This is a reference for the Maven project descriptor used in Maven.
An XSD is available at:
<project> <extend/> <pomVersion/> <groupId/> <artifactId/> <id/> <name/> <currentVersion/> <shortDescription/> <description/> <url/> <logo/> <issueTrackingUrl/> <inceptionYear/> <gumpRepositoryId/> <siteAddress/> <siteDirectory/> <distributionSite/> <distributionDirectory/> <mailingLists> <mailingList> <name/> <subscribe/> <unsubscribe/> <post/> <archive/> <otherArchives/> </mailingList> </mailingLists> <developers> <developer> <id/> <name/> <email/> <url/> <organization/> <organizationUrl/> <roles/> <timezone/> <properties/> </developer> </developers> <contributors> <contributor> <name/> <email/> <url/> <organization/> <organizationUrl/> <roles/> <timezone/> <properties/> </contributor> </contributors> <licenses> <license> <name/> <url/> <distribution/> <comments/> </license> </licenses> <versions> <version> <name/> <tag/> <id/> </version> </versions> <branches> <branch> <tag/> </branch> </branches> <packageGroups> <packageGroup> <title/> <packages/> </packageGroup> </packageGroups> <reports/> <repository> <connection/> <developerConnection/> <url/> </repository> <organization> <name/> <url/> <logo/> </organization> <properties/> <package/> <build> <nagEmailAddress/> <sourceDirectory/> <unitTestSourceDirectory/> <aspectSourceDirectory/> <integrationUnitTestSourceDirectory/> <sourceModifications> <sourceModification> <className/> <property/> <directory/> <includes/> <excludes/> </sourceModification> </sourceModifications> <unitTest> <resources> <resource> <targetPath/> <filtering/> <directory/> <includes/> <excludes/> </resource> </resources> <includes/> <excludes/> </unitTest> <defaultGoal/> <resources> <resource> <targetPath/> <filtering/> <directory/> <includes/> <excludes/> </resource> </resources> </build> <dependencies> <dependency> <id/> <groupId/> <artifactId/> <version/> <url/> <jar/> <type/> <properties/> </dependency> </dependencies> </project>
The <project> element is the root of the descriptor.
The following table lists all of the possible child elements.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
extend
|
The location of the parent project, if one exists. Values from the
parent project will be the default for this project if they are
left unspecified. The path may be absolute, or relative to the
current project.xml file. For example,
<extend>${basedir}/../project.xml</extend>.
|
3.0.0 |
pomVersion
|
Declares to which version of project descriptor this POM conforms. The only valid value is 3. |
3.0.0 |
groupId
|
A universally unique identifier for a project. It is normal to
use a fully-qualified package name to distinguish it from other projects with a similar name
(eg. org.apache.maven).
|
3.0.0 |
artifactId
|
The identifier for this artifact that is unique within the group given by the group ID. An artifact is something that is either produced or used by a project. Examples of artifacts produced by Maven for a project include: JARs, source and binary distributions, and WARs. | 3.0.0 |
id
|
Deprecated. When used, this sets both the groupId and artifactId elements
if they were previously empty.
|
3.0.0 |
name
|
The full name of the project. | 3.0.0 |
currentVersion
|
The current version of the artifact produced by this project. | 3.0.0 |
shortDescription
|
A short description of the project. The short description should be limited to a single line. | 3.0.0 |
description
|
A detailed description of the project, used by Maven whenever it needs to describe the project, such as on the web site. While this element can be specified as CDATA to enable the use of HTML tags within the description, it is discouraged to allow plain text representation. If you need to modify the index page of the generated web site, you are able to specify your own instead of adjusting this text. | 3.0.0 |
url
|
The URL to the project's homepage. | 3.0.0 |
logo
|
The URL of the project's logo image. This can be an URL relative
to the base directory of the generated web site,
(e.g., /images/project-logo.png) or an absolute URL
(e.g., http://my.corp/project-logo.png). This is used
when generating the project documentation.
