In this tutorial we are going to learn about Maven Plugins in detail.

Maven is actually a plugin execution framework where every task is actually done by plugins. Maven Plugins are generally used to −

• create jar file
• create war file
• compile code files
• unit testing of code
• create project documentation
• create project reports

Maven plugins enable you to add your own actions to the build process. You do so by creating a simple Java class that extends a special Maven class, and then create a POM for the project. The plugin should be located in its own project. Maven Plugins are generally used to : create jar file, create war file, compile code files, unit testing of code, create project documentation, create project reports

A plugin generally provides a set of goals and which can be executed using following syntax:

mvn [plugin-name]:[goal-name]

For example, a Java project can be compiled with the maven-compiler-plugin’s compile-goal by running following command

mvn compiler:compile

Plugin Types :

Build plugins: They execute during the build and should be configured in the element of pom.xml

Reporting plugins: They will be executed during the site generation and they should be configured in the element from the POM. Because the result of a Reporting plugin is part of the generated site, Reporting plugins should be both internationalized and localized.

Here follows the list of few common plugins:

• clean: Clean up target after the build. Deletes the target directory.
• compiler: Compiles Java source files.
• surefile: Run the JUnit unit tests. Creates test reports.
• jar: Builds a JAR file from the current project.
• war: Builds a WAR file from the current project.
• javadoc: Generates Javadoc for the project.
• antrun: Runs a set of ant tasks from any phase mentioned of the build.