Maven Best Practices Guide: Avoid These Common Mistakes

Apache Maven is a powerful build automation tool used in Java projects for managing dependencies, building projects, and automating tasks. However, many developers make common mistakes that lead to performance issues, broken builds, and dependency conflicts. In this guide, we will cover the top Maven mistakes and best practices to avoid them.

🔴 1️⃣ Not Using the Latest Maven Version

❌ Mistake: Using an Outdated Maven Version

Running an outdated version can lead to compatibility issues, security vulnerabilities, and missing features.

mvn -v  # ❌ Check if you're using an old version

✅ Best Practice: Keep Maven Updated

Always use the latest stable version to get bug fixes and new features.

# Upgrade Maven using SDKMAN (recommended)
sdk install maven

# Verify the latest version
mvn -v  # ✅ Should show the latest version

🔹 Fix: Regularly update Maven to ensure compatibility and security.

🔴 2️⃣ Not Using a .mvn/maven.config File

❌ Mistake: Manually Setting Options Every Time

Many developers repeat the same Maven options for every build.

mvn clean install -DskipTests -T 4C  # ❌ Manually adding flags every time

✅ Best Practice: Use .mvn/maven.config for Default Options

Define commonly used options inside .mvn/maven.config.

# .mvn/maven.config
-DskipTests=true
-T 4C

Now, simply running mvn clean install will apply these settings automatically.

🔹 Fix: Use .mvn/maven.config to avoid repeating command-line arguments.

🔴 3️⃣ Using systemPath Instead of Maven Dependencies

❌ Mistake: Manually Specifying JAR Paths

Using systemPath hardcodes the JAR location and makes the build non-portable.

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.example</groupId>
    <artifactId>custom-lib</artifactId>
    <version>1.0</version>
    <scope>system</scope>…