Maven - Build Life Cycle



What is Build Lifecycle?

A Build Lifecycle is a well-defined sequence of phases, which define the order in which the goals are to be executed. Here phase represents a stage in life cycle. As an example, a typical Maven Build Lifecycle consists of the following sequence of phases.

Phase Handles Description
prepare-resources resource copying Resource copying can be customized in this phase.
validate Validating the information Validates if the project is correct and if all necessary information is available.
compile compilation Source code compilation is done in this phase.
Test Testing Tests the compiled source code suitable for testing framework.
package packaging This phase creates the JAR/WAR package as mentioned in the packaging in POM.xml.
install installation This phase installs the package in local/remote maven repository.
Deploy Deploying Copies the final package to the remote repository.

There are always pre and post phases to register goals, which must run prior to, or after a particular phase.

When Maven starts building a project, it steps through a defined sequence of phases and executes goals, which are registered with each phase.

Maven has the following three standard lifecycles −

  • clean
  • default(or build)
  • site

A goal represents a specific task which contributes to the building and managing of a project. It may be bound to zero or more build phases. A goal not bound to any build phase could be executed outside of the build lifecycle by direct invocation.

The order of execution depends on the order in which the goal(s) and the build phase(s) are invoked. For example, consider the command below. The clean and package arguments are build phases while the dependency:copy-dependencies is a goal.

mvn clean dependency:copy-dependencies package

Here the clean phase will be executed first, followed by the dependency:copy-dependencies goal, and finally package phase will be executed.

Clean Lifecycle

When we execute mvn post-clean command, Maven invokes the clean lifecycle consisting of the following phases.

  • pre-clean
  • clean
  • post-clean

Maven clean goal (clean:clean) is bound to the clean phase in the clean lifecycle. Its clean:cleangoal deletes the output of a build by deleting the build directory. Thus, when mvn clean command executes, Maven deletes the build directory.

We can customize this behavior by mentioning goals in any of the above phases of clean life cycle.

In the following example, We'll attach maven-antrun-plugin:run goal to the pre-clean, clean, and post-clean phases. This will allow us to echo text messages displaying the phases of the clean lifecycle.

We've created a pom.xml in C:\MVN\project folder.

<project xmlns = "http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
   xmlns:xsi = "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
   xsi:schemaLocation = "http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0
   http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
   <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
   <groupId>com.companyname.projectgroup</groupId>
   <artifactId>project</artifactId>
   <version>1.0</version>
   <build>
      <plugins>
         <plugin>
            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
            <artifactId>maven-antrun-plugin</artifactId>
            <version>1.1</version>
            <executions>
               <execution>
                  <id>id.pre-clean</id>
                  <phase>pre-clean</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>pre-clean phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
            
               <execution>
                  <id>id.clean</id>
                  <phase>clean</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>clean phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
            
               <execution>
                  <id>id.post-clean</id>
                  <phase>post-clean</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>post-clean phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
            </executions>
         </plugin>
      </plugins>
   </build>
</project>

Now open command console, go to the folder containing pom.xml and execute the following mvn command.

C:\MVN\project>mvn post-clean

Maven will start processing and displaying all the phases of clean life cycle.


C:\MVN>mvn post-clean
[INFO] Scanning for projects...
[INFO]
[INFO] ----------------< com.companyname.projectgroup:project >----------------
[INFO] Building project 1.0
[INFO] --------------------------------[ jar ]---------------------------------
[INFO]
[INFO] --- maven-antrun-plugin:1.1:run (id.pre-clean) @ project ---
[INFO] Executing tasks
     [echo] pre-clean phase
[INFO] Executed tasks
[INFO]
[INFO] --- maven-clean-plugin:2.5:clean (default-clean) @ project ---
[INFO]
[INFO] --- maven-antrun-plugin:1.1:run (id.clean) @ project ---
[INFO] Executing tasks
     [echo] clean phase
[INFO] Executed tasks
[INFO]
[INFO] --- maven-antrun-plugin:1.1:run (id.post-clean) @ project ---
[INFO] Executing tasks
     [echo] post-clean phase
[INFO] Executed tasks
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] BUILD SUCCESS
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Total time:  0.740 s
[INFO] Finished at: 2021-12-10T20:03:53+05:30
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------

C:\MVN>

You can try tuning mvn clean command, which will display pre-clean and clean. Nothing will be executed for post-clean phase.

