Welcome to our hands-on guide to using Maven in DevOps! If you're new to the world of DevOps or looking to integrate Maven into your workflow, this blog will take you through the basics and help you get started with a practical project.

What is Maven?

Maven is a powerful build automation tool used primarily for Java projects. It simplifies the process of building, testing, and deploying applications by managing project dependencies and configuration. Maven uses an XML file called pom.xml (Project Object Model) to manage project settings and dependencies.

Why Use Maven in DevOps?

In a DevOps environment, automation and integration are key. Maven fits well into this ecosystem by:

Automating Builds: Compile code, run tests, and package applications automatically.
Managing Dependencies: Easily manage and update project libraries.
Consistent Builds: Ensure builds are consistent across different environments.

Setting Up Maven

Installing Maven with Apt

You can install Maven on Ubuntu in a quick and easy way through the apt command. For this, you must follow these steps.

Step-1: Update the system repositories

Open the terminal on Ubuntu and type the command that follows:

sudo apt update -y && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step- 2: Install Maven

Install Maven on Ubuntu from the official repository using the command that follows:

sudo apt install maven -y

Step- 3: Verifying installation

Verify the installation by checking Maven's current version with the command that follows:

mvn -version

If the installation was a success, the output which is shown in the image below will be displayed:

And, you're done.

Hands-On Project: Building a Simple Java Application

Let's create a simple Java application using Maven. This project will cover creating a Maven project, managing dependencies, building the project, and running tests.

Step 1: Create a Maven Project

Open a Terminal and navigate to your desired project directory.
Run the following command to create a new Maven project:
```
 git clone https://github.com/jaiswaladi246/springboot-java-poject.git
```
This command creates a new Maven project with a standard directory structure.

Step 2: Understand the Ideal Project Structure

Navigate into the newly created application directory. You'll see a high level structure like this:

pom.xml: The configuration file for your Maven project.
src/main/java: Contains your application's source code.
src/test/java: Contains your test code.

Step 3: Build the Project

Run the following command in your terminal to compile the project:

mvn compile

This command compiles your source code and stores the compiled files in the target/classes directory.

Step 4: Run Tests

To run your unit tests, execute:

mvn test

Maven will compile and run the tests defined in src/test/java.

Step 5: Package the Application

To package your application into a JAR file, run:

mvn package

This will create a JAR file in the target directory.

Step 6: Maven Clean

The mvn clean command is used to remove all files generated by the previous build. This includes the target directory where Maven stores compiled classes, JAR files, and other build artifacts. Essentially, mvn clean helps to start your build from a fresh state, ensuring no remnants from previous builds interfere with the current one.

Open your terminal, navigate to your Maven project directory, and run:

mvn clean

This command deletes the target directory and all its contents.

Step 7: Maven Clean Package

The mvn clean package command is a combination of two phases: clean and package. It first executes the clean phase to remove any previous build artifacts and then proceeds to the package phase to compile your code, run tests, and package the application into its distributable format (e.g., a JAR or WAR file).

Open your terminal, navigate to your Maven project directory, and run:

mvn clean package

This command performs the following steps:

Clean: Deletes the target directory.
Validate: Checks if the project is correct and all necessary information is available.
Compile: Compiles the source code of the project.
Test: Runs the tests using a suitable unit testing framework.
Package: Packages the compiled code into a distributable format like JAR or WAR.

Step 8: Deploy

Run the application by running the jar file as below

java -jar target/spring-boot-web.jar

Step 9: Stop the Application

You can simply stop it by clicking ctrl+c on the same window (zoom to see the details)

The website is unreachable now!

Now you can host any website of your choice using Maven!

Conclusion

Maven is an essential tool for Java development in a DevOps environment, providing automation and consistency throughout the build and deployment process. By following this hands-on project, you've learned how to create a Maven project, manage dependencies, build your application, and integrate it into a CI/CD pipeline. Keep exploring and integrating more DevOps practices to streamline your development workflow!

Thanks for spending your valuable time in learning to enhance your career!😃🙏

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Maven for DevOps: Hands-On Project

Host Website Using Maven