mvn

Apache Maven build automation and dependency management tool

TLDR

Build project

$ mvn package

Clean and build, install to local repository

$ mvn clean install

Run tests

$ mvn test

Skip tests during build

$ mvn install -DskipTests

Generate a new project from archetype

$ mvn archetype:generate

Deploy artifact to remote repository

$ mvn deploy

Show dependency tree

$ mvn dependency:tree

Check for dependency updates

$ mvn versions:display-dependency-updates

Run with a specific profile

$ mvn clean install -P [profile-name]

Build offline without downloading dependencies

$ mvn package -o

SYNOPSIS

mvn [options] [phase(s)] [goal(s)]

mvn is the command-line interface for Apache Maven, a build automation and dependency management tool primarily used for Java projects. It uses a Project Object Model (pom.xml) to describe the project, its dependencies, plugins, and build lifecycle.Maven follows a convention-over-configuration approach with a standard project structure (src/main/java, src/test/java, etc.). The build lifecycle consists of ordered phases: validate, compile, test, package, verify, install, deploy. Specifying a phase executes all preceding phases.Dependencies are resolved from remote repositories (Maven Central by default) and cached in the local repository at ~/.m2/repository. Maven supports multi-module projects, build profiles for environment-specific configurations, and an extensive plugin ecosystem.

PARAMETERS

PHASES

Build lifecycle phases to execute.

clean

Remove target directory with compiled output.

validate

Validate project is correct and all information is available.

compile

Compile project sources.

test

Run unit tests.

package

Package compiled code (JAR, WAR, etc.).

verify

Run integration tests and checks.

install

Install package to local repository (~/.m2/repository).

deploy

Deploy package to remote repository.

-D PROPERTY=VALUE

Set a system property (e.g., -DskipTests, -Dmaven.test.skip=true).

-P PROFILE

Activate a build profile defined in pom.xml.

-pl MODULES, --projects MODULES

Build specific modules in a multi-module project.

-am, --also-make

Build required dependent modules when using -pl.

-f FILE, --file FILE

Use an alternative POM file.

-o, --offline

Work offline without downloading dependencies.

-U, --update-snapshots

Force update of snapshot dependencies.

-T THREADS

Thread count for parallel builds (e.g., -T 4, -T 1C for 1 per CPU core).

-X, --debug

Produce debug output.

-q, --quiet

Quiet output, only show errors.

-e, --errors

Produce execution error messages.

-s FILE, --settings FILE

Use alternate user settings file.

--help

Display help information.

CAVEATS

Requires a JDK installation and a pom.xml file. First builds download many dependencies and may take longer. The -DskipTests flag skips test execution but still compiles tests; use -Dmaven.test.skip=true to skip compilation of tests entirely. The local repository (~/.m2/repository) can grow large over time.

HISTORY

Maven was created by Jason van Zyl at the Apache Software Foundation. Maven 1.0 was released in 2004, and Maven 2.0 followed in 2005 with a complete rewrite. Maven 3.0 was released in 2010 with improved performance and backward compatibility. It remains one of the most widely used Java build tools alongside Gradle.

mvn