Spring Boot Starter Parent Maven

Hello. In this tutorial, we will understand and explore Spring Boot Starter Parent in Maven.

1. Introduction

Maven is a build automation and dependency management tool for Java projects. It plays a crucial role in Java development for several reasons:

• Dependency Management: Maven simplifies the process of managing project dependencies. It allows developers to declare the dependencies their project requires, and Maven takes care of automatically downloading and managing those dependencies from a central repository. This eliminates the need for manual downloading, configuring, and resolving dependencies, saving time and reducing errors.
• Consistent Project Structure: Maven promotes a standardized project structure, making it easier for developers to understand and collaborate on projects. It enforces conventions for source code directories, resource directories, and configuration files. This consistency improves project maintainability and facilitates the integration of various tools and frameworks.
• Build Automation: Maven provides a powerful build system that automates repetitive tasks such as compiling source code, running tests, packaging artifacts, and generating documentation. Developers can define the build lifecycle and configure custom build phases and goals to meet their project requirements. Maven’s build automation capabilities streamline the development process and ensure consistent and reliable builds.
• Transitive Dependency Resolution: Maven handles transitive dependencies, which are dependencies that your project’s dependencies rely on. It automatically resolves and manages these transitive dependencies, ensuring that the correct versions are used and avoiding conflicts. This simplifies the management of complex dependency graphs and helps prevent versioning issues.
• Maven Repository Ecosystem: Maven leverages a vast ecosystem of public and private repositories. The central Maven Repository (Maven Central) hosts a vast number of open-source libraries and frameworks, making it easy to discover and include dependencies in your projects. Additionally, organizations can set up their internal repositories to store and share project-specific artifacts, promoting code reuse and collaboration within teams.
• Build Customization and Extensibility: Maven allows developers to customize and extend the build process by configuring plugins. Plugins offer a wide range of functionality, such as code analysis, code generation, deployment to various environments, and much more. Developers can choose from a vast library of existing plugins or create their own to adapt Maven to their specific project requirements.

In summary, Maven simplifies dependency management, provides a consistent project structure, automates the build process, resolves transitive dependencies, leverages a repository ecosystem, and offers customization and extensibility. These features contribute to better project organization, faster development cycles, and improved overall productivity in Java development.

1.1 Overview of Maven project structure

In a Maven project, the project structure follows a standard convention that promotes organization and consistency. The typical Maven project structure includes the following directories:

1.1.1 Source Code

• Main Source Code
  • src/main/java: Java source code files (.java)
  • src/main/resources: Non-Java resources (configuration files, properties files, XML files, etc.)
• Test Source Code
  • src/test/java: Test source code files for unit tests
  • src/test/resources: Test-specific resources

1.1.2 Build Output

• target: Automatically created directory containing the build output
  • target/classes: Compiled classes (.class files) of the main source code
  • target/test-classes: Compiled classes of the test source code

1.1.3 Project Configuration

• pom.xml: Project Object Model (POM) file defining project information, configuration, dependencies, and plugins

1.1.4 Maven Wrapper

• mvnw, mvnw.cmd: Maven Wrapper scripts to run Maven without global installation

1.1.5 Additional Project Directories

• Web Applications (src/main/webapp): Directory for web-related resources (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, web.xml)
• Docker (src/main/docker): Directory for Docker-related files
• Scripts (src/main/scripts): Directory for additional project scripts
• Documentation (src/main/docs): Directory for project documentation

It’s important to note that the Maven project structure can be customized to some extent by modifying the relevant configuration in the POM file. However, following the standard Maven project structure is recommended to ensure consistency and ease of collaboration among developers.

1.2 Why is Maven important for Java development?

• Dependency management: Maven simplifies the management of Java project dependencies. It provides a centralized repository for downloading and resolving dependencies, making it easier to manage external libraries and frameworks.
• Build automation: Maven automates the build process, including compiling source code, running tests, and packaging the application. It uses a declarative build configuration, allowing developers to define build steps and dependencies in a standardized way.
• Consistent project structure: Maven enforces a standardized project structure, making it easier for developers to understand and navigate projects. It promotes the separation of source code, resources, and test code, enhancing maintainability and collaboration.
• Dependency version management: Maven helps manage and resolve version conflicts between different dependencies in a project. It allows you to specify version ranges or explicitly define versions, ensuring compatibility and avoiding conflicts.
• Plugins and extensions: Maven offers a wide range of plugins and extensions that extend its functionality. These plugins provide additional capabilities such as code analysis, code generation, documentation generation, and deployment to various environments.
• Continuous integration and deployment: Maven integrates well with continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. It can be easily integrated with popular CI/CD tools like Jenkins, Bamboo, or GitLab CI, enabling automated builds, tests, and deployments.
• Standardization and best practices: Maven follows established best practices and conventions for Java development. It encourages modularization, code reuse, and adherence to coding standards, fostering maintainable and scalable projects.

