Minimum version requirements

JUnit 3 tests still work

JUnit 3 test code does not need to change. You only need to ensure your project depends on JUnit 4.12+ (which includes JUnit 3 API compatibility). The Vintage Engine executes JUnit 3 and JUnit 4 tests transparently.

POJO tests removed

The LegacyPojoStackTraceWriter and POJO test detection (PojoTestSetExecutor) are removed. Tests must use a recognized framework annotation (@Test from JUnit or TestNG).

Group / category filtering

The custom JavaCC-based category expression parser (surefire-grouper) is replaced by JUnit Platform's native tag expression syntax. For most users, <groups> and <excludedGroups> configuration works unchanged, but the underlying evaluation engine is different. Complex boolean expressions may need review.

Backward compatibility options

If upgrading causes issues, users have two fallback paths:

1. Pin Surefire 3.5.x — stay on the previous version:

   <plugin>
       <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
       <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
       <version>3.5.4</version>
   </plugin>
   

2. Use a legacy provider as a plugin dependency (transitional):

   <plugin>
       <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
       <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
       <version>3.6.0</version>
       <dependencies>
           <dependency>
               <groupId>org.apache.maven.surefire</groupId>
               <artifactId>surefire-junit3</artifactId>
               <version>3.5.4</version>
           </dependency>
       </dependencies>
   </plugin>
   

New feature: Stack trace filtering

A new StackTraceProvider optimizes memory usage by truncating stack traces to 15 frames and filtering JDK packages by default. This is configurable:

<configuration>
    <stackTraceFilterPrefixes>
        <prefix>org.springframework.</prefix>
        <prefix>org.junit.</prefix>
    </stackTraceFilterPrefixes>
</configuration>

Before vs. After: Provider model

graph LR
    subgraph "Before — 3.5.x (5 providers)"
        M1["AbstractSurefireMojo"] --> PD1["ProviderDetector<br/>(priority-based)"]
        PD1 --> JP1["surefire-junit-platform"]
        PD1 --> TNG1["surefire-testng"]
        PD1 --> J471["surefire-junit47"]
        PD1 --> J41["surefire-junit4"]
        PD1 --> J31["surefire-junit3"]
    end

graph LR
    subgraph "After — 3.6.0 (1 provider)"
        M2["AbstractSurefireMojo"] --> PD2["Simplified detection"]
        PD2 --> JP2["surefire-junit-platform"]
        JP2 --> VE["Vintage Engine<br/>(JUnit 3/4)"]
        JP2 --> JE["Jupiter Engine<br/>(JUnit 5)"]
        JP2 --> TE["TestNG Engine<br/>(TestNG)"]
    end

The five ProviderInfo implementations (JUnit3ProviderInfo, JUnit4ProviderInfo, JUnitCoreProviderInfo, TestNgProviderInfo, JUnitPlatformProviderInfo) are collapsed into a unified detection path that always selects surefire-junit-platform. Framework-specific configuration (TestNG groups, JUnit 4 categories, parallel execution) is now mapped to JUnit Platform launcher configuration rather than being handled by framework-specific providers.

Module-level impact

Key source changes

Problem

To associate console output with test classes, Surefire captures stack traces for every output line. With full stack traces (25–30 frames typical), this consumed 600–1,800 bytes per line.

Solution

The new StackTraceProvider class (in surefire-api) introduces:

• Frame limit: Maximum 15 frames per stack trace (sufficient to capture the test class after surefire framework frames)
• Package filtering: JDK packages (java., javax., sun., jdk.) filtered by default
• Configurable prefixes: Users can specify custom filter prefixes that replace (not add to) the defaults

Memory impact

Configuration

<!-- Custom prefixes (replaces defaults) -->
<configuration>
    <stackTraceFilterPrefixes>
        <prefix>org.springframework.</prefix>
        <prefix>org.junit.</prefix>
    </stackTraceFilterPrefixes>
</configuration>

# Command line
mvn test -Dsurefire.stackTraceFilterPrefixes=org.springframework.,org.junit.

When not specified or empty, the default filters (java., javax., sun., jdk.) apply.

Notable removals

• surefire-grouper/ — all GroupMatcher classes, JavaCC grammar, and tests (13 files)
• surefire-api/ — LegacyPojoStackTraceWriter and its tests (2 files)
• maven-surefire-common/ — AbstractSurefireMojoJunitCoreProvidersInfoTest (1 file)
• maven-surefire-plugin/ — POJO test documentation (1 file)

Notable additions

• surefire-api/.../StackTraceProvider.java — stack trace memory optimization
• maven-surefire-common/.../surefire.junit.version.properties — JUnit version detection resource
• .mvn/maven-build-cache-config.xml + .mvn/maven.config — build configuration