Day 12 of 90 Days of DevOps Challenge: Build and Deploy Smarter with Apache Maven

Introduction

Apache Maven is a powerful build automation tool primarily used for Java projects. As a DevOps engineer or Java developer, understanding Maven helps automate build processes, manage dependencies, and streamline deployments.

What is Java?

Java is a high-level, object-oriented programming language, developed by Sun Microsystems in 1991. Using Java, developers can build:

• Standalone Applications: Run on a single machine (e.g., Calculator, VS Code)

• Web Applications: Accessible via the internet (e.g., Gmail, LinkedIn)

Java Project Execution Flow

1. Source Code: Developers write .java files.

2. Compilation: Java compiler converts .java → .class (bytecode).

3. Packaging:

   • .jar for standalone apps (Java archive)

   • .war for web apps (web archive)

Execution:

• Run .jar directly.

• Deploy .war to a server (e.g., Tomcat).

Note: Java applications involve Build + Deployment.

Manual vs Automated Build Process

Manual Build Steps:

• Download libraries (spring, Junit)

• Configure build path

• Compile source (.java to .class)

• Run tests (Junit)

• Package project as jar/war file

Challenges: Time-consuming and error prone.

Solution: Use Build Tools like Apache Maven to automate this process.

What Maven can do

• Project creation and folder structure setup

• Automatic dependency management

• Source compilation and testing

• Packaging as .jar or .war

• Deployment to repositories

Maven Setup on Amazon Linux

# Step 1: Connect to EC2 instance
ssh ec2-user@<your-ec2-ip>

# Step 2: Install Maven
sudo yum install maven -y

# Step 3: Verify installation
mvn -version

NOTE: Maven also installs Java if not already present.

Maven Terminology

Creating a Standalone Application with Maven

mvn archetype:generate \
  -DgroupId=in.ZeroToRoot \
  -DartifactId=learning-app \
  -DarchetypeArtifactId=maven-archetype-quickstart \
  -DarchetypeVersion=1.4 \
  -DinteractiveMode=false

Project Structure:

learning-app/
├── pom.xml
└── src/
    ├── main/java/
    └── test/java/

• pom.xml: Maven configuration

• src/main: Business logic

• src/test: Unit tests

Maven Build Lifecycle (Goals)

Maven provides specific goals that are used to automate and control different phases of the project build process.

How to Run Maven Goals

cd <project-directory>
mvn <goal>

Example:

cd learning-app
mvn clean install

Creating a Web Application Using Maven

mvn archetype:generate \
  -DgroupId=in.ZeroToRoot \
  -DartifactId=sbi-webapp \
  -DarchetypeArtifactId=maven-archetype-webapp \
  -DarchetypeVersion=1.4 \
  -DinteractiveMode=false

Build & Package:

cd sbi-webapp
mvn clean package

NOTE: WAR file will be available in target/ directory.

Maven Dependencies

To include external libraries, add them to pom.xml:

<dependencies>
  <dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-core</artifactId>
    <version>6.1.7</version>
  </dependency>
</dependencies>

Find dependencies on: https://mvnrepository.com

After editing pom.xml, run:

mvn clean package

Maven Repositories

NOTE: Maven checks the local repo first. If not found, it downloads from central/remote.

Quick recap

Final thoughts

Learning Maven gave me a clear understanding of how Java projects are built and managed efficiently. Initially, the manual build process felt tedious, but Maven’s automation simplified everything from dependency management to packaging. As a DevOps learner, it felt rewarding to see how a simple command like mvn clean install could streamline the entire workflow. This tool has made backend processes clearer and more organized. Maven isn't just a build tool, it's a vital part of a smoother DevOps pipeline.