Installation

About

Apache Maven is a build automation and project management tool primarily used for Java-based projects. This guide provides step-by-step instructions to install Maven on Windows and macOS systems.

Prerequisites

Before installing Maven, ensure that the following prerequisites are met:

Java Development Kit (JDK)

• Maven requires Java JDK 8 or higher.

• Ensure Java is installed and properly configured.

To check if Java is installed

Open a terminal or command prompt and run:

java -version

This should output the installed Java version.

To check the JDK compiler

javac -version

If not installed, download and install the JDK from:

• Oracle: https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase-downloads.html

• OpenJDK: https://jdk.java.net/

JAVA_HOME Environment Variable

Ensure the JAVA_HOME environment variable is set and points to our JDK installation directory.

Downloading Apache Maven

1. Go to the official Maven download page: https://maven.apache.org/download.cgi

2. Download the binary zip archive (for Windows) or tar.gz archive (for macOS/Linux):

   • Example: apache-maven-3.9.6-bin.zip or apache-maven-3.9.6-bin.tar.gz

3. Verify the archive’s checksum (optional but recommended) using the instructions provided on the download page.

Installation on Windows

Step 1: Extract the Archive

• Extract the .zip file to a preferred location, such as:

  C:\Program Files\Apache\Maven

Step 2: Set Environment Variables

Open System Properties > Environment Variables, and configure the following:

Add MAVEN_HOME:

• Variable Name: MAVEN_HOME

• Variable Value: path to your Maven folder, e.g.:

  C:\Program Files\Apache\Maven\apache-maven-3.9.6

Add Maven bin directory to Path:

• Edit the Path variable and add:

  %MAVEN_HOME%\bin

Step 3: Verify Installation

Open a new Command Prompt and run:

mvn -version

We should see Maven version, Java version, and our operating system.

Installation on macOS

Option 1: Install via Homebrew (recommended)

If we have Homebrew installed:

brew install maven

This will automatically handle download, setup, and path configuration.

To verify

mvn -version

Option 2: Manual Installation

Step 1: Extract the Archive

Download and extract the tar.gz archive:

tar -xvzf apache-maven-3.9.6-bin.tar.gz
sudo mv apache-maven-3.9.6 /opt/maven

Step 2: Set Environment Variables

Add the following to your ~/.bash_profile, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.bashrc (depending on your shell):

export M2_HOME=/opt/maven
export PATH=$M2_HOME/bin:$PATH

Apply the changes:

source ~/.bash_profile
# or
source ~/.zshrc

Step 3: Verify Installation

mvn -version