Where and how to use maven profiles

Maven profiles provide a possibility to build a project with different configurations. Profiles can override these sections in POM file: <dependencies>, <plugins>, <properties>. A full list of supported sections can be found in the Maven documentation.

Use cases with examples from Jersey library

Source code of jersey library is available on GitHub. The source code for the Jersey library provides a great example of some of the most useful use cases for Maven profiles.

JDK-related profiles

Let’s start from jdk8 and jdk11+ profiles. For activating these profiles, there is an <activation> section. jdk8 and jdk11+ profiles are triggered based on the build environment. The structure:

       <profile>
            <id>jdk8</id>
            <activation>
                <jdk>1.8</jdk>
            </activation>
            <properties>
                <!--properties for jdk 1.8-->
            </properties>
            <build>
                <pluginManagement>
                    <plugins>
                         <!--plugins for jdk 1.8-->
                    </plugins>
                </pluginManagement>
            </build>
        </profile>
        <profile>
            <id>jdk11+</id>
            <activation>
                <jdk>[11,)</jdk>
            </activation>
            <build>
                <pluginManagement>
                    <plugins>
                         <!--plugins for jdk 1.8-->
                    </plugins>
                </pluginManagement>
            </build>
        </profile> 

This gives developers the ability to build a library or application with two different JDKs. 

testsSkip profile

The testsSkip profile is useful for local development or certain environments, as it allows tests to be skipped during the build:

        <profile>
            <id>testsSkip</id>
            <activation>
                <activeByDefault>false</activeByDefault>
                <property>
                    <name>skipTests</name>
                    <value>true</value>
                </property>
            </activation>
            <properties>
                <skip.tests>true</skip.tests>
                <skip.e2e>true</skip.e2e>
            </properties>
        </profile>

Module-related profile

Profiles can be used to add modules, as seen in the example provided:

        <profile>
            <id>bundlesIncluded</id>
            <activation>
                <activeByDefault>false</activeByDefault>
                <property>
                    <name>!bundles.excluded</name>
                </property>
            </activation>
            <modules>
                <module>bundles</module>
            </modules>
        </profile>

Conclusion

This article has provided an overview of how and where to use Maven profiles, with examples from the Jersey library.