1.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Maven

1.4 Installing Maven

1.4.1 Windows

Go to the Apache Maven website (https://maven.apache.org/download.cgi) and download the latest stable version of Maven. Choose the binary zip archive under the “Files” section. Extract the downloaded zip file to a directory of your choice. For example, you can extract it to C:\apache-maven. Set up the environment variables as below:

• Open the System Properties window by right-clicking on “This PC” or “My Computer” and selecting “Properties”.
• Click on “Advanced system settings” on the left-hand side.
• Click on the “Environment Variables” button.
• In the “System variables” section, click on “New” to create a new variable.
• Set the variable name to M2_HOME and the variable value to the path where you extracted Maven. For example, C:\apache-maven.
• Select the “Path” variable from the list of system variables and click on “Edit”.
• Add %M2_HOME%\bin to the beginning of the variable value. This ensures that Maven is available from the command line.
• Click “OK” to save the changes.

Open a new command prompt and type mvn -version. If Maven is installed correctly, it will display the version and other information.

1.4.2 Linux

1.4.2.1 Update package manager

• Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt update
• CentOS/RHEL: sudo yum update

1.4.2.2 Install Maven

• Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install maven
• CentOS/RHEL: sudo yum install maven

1.4.2.3 Verify the installation

Open a new terminal and type mvn -version. If Maven is installed correctly, it will display the version and other information.

2. Spring Boot Starter Parent

In the context of the Spring Boot framework, the “Spring Boot Starter Parent” is a special Maven parent project that provides a set of default configurations and dependencies for Spring Boot applications. It is designed to simplify the project setup process and ensure compatibility with Spring Boot’s conventions.

When you create a new Spring Boot project, you can choose to use the Spring Boot Starter Parent as the parent project in your Maven configuration. By doing so, you inherit a predefined set of configurations and dependencies, which include:

• Default Maven plugins: The Spring Boot Starter Parent includes commonly used Maven plugins, such as the compiler plugin, the surefire plugin for unit testing, and the Spring Boot plugin itself.
• Default configuration: It sets up sensible default configurations for your project, such as encoding, resource filtering, and build profiles.
• Dependency management: The Spring Boot Starter Parent manages the versions of various Spring Boot dependencies, ensuring compatibility and simplifying dependency management. It includes a curated list of dependencies commonly used in Spring Boot applications, such as Spring Framework, Spring Boot Auto-configuration, and various Spring Boot starters.
• Parent POM hierarchy: The Spring Boot Starter Parent is part of a hierarchical structure of parent POMs maintained by the Spring Boot team. This hierarchy allows for consistent and coordinated updates across different Spring Boot projects.

By using the Spring Boot Starter Parent, you can focus on developing your application logic without worrying about managing configurations and dependencies manually. It provides a solid foundation for Spring Boot projects and promotes best practices recommended by the Spring Boot community.

To use the Spring Boot Starter Parent in your Maven project, you can specify it as the parent in your project’s pom.xml file, like this:

XML Definition

<parent>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-parent</artifactId>
    <version>2.5.2</version>
</parent>

Note that the version number can be updated to the latest available release of the Spring Boot Starter Parent.

2.1 Advantages of using Spring Boot Starter Parent

Here are the advantages of using Spring Boot Starter Parent:

• Simplified project setup: Spring Boot Starter Parent provides a predefined set of configurations and dependencies, making it easier and quicker to set up a new Spring Boot project.
• Convention over configuration: Spring Boot Starter Parent follows Spring Boot’s conventions, reducing the need for manual configuration and allowing developers to focus on writing application logic.
• Dependency management: It manages the versions of various Spring Boot dependencies, ensuring compatibility and simplifying dependency management. This saves time and effort in manually resolving dependency conflicts.
• Reduced boilerplate code: Spring Boot Starter Parent includes commonly used Maven plugins and default configurations, eliminating the need to write repetitive code and configurations.
• Community-backed best practices: Spring Boot Starter Parent is maintained by the Spring Boot team and follows best practices recommended by the Spring Boot community, ensuring a solid foundation for your application.
• Consistent updates and maintenance: The parent POM hierarchy maintained by the Spring Boot team allows for consistent updates and coordinated maintenance across different Spring Boot projects.
• Built-in Spring Boot features: Spring Boot Starter Parent provides access to various Spring Boot features, such as auto-configuration, which simplifies the setup of commonly used components.