Default (or Build) Lifecycle

This is the primary life cycle of Maven and is used to build the application. It has the following 21 phases.

Sr.No. Lifecycle Phase & Description
1

validate

Validates whether project is correct and all necessary information is available to complete the build process.

2

initialize

Initializes build state, for example set properties.

3

generate-sources

Generate any source code to be included in compilation phase.

4

process-sources

Process the source code, for example, filter any value.

5

generate-resources

Generate resources to be included in the package.

6

process-resources

Copy and process the resources into the destination directory, ready for packaging phase.

7

compile

Compile the source code of the project.

8

process-classes

Post-process the generated files from compilation, for example to do bytecode enhancement/optimization on Java classes.

9

generate-test-sources

Generate any test source code to be included in compilation phase.

10

process-test-sources

Process the test source code, for example, filter any values.

11

test-compile

Compile the test source code into the test destination directory.

12

process-test-classes

Process the generated files from test code file compilation.

13

test

Run tests using a suitable unit testing framework (Junit is one).

14

prepare-package

Perform any operations necessary to prepare a package before the actual packaging.

15

package

Take the compiled code and package it in its distributable format, such as a JAR, WAR, or EAR file.

16

pre-integration-test

Perform actions required before integration tests are executed. For example, setting up the required environment.

17

integration-test

Process and deploy the package if necessary into an environment where integration tests can be run.

18

post-integration-test

Perform actions required after integration tests have been executed. For example, cleaning up the environment.

19

verify

Run any check-ups to verify the package is valid and meets quality criteria.

20

install

Install the package into the local repository, which can be used as a dependency in other projects locally.

21

deploy

Copies the final package to the remote repository for sharing with other developers and projects.

There are few important concepts related to Maven Lifecycles, which are worth to mention −

  • When a phase is called via Maven command, for example mvn compile, only phases up to and including that phase will execute.

  • Different maven goals will be bound to different phases of Maven lifecycle depending upon the type of packaging (JAR / WAR / EAR).

In the following example, we will attach maven-antrun-plugin:run goal to few of the phases of Build lifecycle. This will allow us to echo text messages displaying the phases of the lifecycle.

We've updated pom.xml in C:\MVN\project folder.

<project xmlns = "http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
   xmlns:xsi = "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
   xsi:schemaLocation = "http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0
   http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
   <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
   <groupId>com.companyname.projectgroup</groupId>
   <artifactId>project</artifactId>
   <version>1.0</version>
   <build>
      <plugins>
         <plugin>
            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
            <artifactId>maven-antrun-plugin</artifactId>
            <version>1.1</version>
            <executions>
               <execution>
                  <id>id.validate</id>
                  <phase>validate</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>validate phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
            
               <execution>
                  <id>id.compile</id>
                  <phase>compile</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>compile phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
            
               <execution>
                  <id>id.test</id>
                  <phase>test</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>test phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
            
               <execution>
                  <id>id.package</id>
                  <phase>package</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>package phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
            
               <execution>
                  <id>id.deploy</id>
                  <phase>deploy</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>deploy phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
            </executions>
         </plugin>
      </plugins>
   </build>
</project>

Now open command console, go the folder containing pom.xml and execute the following mvn command.

C:\MVN\project>mvn compile

Maven will start processing and display phases of build life cycle up to the compile phase.