|
3.0.0 |
issueTrackingUrl
|
The URL of the project's issue tracking system. | 3.0.0 |
inceptionYear
|
The year of the project's inception, specified with 4 digits. This value is used when generating copyright notices as well as being informational. | 3.0.0 |
gumpRepositoryId
|
This is the repository identifier in Gump that this project is part of. | 3.0.0 |
siteAddress
|
The hostname of the web server that hosts the project's web site. This is used when the web site is deployed. | 3.0.0 |
siteDirectory
|
The directory on the web server where the public web site for this project resides. This is used when the web site is deployed. | 3.0.0 |
distributionSite
|
The server where the final distributions will be published. This is used when the
distributions are deployed. If this isn't defined, the central repository is used instead as
determined by maven.repo.central and maven.repo.central.directory.
|
3.0.0 |
distributionDirectory
|
The directory on the web server where the final distributions will be published. This is used when the distributions are deployed. | 3.0.0 |
mailingLists
|
Contains information about a project's mailing lists. | 3.0.0 |
developers
|
Describes the committers of a project. | 3.0.0 |
contributors
|
Describes the contributors to a project that are not yet committers. | 3.0.0 |
licenses
|
This element describes all of the licenses for this project.
Each license is described by a license element, which
is then described by additional elements.
Projects should only list the license(s) that applies to the project
and not the licenses that apply to dependencies.
If multiple licenses are listed, it is assumed that the user can select any of them, not that they
must accept all.
|
3.0.0 |
versions
|
Contains information on previous versions of the project. | 3.0.0 |
branches
|
Contains information on SCM branches of the project. | 3.0.0 |
packageGroups
|
Package groups required for complete javadocs. | 3.0.0 |
reports
|
This element includes the specification of reports to be
included in a Maven-generated site. These reports will be run
when a user executes maven site. All of the
reports will be included in the navigation bar for browsing in
the order they are specified.
|
3.0.0 |
repository
|
Specification for the SCM used by the project, such as CVS, Subversion, etc. | 3.0.0 |
organization
|
This element describes various attributes of the organization to which the project belongs. These attributes are utilized when documentation is created (for copyright notices and links). | 3.0.0 |
properties
|
Project properties that will be used by various plugins. The format is <name>value</name>.
|
3.0.0 |
package
|
The Java package name of the project. This value is used when generating JavaDoc. | 3.0.0 |
build
|
Information required to build the project. | 3.0.0 |
dependencies
|
This element describes all of the dependencies associated with a project. These dependencies are used to construct a classpath for your project during the build process. They are automatically downloaded from the repositories defined in this project. See the dependency mechanism for more information. | 3.0.0 |
This element describes all of the mailing lists associated with a project. The auto-generated site references this information.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
name
|
The name of the mailing list. | 3.0.0 |
subscribe
|
The email address or link that can be used to subscribe to the mailing list.
If this is an email address, a
mailto: link will automatically be created when
the documentation is created.
|
3.0.0 |
unsubscribe
|
The email address or link that can be used to unsubscribe to
the mailing list. If this is an email address, a
mailto: link will automatically be created
when the documentation is created.
|
3.0.0 |
post
|
The email address or link that can be used to post to
the mailing list. If this is an email address, a
mailto: link will automatically be created
when the documentation is created.
|
3.0.0 |
archive
|
The link to a URL where you can browse the mailing list archive. | 3.0.0 |
otherArchives
|
The link to alternate URLs where you can browse the list archive. | 3.0.0 |
Information about one of the committers on this project.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
id
|
The unique ID of the developer in the SCM. | 3.0.0 |
name
|
The full name of the contributor. | 3.0.0 |
email
|
The email address of the contributor. | 3.0.0 |
url
|
The URL for the homepage of the contributor. | 3.0.0 |
organization
|
The organization to which the contributor belongs. | 3.0.0 |
organizationUrl
|
The URL of the organization. | 3.0.0 |
roles
|
The roles the contributor plays in the project. Each role is
described by a role element, the body of which is a
role name. This can also be used to describe the contribution.