Using Spring Boot Starter Parent offers these advantages, allowing developers to streamline their Spring Boot projects, leverage community best practices, and focus on developing the application’s core functionality.

2.2 How does Spring Boot Starter Parent simplify project management?

Spring Boot Starter Parent simplifies project management in the following ways:

• Default configurations: Spring Boot Starter Parent provides sensible default configurations for your project, reducing the need for manual configuration. These default configurations cover aspects such as encoding, resource filtering, and building profiles, allowing you to start your project with a solid foundation.
• Dependency management: Spring Boot Starter Parent manages the versions of various Spring Boot dependencies. It includes a curated list of commonly used dependencies, such as Spring Framework, Spring Boot Auto-configuration, and Spring Boot starters. This simplifies dependency management by ensuring compatibility between different dependencies and saving you from manually managing and resolving version conflicts.
• Predefined Maven plugins: The Spring Boot Starter Parent includes commonly used Maven plugins, such as the compiler plugin and the surefire plugin for unit testing. These plugins are configured with sensible defaults, enabling you to focus on writing code rather than spending time configuring build processes.
• Convention over configuration: Spring Boot follows a convention-over-configuration approach. By using Spring Boot Starter Parent, you leverage these conventions, which reduce the need for explicit configuration. Spring Boot provides sensible defaults for various components, allowing you to quickly develop applications without the need for extensive configuration.
• Consistent project structure: Spring Boot Starter Parent promotes a consistent project structure based on Spring Boot conventions. This standardization simplifies project management by making it easier to understand the project’s organization, locate files, and collaborate with other developers.
• Automatic build and packaging: Spring Boot Starter Parent incorporates the Spring Boot Maven plugin, which automates the build and packaging process. It creates executable JAR or WAR files with embedded application servers, reducing the complexity of deployment and making it easier to distribute your application.

By providing default configurations, managing dependencies, leveraging conventions, and automating build processes, Spring Boot Starter Parent simplifies project management, allowing developers to focus more on application development rather than project setup and maintenance.

3. Setting up a Maven Project with Spring Boot Starter Parent

To set up a Maven project with Spring Boot Starter Parent, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Open your preferred Integrated Development Environment (IDE) or navigate to the desired project directory using a command-line interface.

Step 2: Create a new directory for your Maven project. You can use the following command in the command-line interface:

mkdir my-spring-boot-project

Step 3: Change into the project directory:

cd my-spring-boot-project

Step 4: Create a new Maven project by executing the following command:

mvn archetype:generate -DgroupId=com.example -DartifactId=my-spring-boot-project -DarchetypeArtifactId=maven-archetype-quickstart -DinteractiveMode=false

This command generates a basic Maven project structure with a default Java class and a sample unit test.

Step 5: Open the project in your IDE or navigate to the project directory in your command-line interface.

Step 6: Locate the pom.xml file in the project’s root directory and open it for editing.

Step 7: Inside the project tag, add the following code to specify the Spring Boot Starter Parent as the parent for your project:

<parent>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-parent</artifactId>
    <version>2.5.2</version>
</parent>

Note: You can replace 2.5.2 with the desired version of the Spring Boot Starter Parent.

Step 8: Add any additional dependencies you require for your Spring Boot project within the dependencies section of the pom.xml file. For example, to include the Spring Boot Web Starter, add the following dependency:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-web</artifactId>
</dependency>

You can add more dependencies according to your project’s requirements.

Step 9: Save the pom.xml file to apply the changes.

Step 10: At this point, your Maven project is set up with the Spring Boot Starter Parent and any additional dependencies you specified. You can start developing your Spring Boot application by creating Java classes, controllers, and other necessary components.

Remember to run mvn clean install to resolve dependencies and build your project. You can also use IDE-specific Maven plugins or commands to run and package your Spring Boot application.

With these steps, you have successfully set up a Maven project with the Spring Boot Starter Parent, allowing you to leverage the benefits and features provided by Spring Boot for your application development.

4. Customizing and Extending the Spring Boot Starter Parent

The Spring Boot Starter Parent provides a solid foundation for Spring Boot projects. However, if you need to customize or extend its configuration, you can do so by following these steps:

Step 1: Open the pom.xml file of your project, which inherits from the Spring Boot Starter Parent.