C:\MVN>mvn compile
[INFO] Scanning for projects...
[INFO]
[INFO] ----------------< com.companyname.projectgroup:project >----------------
[INFO] Building project 1.0
[INFO] --------------------------------[ jar ]---------------------------------
[INFO]
[INFO] --- maven-antrun-plugin:1.1:run (id.validate) @ project ---
[INFO] Executing tasks
     [echo] validate phase
[INFO] Executed tasks
[INFO]
[INFO] --- maven-resources-plugin:2.6:resources (default-resources) @ project ---
[WARNING] Using platform encoding (Cp1252 actually) to copy filtered resources, i.e. build is platform dependent!
[INFO] skip non existing resourceDirectory C:\MVN\src\main\resources
[INFO]
[INFO] --- maven-compiler-plugin:3.1:compile (default-compile) @ project ---
[INFO] No sources to compile
[INFO]
[INFO] --- maven-antrun-plugin:1.1:run (id.compile) @ project ---
[INFO] Executing tasks
     [echo] compile phase
[INFO] Executed tasks
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] BUILD SUCCESS
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Total time:  3.033 s
[INFO] Finished at: 2021-12-10T20:05:46+05:30
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------

C:\MVN>

Site Lifecycle

Maven Site plugin is generally used to create fresh documentation to create reports, deploy site, etc. It has the following phases −

  • pre-site
  • site
  • post-site
  • site-deploy

In the following example, we will attach maven-antrun-plugin:run goal to all the phases of Site lifecycle. This will allow us to echo text messages displaying the phases of the lifecycle.

We've updated pom.xml in C:\MVN\project folder.

<project xmlns = "http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
   xmlns:xsi = "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
   xsi:schemaLocation = "http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0
   http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
   <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
   <groupId>com.companyname.projectgroup</groupId>
   <artifactId>project</artifactId>
   <version>1.0</version>
   <build>
      <plugins>
         <plugin>
            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
            <artifactId>maven-site-plugin</artifactId>
            <version>3.7</version>
         </plugin>
         <plugin>
            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
            <artifactId>maven-project-info-reports-plugin</artifactId>
            <version>2.9</version>
         </plugin>
         <plugin>
            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
            <artifactId>maven-antrun-plugin</artifactId>
            <version>1.1</version>
            <executions>
               <execution>
                  <id>id.pre-site</id>
                  <phase>pre-site</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>pre-site phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
               
               <execution>
                  <id>id.site</id>
                  <phase>site</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>site phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
               
               <execution>
                  <id>id.post-site</id>
                  <phase>post-site</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>post-site phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
               
               <execution>
                  <id>id.site-deploy</id>
                  <phase>site-deploy</phase>
                  <goals>
                     <goal>run</goal>
                  </goals>
                  <configuration>
                     <tasks>
                        <echo>site-deploy phase</echo>
                     </tasks>
                  </configuration>
               </execution>
               
            </executions>
         </plugin>
      </plugins>
   </build>
</project>

Now open the command console, go the folder containing pom.xml and execute the following mvn command.

C:\MVN\project>mvn site

Maven will start processing and displaying the phases of site life cycle up to site phase.

C:\MVN>mvn site
[INFO] Scanning for projects...
[INFO]
[INFO] ----------------< com.companyname.projectgroup:project >----------------
[INFO] Building project 1.0
[INFO] --------------------------------[ jar ]---------------------------------
[INFO]
[INFO] --- maven-antrun-plugin:3.0.0:run (id.pre-site) @ project ---
[INFO] Executing tasks
[WARNING]      [echo] pre-site phase
[INFO] Executed tasks
[INFO]
[INFO] --- maven-site-plugin:3.7:site (default-site) @ project ---
[WARNING] Input file encoding has not been set, using platform encoding Cp1252, i.e. build is platform dependent!
[WARNING] No project URL defined - decoration links will not be relativized!
[INFO] Rendering site with org.apache.maven.skins:maven-default-skin:jar:1.2 skin.
[INFO]
[INFO] --- maven-antrun-plugin:3.0.0:run (id.site) @ project ---
[INFO] Executing tasks
[WARNING]      [echo] site phase
[INFO] Executed tasks
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] BUILD SUCCESS
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Total time:  4.323 s
[INFO] Finished at: 2021-12-10T20:22:31+05:30
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------

C:\MVN>
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