Demystifying the Maven Release Prepare Plugin: Streamlining Software Releases

Introduction:
In the world of software development, efficient and seamless release management is crucial for ensuring smooth project deployments.
Maven, a popular build automation tool, offers the Maven Release Prepare Plugin as a powerful solution to simplify and automate the release process. In this blog post, we'll dive into the Maven Release Prepare Plugin, exploring its key features and demonstrating how it can streamline software releases.

maven-release-plugin

1. Understanding the Maven Release Prepare Plugin:
The Maven Release Prepare Plugin is designed to assist developers in managing the release lifecycle of their projects. It automates various tasks like version updates, SCM tagging, and generating release documentation. By following a well-defined process, this plugin helps maintain consistency and ensures that releases are controlled and repeatable.

2. Getting Started with the Plugin:
To begin using the Maven Release Prepare Plugin, you need to configure it in your project's pom.xml file. By specifying the plugin's coordinates and defining its goals, you can customize its behaviour according to your specific requirements. Additionally, it's important to have a well-structured versioning scheme in place to facilitate smooth release management.

<version>**1.0.0-SNAPSHOT**</version>

<scm>
  <connection>scm:git:${scm.ssh}</connection>
  <url>${scm.https}</url>
  <developerConnection>scm:git:${scm.ssh}</developerConnection>
</scm>

<build>
  <plugins>
    <plugin>
      <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
      <artifactId>maven-release-plugin</artifactId>
      <version>3.0.0</version>
      <configuration>
        <serverId>github-ssh</serverId>
        <tagNameFormat>v-@{project.version}</tagNameFormat>
        <checkModificationExcludes>
          <checkModificationExclude>pom.xml</checkModificationExclude>          
        </checkModificationExcludes>
      </configuration>
    </plugin>
  </plugins>
</build>

${scm.ssh} = git@github.com:[ORG]/[PROJECT].git
${scm.https} = https://github.com/[ORG]/[PROJECT].git

For SSH Authentication add in your settings.xml

<server>
  <id>github-ssh</id>
  <privateKey>~/.ssh/github_brunosouzas</privateKey>
  <passphrase>123456</passphrase>
</server>

generate SSH

3. Performing a Release:
When you're ready to create a release, the Maven Release Prepare Plugin provides a set of goals to guide you through the process. These goals include release:prepare, and release:rollback. The release:prepare goal prepares the project for release, update the version, create SCM tags, and verify that all prerequisites are met. The release:rollback goal reverts the release changes if necessary.

mvn release:prepare
mvn release:rollback

4. Result:
After running that command you'll see:

• A tag v-1.0.0 in tag session
• The last commit of the branch where you executed the command will have version 1.0.0 in the pom.xml and the commit message "[maven-release-plugin] prepare release v-1.0.0"
• The branch where you executed the command will have version 1.0.1-SNAPSHOT in the pom.xml and the commit message "[maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration"

The commit message can help you in your deploy process with CI/CD tools

5. Fine-Tuning the Release Process:
The Maven Release Prepare Plugin offers several configuration options to tailor the release process to your specific needs. You can define additional SCM settings, configure the release versioning scheme, and customize the release goals' behaviour. Furthermore, the plugin allows you to specify additional steps or execute custom scripts during the release process, granting you greater flexibility.

Conclusion:
The Maven Release Prepare Plugin is a powerful tool that simplifies and automates the release management process in Maven-based projects. The plugin ensures consistent and controlled releases by providing a structured approach to versioning, SCM tagging, and release documentation.