Step 2: Locate the parent> section, which specifies the Spring Boot Starter Parent as the parent of your project.

Step 3: Override properties: To customize configuration properties inherited from the parent, you can override them by adding the desired properties within the properties section of your project’s pom.xml file. For example, you can change the Java version by adding the following property:

<properties>
    <java.version>11</java.version>
</properties>

Step 4: Add additional dependencies: To include additional dependencies specific to your project, you can add them within the dependencies section of your pom.xml file. These dependencies will be resolved and managed by Maven. For example:

<dependencies>
    <!-- Additional dependencies -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
        <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-data-jpa</artifactId>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

Step 5: Customize plugin configurations: If you need to customize the configurations of Maven plugins inherited from the parent, you can override them by adding the desired plugin configuration within the build section of your project’s pom.xml file. For example, to configure the Maven Compiler Plugin, you can add the following:

<build>
    <plugins>
        <!-- Additional plugin configuration -->
        <plugin>
            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
            <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
            <configuration>
                <source>11</source>
                <target>11</target>
            </configuration>
        </plugin>
    </plugins>
</build>

Step 6: Save the pom.xml file to apply the changes.

By customizing properties, adding additional dependencies, and configuring plugins, you can tailor the Spring Boot Starter Parent to meet the specific requirements of your project. However, it’s important to note that extensive customization may lead to increased complexity and potential compatibility issues. It’s recommended to leverage the existing conventions and configurations provided by the Spring Boot Starter Parent whenever possible.

That is all for this tutorial and I hope the article served you whatever you were looking for. Happy Learning and do not forget to share!

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the Spring Boot Starter Parent is a powerful tool that simplifies the development and management of Spring Boot projects. It serves as a parent Maven project with predefined configurations, default dependencies, and plugin management, providing numerous benefits to developers. Let’s summarize the key points and benefits of the Spring Boot Starter Parent:

• Simplified project setup: The Spring Boot Starter Parent offers a solid foundation for Spring Boot projects, reducing the need for manual configuration. It provides default configurations for encoding, resource filtering, and building profiles, allowing developers to start their projects quickly and with sensible defaults.
• Dependency management: Managing dependencies can be a complex task, especially when dealing with different versions and compatibility issues. The Spring Boot Starter Parent simplifies dependency management by curating a list of commonly used Spring Boot dependencies. It ensures compatibility between dependencies and reduces the effort required to manage and resolve version conflicts.
• Predefined Maven plugins: The Spring Boot Starter Parent includes commonly used Maven plugins, such as the compiler plugin and the surefire plugin for unit testing. These plugins are preconfigured with sensible defaults, saving developers from spending time on manual configuration. It allows developers to focus more on writing code and less on configuring build processes.
• Convention over configuration: Spring Boot follows the convention-over-configuration principle, where sensible defaults and conventions are provided to streamline development. By utilizing the Spring Boot Starter Parent, developers benefit from these conventions, reducing the need for explicit configuration. This approach enables faster development by eliminating unnecessary boilerplate code and configuration.
• Consistent project structure: The Spring Boot Starter Parent promotes a consistent project structure based on Spring Boot conventions. This standardization simplifies project management and collaboration among team members. Developers can easily locate files, understand the organization of the project, and work efficiently, leading to improved productivity.
• Automatic build and packaging: The Spring Boot Starter Parent incorporates the Spring Boot Maven plugin, which automates the build and packaging process. It enables developers to create executable JAR or WAR files with embedded application servers. This automation simplifies the deployment process and makes it easier to distribute and deploy Spring Boot applications.

In summary, the Spring Boot Starter Parent provides a robust foundation for Spring Boot projects, offering simplified project setup, streamlined dependency management, preconfigured plugins, convention-over-configuration approach, consistent project structure, and automated build and packaging. By leveraging the Spring Boot Starter Parent, developers can focus on writing business logic and delivering high-quality applications while benefiting from the best practices and conventions established by the Spring Boot ecosystem.

Do you want to know how to develop your skillset to become a Java Rockstar?

Subscribe to our newsletter to start Rocking right now!

To get you started we give you our best selling eBooks for FREE!

1. JPA Mini Book

2. JVM Troubleshooting Guide

3. JUnit Tutorial for Unit Testing

4. Java Annotations Tutorial

5. Java Interview Questions

6. Spring Interview Questions

7. Android UI Design

and many more ....

I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy

Sign up

Thank you!

We will contact you soon.