What Is Maven?
Maven, or MVN, is a highly capable software project management tool used in the Java development environment to define and manage projects and maintain dependencies.
Apache Maven is a pillar of Java development and the industry’s most widely utilized build management solution. Maven’s XML-based configuration architecture allows developers to quickly define or comprehend the basics of every Java-based project, which simplifies the process of establishing and distributing new projects. Maven also enables test-driven development and long-term project management. Moreover, its clear setup and extensive plugin ecosystem make it a popular choice for continuous integration/continuous delivery.
It’s critical to evaluate what products meet your requirements completely and are within your budget, which is why we’ll discuss alternatives to Maven as well. One of the most prominent alternatives is packagecloud.
Packagecloud is a cloud-based service that automates the distribution of software packages to your computers and settings. It allows customers to store all of their organization’s necessary packages, independent of the operating system or programming language, and deliver them repeatedly to their target computers. This allows users to quickly, reliably, and securely configure and upgrade computers without requiring them to own any infrastructure usually needed.
You can sign up for a free packagecloud trial to discover how simple it is to distribute packages throughout your company.
This article provides an overview of Maven, its goals, how it works, how it is installed, and what are the alternatives.
Maven’s Objectives
Maven’s main aim is to enable developers to understand the status of a development project quickly. Maven addresses many areas of concern to accomplish this goal:
Facilitating the build process: While Maven does not remove the necessity for developers to understand the fundamental processes, it does protect them from many details.
Providing a standardized build system: Maven creates projects via its project object model (POM) and a collection of plugins. Once you get comfortable with one Maven project, you will understand how all Maven projects are built. This saves time while managing a large number of tasks.
Providing accurate information about projects: Maven offers valuable project information derived in part from your POM and in part from the sources of your project. Maven, for instance, may offer.
- Change logs that are automatically generated from source control
- Sources that have been cross-referenced
- Project-managed mailing lists
- The project’s dependencies
- Reports on unit tests, including coverage
How Maven works
All plugins are referenced using the command syntax “mvn [plugin name]: [goal]”. The goal incorporates the functionality of the plugin that the user wishes to perform. Maven already includes a few plugins; you’ll often see it used without the [plugin name], for example, “mvn compile”.
Since additional plugins may be invoked throughout the application’s build, Maven specifies a build lifecycle. This is used to connect the plugin with one of the phases, and, when that phase is performed, the plugin is executed. Maven’s default lifecycle is comprised of the following phases:
- Validate: Ensure that the project is accurate and that the required information is accessible.
- Compile: Compile the project’s source code.
- Test: Using an appropriate unit testing framework, test the generated source code. These tests don’t require packaging or deployment of the code.
- Package: Convert the compiled code to a distributable format, such as a JAR.
- Verify: Perform any necessary checks on the outcomes of integration tests to ensure they meet quality standards.
- Install: Install the package to the local repository, allowing it to be used as a dependency in other local projects.
- Deploy: Copy the final package. This step is performed in the build environment.
Maven reduces what was previously complex into manageable components, as is the case with many excellent technologies. Maven is composed of the following three parts:
- The POM file: This file contains information about a Maven project and its dependencies.
- The Directory: This is POM’s standard format for describing Maven projects.
- Repositories: They are the locations for the storage and discovery of third-party software.
The Maven POM: Each Maven-based Java project includes a POM (Project Object Model) file in its root directory. The pom.xml file defines the project’s dependencies and provides instructions for building it. Dependencies are third-party software that the project requires. JUnit and JDBC are two often used examples.
Maven’s directory structure: The Maven directory follows convention over configuration, an elegant solution to configuration hell. Rather than forcing developers to specify the layout and manually configure modules for each new project (as makefile and Ant did), Maven establishes a standardized project structure and a standard file format for defining how it operates. You just input your specifications, and Maven automatically resolves dependencies and configures the project.
Centralized data storage: Finally, Maven discovers and publishes project packages as dependencies through centralized repositories. When you include a dependency in your project, Maven will locate it in the centralized repository, download it to local storage, and have it in your project.
Installing Maven
Maven is a Java project, meaning you must have the JDK deployed in your development environment before installing it. Once your Java development environment is configured, you may install Maven in a few simple steps:
- Install the most recent Maven release.
- Extract the .zip file apache.maven to a suitable location.
- Add that file to your path.
Maven Alternatives
Packagecloud
Packagecloud is a cloud-based package repository. It enables users to easily host npm, Java/Maven, Python, apt, yum, and RubyGem repositories. Packagecloud is an excellent repository management software solution.
Moreover, it enables the distribution of many software packages in a centralized, reliable, and scalable manner without owning any infrastructure. You may maintain a single repository for any packages that need to be distributed throughout your organization’s computers, independent of the operating system or programming language. Then, you can effectively and securely distribute your packages to your devices without having to own any of the infrastructure required.
This saves customers time and money setting up the servers for hosting packages for each operating system. Packagecloud enables users to configure and upgrade computers more quickly and efficiently than ever before.
You can sign up for a free packagecloud trial to quickly configure and update your machines!
GCC
GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is a multi-language compiler system that is a critical component of the GNU toolchain. GCC is the recommended compiler for the majority of Unix-like operating systems, including Linux.
Gradle
Gradle is the evolution of build automation. Gradle can automate the process of developing, testing, publishing, and deploying software packages and other kinds of projects such as produced static webpages, generated docs, and much more.
Grunt
Grunt is a JavaScript based task runner. In general, task runners enable you to automate some of the repetitive operations encountered during development, including minification, compilation, and linting. Grunt’s ever-growing plugin ecosystem allows you to automate the majority of your development cycle’s repetitive operations.
Gulp
Gulp.js is a Node.js cross-platform task runner that simplifies and automates the most time-consuming activities in your development cycle. Unlike other task runners, Gulp makes extensive use of Node streams to reuse output from one job to the next, significantly increasing speed.
Webpack
Webpack bundles static modules for JavaScript apps. It converts your app code into modules usable in a web browser. Modules can bundle up various elements such as node_modules, images, CSS styles. JS code, etc. Despite being developed for JavaScript, it is possible to transform HTML, CSS, and image files.
Final Thoughts
Without building tools like Maven or packagecloud, creating and maintaining projects would be time-consuming and unpleasant. Maven is an excellent tool that assists with application development and managing all application dependencies. Packagecloud is a significant player in the Java build tool industry, with a similar functional emphasis.
If you’re ready to begin a new project and unsure which tool to use, always compare the key characteristics of both packages and pick the one that works best for you. Maven has plugin support, and there is an official Android Maven plugin that provides Maven functionality. Packagecloud, on the other hand, is an excellent tool to utilize.
You may maintain a single repository for any packages that need to be distributed throughout your organization’s computers, independent of the operating system or programming language. Then, you can effectively and securely distribute your packages to your devices without having to own any of the infrastructure required. This saves customers time and money when setting up servers for hosting packages for each operating system. Packagecloud enables users to configure and upgrade computers more quickly and efficiently than ever before.
Sign up for a free packagecloud trial to quickly configure and update your computers!