|
3.0.0 |
timezone
|
The timezone the contributor is in. This is a number in the range -11 to 12. | 3.0.0 |
properties
|
Properties about the contributor, such as an instant messenger handle. | 3.0.0 |
Description of a person who has contributed to the project, but who does not have commit privileges. Usually, these contributions come in the form of patches submitted.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
name
|
The full name of the contributor. | 3.0.0 |
email
|
The email address of the contributor. | 3.0.0 |
url
|
The URL for the homepage of the contributor. | 3.0.0 |
organization
|
The organization to which the contributor belongs. | 3.0.0 |
organizationUrl
|
The URL of the organization. | 3.0.0 |
roles
|
The roles the contributor plays in the project. Each role is
described by a role element, the body of which is a
role name. This can also be used to describe the contribution.
|
3.0.0 |
timezone
|
The timezone the contributor is in. This is a number in the range -11 to 12. | 3.0.0 |
properties
|
Properties about the contributor, such as an instant messenger handle. | 3.0.0 |
Describes the licenses for this project. This is used to generate the license page of the project's web site, as well as being taken into consideration in other reporting and validation. The licenses listed for the project are that of the project itself, and not of dependencies.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
name
|
The full legal name of the license. | 3.0.0 |
url
|
The official url for the license text. | 3.0.0 |
distribution
|
The primary method by which this project may be distributed.
|
3.0.0 |
comments
|
Addendum information pertaining to this license. | 3.0.0 |
This element describes each of the previous versions of the
project. Each version is described by a version
element
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
name
|
The external version number under which this release was distributed. Examples include:
1.0,
1.1-alpha1,
1.2-beta,
1.3.2 etc.
|
3.0.0 |
tag
|
The name given in the SCM (e.g. CVS) used by the project for the source code associated with this version of the project. | 3.0.0 |
id
|
A unique identifier for a version. This is usually identical to the name. | 3.0.0 |
Contains information on the SCM branches of the project.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
tag
|
The branch tag in the version control system (e.g. cvs) used by the project for the source code associated with this branch of the project. | 3.0.0 |
A JavaDoc package group.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
title
|
The title to use for the package group. | 3.0.0 |
packages
|
The packages in the group | 3.0.0 |
No description.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
connection
|
The source control management system URL that describes the repository and how to connect to the repository. For more information, see the URL format and list of supported SCMs. This connection is read-only. | 3.0.0 |
developerConnection
|
Just like connection, but for developers, i.e. this scm connection
will not be read only.
|
3.0.0 |
url
|
The URL to the project's browsable SCM repository, such as ViewVC or Fisheye. | 3.0.0 |
Specifies the organization that produces this project.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
name
|
The full name of the organization. | 3.0.0 |
url
|
The URL to the organization's home page. | 3.0.0 |
logo
|
The URL to the organization's logo image. This can be an URL relative
to the base directory of the generated web site,
(e.g., /images/org-logo.png) or an absolute URL
(e.g., http://my.corp/logo.png). This value is used
when generating the project documentation.
|
3.0.0 |
No description.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
nagEmailAddress
|
An address to which notifications regarding the status of builds for this project can be sent. This is intended for use by tools which do unattended builds, for example those providing for continuous integration. | 3.0.0 |
sourceDirectory
|
This element specifies a directory containing the source of the project. The generated build system will compile the source in this directory when the project is built. The path given is relative to the project descriptor. | 3.0.0 |
unitTestSourceDirectory
|
This element specifies a directory containing the unit test source of the project. The generated build system will compile these directories when the project is being tested. The path given is relative to the project descriptor. | 3.0.0 |
aspectSourceDirectory
|
This element specifies a directory containing Aspect sources of the project. The generated build system will compile the Aspects in this directory when the project is built if Aspects have been enabled. The path given is relative to the project descriptor. | 3.0.0 |
integrationUnitTestSourceDirectory
|
This element is deprecated and should no longer be used. Initially it was used by the first Cactus plugin. Now the location of the Cactus test sources is defined through a plugin property. See the Cactus plugin properties page. | 3.0.0 |
sourceModifications
|
This element describes all of the sourceModifications associated with a project. These modifications are used to exclude or include various source depending on the environment the build is running in. | 3.0.0 |
unitTest
|
This element specifies unit tests associated with the project. | 3.0.0 |
defaultGoal
|
The default goal (or phase in Maven 2) to execute when none is specified for the project. | 3.0.0 |
resources
|
This element describes all of the classpath resources such as properties files associated with a project. These resources are often included in the final package. | 3.0.0 |
This element describes all of the source modifications associated with a project. These modifications are used to exclude or include various source depending on the environment the build is running in.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
className
|
If the class with this name can not be
loaded, then the includes and excludes specified below
will be applied to the contents of the sourceDirectory.
