </requireJavaVersion>
                    <dependencyConvergence/>
                    <requireUpperBoundDeps/>
                    <banDuplicatePomDependencyVersions/>
                    <bannedDependencies>
                        <excludes>
                            <exclude>commons-logging:commons-logging</exclude>
                            <exclude>log4j:log4j</exclude>
                        </excludes>
                    </bannedDependencies>
                </rules>
            </configuration>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Checkstyle Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-checkstyle-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.3.1</version>
    <configuration>
        <configLocation>checkstyle.xml</configLocation>
        <consoleOutput>true</consoleOutput>
        <failsOnError>true</failsOnError>
        <violationSeverity>warning</violationSeverity>
        <includeTestSourceDirectory>true</includeTestSourceDirectory>
    </configuration>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>checkstyle</id>
            <phase>validate</phase>
            <goals>
                <goal>check</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>com.puppycrawl.tools</groupId>
            <artifactId>checkstyle</artifactId>
            <version>10.12.6</version>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
</plugin>

SpotBugs Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>com.github.spotbugs</groupId>
    <artifactId>spotbugs-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>4.8.3.0</version>
    <configuration>
        <effort>Max</effort>
        <threshold>Low</threshold>
        <xmlOutput>true</xmlOutput>
        <excludeFilterFile>spotbugs-exclude.xml</excludeFilterFile>
    </configuration>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <goals>
                <goal>check</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

PMD Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-pmd-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.21.2</version>
    <configuration>
        <rulesets>
            <ruleset>/category/java/bestpractices.xml</ruleset>
            <ruleset>/category/java/errorprone.xml</ruleset>
        </rulesets>
        <failOnViolation>true</failOnViolation>
        <printFailingErrors>true</printFailingErrors>
        <includeTests>true</includeTests>
        <targetJdk>17</targetJdk>
    </configuration>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <goals>
                <goal>check</goal>
                <goal>cpd-check</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Packaging Plugins

Assembly Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-assembly-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.6.0</version>
    <configuration>
        <descriptorRefs>
            <descriptorRef>jar-with-dependencies</descriptorRef>
        </descriptorRefs>
        <archive>
            <manifest>
                <mainClass>com.example.Main</mainClass>
            </manifest>
        </archive>
    </configuration>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>make-assembly</id>
            <phase>package</phase>
            <goals>
                <goal>single</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Shade Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-shade-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.5.1</version>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <phase>package</phase>
            <goals>
                <goal>shade</goal>
            </goals>
            <configuration>
                <transformers>
                    <transformer implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.shade.resource.ManifestResourceTransformer">
                        <mainClass>com.example.Main</mainClass>
                    </transformer>
                    <transformer implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.shade.resource.ServicesResourceTransformer"/>
                </transformers>
                <filters>
                    <filter>
                        <artifact>*:*</artifact>
                        <excludes>
                            <exclude>META-INF/*.SF</exclude>
                            <exclude>META-INF/*.DSA</exclude>
                            <exclude>META-INF/*.RSA</exclude>
                        </excludes>
                    </filter>
                </filters>
                <relocations>
                    <relocation>
                        <pattern>com.google</pattern>
                        <shadedPattern>shaded.com.google</shadedPattern>
                    </relocation>
                </relocations>
            </configuration>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

WAR Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-war-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.4.0</version>
    <configuration>
        <failOnMissingWebXml>false</failOnMissingWebXml>
        <packagingExcludes>WEB-INF/classes/logback-test.xml</packagingExcludes>
        <webResources>
            <resource>
                <directory>src/main/webapp</directory>
                <filtering>true</filtering>
                <includes>
                    <include>**/*.html</include>
                </includes>
            </resource>
        </webResources>
    </configuration>
</plugin>

Spring Boot Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.2.0</version>
    <configuration>
        <mainClass>com.example.Application</mainClass>
        <excludes>
            <exclude>
                <groupId>org.projectlombok</groupId>
                <artifactId>lombok</artifactId>
            </exclude>
        </excludes>
        <layers>
            <enabled>true</enabled>
        </layers>
        <image>
            <name>${project.artifactId}:${project.version}</name>
            <builder>paketobuildpacks/builder:base</builder>
        </image>
    </configuration>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <goals>
                <goal>repackage</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Version Management Plugins

Versions Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
    <artifactId>versions-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>2.16.2</version>
    <configuration>
        <rulesUri>file:///${project.basedir}/version-rules.xml</rulesUri>
    </configuration>
</plugin>

# Check for updates
mvn versions:display-dependency-updates
mvn versions:display-plugin-updates
mvn versions:display-property-updates

# Update versions
mvn versions:update-properties
mvn versions:use-latest-releases
mvn versions:update-parent

Release Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-release-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.1</version>
    <configuration>
        <tagNameFormat>v@{project.version}</tagNameFormat>
        <autoVersionSubmodules>true</autoVersionSubmodules>
        <releaseProfiles>release</releaseProfiles>
    </configuration>
</plugin>

Code Generation Plugins

Build Helper Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
    <artifactId>build-helper-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.5.0</version>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>add-source</id>
            <phase>generate-sources</phase>
            <goals>
                <goal>add-source</goal>
            </goals>
            <configuration>
                <sources>
                    <source>${project.build.directory}/generated-sources</source>
                </sources>
            </configuration>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Exec Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
    <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>3.1.1</version>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>run-script</id>
            <phase>generate-sources</phase>
            <goals>
                <goal>exec</goal>
            </goals>
            <configuration>
                <executable>bash</executable>
                <arguments>
                    <argument>${project.basedir}/scripts/generate.sh</argument>
                </arguments>
            </configuration>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Best Practices

Version Pinning - Always specify plugin versions
Plugin Management - Centralize in parent POM
Minimal Configuration - Use defaults where possible
Execution IDs - Use meaningful execution IDs
Phase Binding - Bind to appropriate phases
Skip Properties - Provide skip properties for flexibility
Documentation - Comment complex configurations
Inheritance - Use pluginManagement for multi-module
Updates - Keep plugins current
Profile Separation - Separate CI/release plugins into profiles

Common Pitfalls

Missing Versions - Relying on default versions
Wrong Phase - Plugin bound to wrong lifecycle phase
Duplicate Executions - Same goal running multiple times
Memory Issues - Insufficient heap for plugins
Ordering - Plugin execution order conflicts
Inheritance - Unintended plugin inheritance
Fork Confusion - Misunderstanding fork behavior
Skip Flags - Tests accidentally skipped in CI

When to Use This Skill

Configuring build compilation settings
Setting up test frameworks
Configuring code quality checks
Creating executable JARs
Setting up CI/CD builds
Optimizing build performance
Generating source code
Managing releases and versions

Install skill

Copy and run in your terminal

npx -y skills add https://github.com/TheBushidoCollective/han --skill maven-plugin-configuration

View on GitHub

plugins/tools/maven/skills/maven-plugin-configuration/SKILL.md

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