Java Maven Cheat Sheet

Covers a minimal pom.xml, the most common Maven CLI commands, dependency scopes, the default build lifecycle, and multi-module projects.

2 PagesBeginnerMar 22, 2026

Minimal pom.xml

The essential elements every Maven project's POM needs.

xml

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0">  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>  <groupId>com.example</groupId>  <artifactId>my-app</artifactId>  <version>1.0.0</version>  <packaging>jar</packaging>  <properties>    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>  </properties>  <dependencies>    <dependency>      <groupId>org.junit.jupiter</groupId>      <artifactId>junit-jupiter</artifactId>      <version>5.10.0</version>      <scope>test</scope>    </dependency>  </dependencies></project>

Common Maven CLI Commands

The commands used day-to-day for building and inspecting a project.

bash

mvn compile              # Compile source codemvn test                 # Run unit testsmvn package               # Build a jar/war into target/mvn install               # Install the artifact into the local ~/.m2 repomvn clean                 # Delete the target/ directorymvn clean install         # Full clean rebuild + installmvn dependency:tree       # Print the resolved dependency graphmvn -DskipTests package   # Package without running testsmvn versions:display-dependency-updates  # Check for newer dependency versions

Dependency Scopes

Control when and where a dependency is available on the classpath.

xml

<dependency>  <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>  <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-web</artifactId>  <!-- default scope: compile - available everywhere --></dependency><dependency>  <groupId>org.junit.jupiter</groupId>  <artifactId>junit-jupiter</artifactId>  <scope>test</scope> <!-- only on the test classpath --></dependency><dependency>  <groupId>jakarta.servlet</groupId>  <artifactId>jakarta.servlet-api</artifactId>  <scope>provided</scope> <!-- supplied by the runtime container, not bundled --></dependency>

Build Lifecycle & Key Concepts

The phases and vocabulary behind every Maven build.

validate to deploy- The default lifecycle runs validate, compile, test, package, verify, install, deploy in order; invoking one runs all prior phases too
groupId:artifactId:version (GAV)- Uniquely identifies an artifact in a Maven repository
Local repository (~/.m2)- Cache of downloaded/installed artifacts on the local machine
Plugins- Goals like compiler:compile or surefire:test that phases bind to; configured under <build><plugins>
Parent POM / <parent>- Lets a module inherit shared configuration and dependency versions
<dependencyManagement>- Centralizes version numbers without adding the dependency itself, so child modules just declare groupId/artifactId
Multi-module project- A parent pom.xml with <modules> lists sub-projects built together

Multi-Module Project Setup

A parent POM that aggregates and builds several sub-modules together.

xml

<!-- parent pom.xml --><project>  <groupId>com.example</groupId>  <artifactId>parent-project</artifactId>  <version>1.0.0</version>  <packaging>pom</packaging>  <modules>    <module>api</module>    <module>core</module>  </modules></project>

Pro Tip

Run mvn dependency:tree before adding a new library to spot version conflicts early - Maven silently resolves conflicting transitive dependency versions using 'nearest wins', which can pull in an unexpected (and sometimes broken) version without any warning.

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