|
3.0.0 |
property
|
If the property with this name is not set,
then the includes and excludes specified below
will be applied to the contents of the sourceDirectory.
|
3.0.0 |
directory
|
Describe the directory where the resources are stored. The path is relative to the POM. | 3.0.0 |
includes
|
A list of patterns to include, e.g. **/*.xml. |
3.0.0 |
excludes
|
A list of patterns to exclude, e.g. **/*.xml |
3.0.0 |
No description.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
resources
|
The classpath resources to use when executing the unit tests. | 3.0.0 |
includes
|
A list of patterns to include, e.g. **/*.xml. |
3.0.0 |
excludes
|
A list of patterns to exclude, e.g. **/*.xml |
3.0.0 |
This element describes all of the classpath resources associated with a project or unit tests.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
targetPath
|
Describe the resource target path. For example, if you want that
resource to appear in a specific package
(org.apache.maven.messages), you must specify this
element with this value: org/apache/maven/messages.
This is not required if you simply put the resources in that directory structure at the source, however.
|
3.0.0 |
filtering
|
Whether resources are filtered to replace tokens with parameterised values or not.
The values are taken from the properties element and from the properties in the files listed
in the filters element.
The default value is false. |
3.0.0 |
directory
|
Describe the directory where the resources are stored. The path is relative to the POM. | 3.0.0 |
includes
|
A list of patterns to include, e.g. **/*.xml. |
3.0.0 |
excludes
|
A list of patterns to exclude, e.g. **/*.xml |
3.0.0 |
This element describes all of the classpath resources associated with a project or unit tests.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
targetPath
|
Describe the resource target path. For example, if you want that
resource to appear in a specific package
(org.apache.maven.messages), you must specify this
element with this value: org/apache/maven/messages.
This is not required if you simply put the resources in that directory structure at the source, however.
|
3.0.0 |
filtering
|
Whether resources are filtered to replace tokens with parameterised values or not.
The values are taken from the properties element and from the properties in the files listed
in the filters element.
The default value is false. |
3.0.0 |
directory
|
Describe the directory where the resources are stored. The path is relative to the POM. | 3.0.0 |
includes
|
A list of patterns to include, e.g. **/*.xml. |
3.0.0 |
excludes
|
A list of patterns to exclude, e.g. **/*.xml |
3.0.0 |
No description.
| Element | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|
id
|
Deprecated. Please use groupId and
artifactId together instead.
|
3.0.0 |
groupId
|
The project group that produced the dependency, e.g.
org.apache.maven.
|
3.0.0 |
artifactId
|
The unique id for an artifact produced by the project group, e.g.
maven-artifact.
|
3.0.0 |
version
|
The version of the dependency, e.g. 3.2.1. In Maven 2, this can also be
specified as a range of versions.
|
3.0.0 |
url
|
This url will be provided to the user if the jar file cannot be downloaded from the central repository. | 3.0.0 |
jar
|
Literal name of the artifact in the repository. Used to override the calculated artifact name. | 3.0.0 |
type
|
The type of dependency. This defaults to jar. While it usually represents the extension on
the filename of the dependency, that is not always the case.
Some examples are jar, war, and plugin.
A dependency of type plugin is loaded as a Maven plugin and not added to the project
build classpath.
The default value is jar. |
3.0.0 |
properties
|
Properties about the dependency. Various plugins allow you to
mark dependencies with properties. For example the war plugin looks for a
war.bundle property, and if found will include the
dependency in WEB-INF/lib.
|
3.0.0 |