Stripping Pom Files During Publish: A Guide to Streamlining Your Builds
The Problem: You've just finished building a fantastic project, but the resulting artifact is bloated with unnecessary files. This can lead to slower deployments, larger downloads for users, and even confusion when trying to understand the dependencies of your application.
The Solution: Stripping the POM file during the publish process. This removes unneeded information like dependency details, source code, and other development-related files, resulting in a leaner, more efficient artifact.
Scenario:
Let's say you're using Maven for building your Java application. When you run mvn package, a JAR file is created with your compiled code. However, the resulting JAR also includes the POM file, which contains metadata like dependencies, build configuration, and even source code.
Here's an example of a basic POM file:
<project>
<modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
<groupId>com.example</groupId>
<artifactId>my-project</artifactId>
<version>1.0.0</version>
<dependencies>
<dependency>
<groupId>org.apache.commons</groupId>
<artifactId>commons-lang3</artifactId>
<version>3.12.0</version>
</dependency>
</dependencies>
</project>
This POM file contains valuable information for development and testing. But, do you really need all this in your final artifact?
Why Strip the POM?:
- Reduced Artifact Size: Removing the POM can significantly reduce the size of your final artifact, resulting in faster download times and smaller deployments.
- Improved Security: The POM can contain sensitive information, such as build configurations and source code, which might be undesirable in a production environment.
- Cleaner Dependencies: By removing dependency details from the final artifact, you can avoid confusion and ensure that only the necessary dependencies are included.
Stripping Techniques:
- Maven Plugins: Several Maven plugins can handle this task for you. The most popular is the
maven-assembly-plugin, which allows you to customize the final artifact by excluding the POM file:
<plugin>
<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
<artifactId>maven-assembly-plugin</artifactId>
<version>3.3.0</version>
<configuration>
<descriptorRefs>
<descriptorRef>jar-with-dependencies</descriptorRef>
</descriptorRefs>
<archive>
<manifest>
<addClasspath>true</manifest>
</archive>
</configuration>
<executions>
<execution>
<id>make-assembly</id>
<phase>package</phase>
<goals>
<goal>single</goal>
</goals>
</execution>
</executions>
</plugin>
- Manual Removal: You can also manually remove the POM from your final artifact after the build process. However, this is a less elegant approach and requires extra steps.
Beyond the Basics:
- Dependency Management: If you're using a dependency management tool like Maven, you can also specify whether or not to include dependency information in the final artifact.
- Build Profiles: You can define separate build profiles for different environments, allowing you to customize the artifact contents depending on the target platform.
Conclusion:
Stripping the POM file during the publish process can significantly improve the efficiency and security of your builds. By reducing artifact size, removing sensitive information, and simplifying dependency management, you can streamline your deployment process and deliver a more polished product.
Resources:
