Your First Maven Project

Introduction

Now that you understand Maven’s installation and project structure, it’s time to create your first Maven project.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to:

• Create a Maven project using archetypes
• Use the mvn archetype:generate command
• Open your Maven project in IntelliJ IDEA or Eclipse

By the end of this lesson, you will have a fully functional Maven project ready for development.

1. What is a Maven Archetype?

An archetype in Maven is essentially a project template that provides a predefined structure and configuration.
Maven comes with a set of official archetypes (e.g., maven-archetype-quickstart) and also allows you to create your own.

Benefits of using archetypes:

• Saves time by generating boilerplate code and directory structure
• Ensures consistency across multiple projects
• Reduces setup errors for new projects

2. Creating a Maven Project using mvn archetype:generate

The most common way to create a Maven project is by using the Quickstart archetype.

Step 1 – Open Terminal/Command Prompt

Navigate to the folder where you want to create the project.

Step 2 – Run the Command

mvn archetype:generate \
    -DgroupId=com.example \
    -DartifactId=my-first-maven-app \
    -DarchetypeArtifactId=maven-archetype-quickstart \
    -DarchetypeVersion=1.4 \
    -DinteractiveMode=false

Explanation of parameters:

• -DgroupId → Your project’s unique identifier (reverse domain name style)
• -DartifactId → Name of the project (will be the final JAR/WAR name)
• -DarchetypeArtifactId → The archetype you want to use (maven-archetype-quickstart creates a basic Java app)
• -DarchetypeVersion → Version of the archetype
• -DinteractiveMode=false → Skips prompts and uses provided values

3. Verifying the Generated Project

After running the command, Maven generates a structure like:

my-first-maven-app/
│
├── pom.xml
└── src/
    ├── main/
    │   └── java/
    │       └── com/example/App.java
    └── test/
        └── java/
            └── com/example/AppTest.java

Key points:

• App.java → Sample Java program
• AppTest.java → Sample unit test
• pom.xml → Project configuration file

4. Opening the Project in IntelliJ IDEA

Step 1 – Launch IntelliJ IDEA

• Click File → Open
• Select the project’s root folder (my-first-maven-app)

Step 2 – Auto Import Maven Project

• IntelliJ will detect pom.xml and ask to Import Maven Project – click Yes.
• If prompted, enable Auto-Import so IntelliJ keeps dependencies in sync.

5. Opening the Project in Eclipse

Step 1 – Launch Eclipse

• Click File → Import → Existing Maven Projects
• Browse to the folder containing pom.xml

Step 2 – Finish Import

• Eclipse will read the pom.xml and set up your Maven project automatically.

6. Running the Project

To run the sample application from the terminal:

cd my-first-maven-app
mvn clean install
java -cp target/my-first-maven-app-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar com.example.App

To run tests: mvn test

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Command not found: Make sure Maven is installed and mvn -v works.
• JDK version mismatch: Update pom.xml with the correct <maven.compiler.source> and <maven.compiler.target> values.
• IDE not detecting Maven: Ensure Maven integration/plugin is enabled in your IDE.

Key Takeaways

• Maven archetypes provide a quick and consistent way to start new projects.
• The maven-archetype-quickstart is perfect for simple Java applications.
• IntelliJ IDEA and Eclipse have built-in Maven support, making project import seamless.