How To Upgrade and Install Maven 3.1.1 on Ubuntu

In this article, we will guide you through the process of upgrading and installing Maven 3.1.1 on Ubuntu. We will cover two methods: using the package manager and manually downloading and installing the latest version.

What is Maven?

Maven is a powerful project management tool that is based on the project object model (POM). It is used for projects build, dependency and documentation. It simplifies the build process like ANT. But it is too much advanced than ANT.

Method 1: Using the Package Manager

The Ubuntu package manager, apt-get, is a powerful tool for managing software on your system.

Step 1: Update the Package List

First, you need to update the package list on your system. This ensures that you have the latest information about what software and versions are available from Ubuntu’s repositories.

To do this, open a terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt-get update

The sudo command allows you to run commands as the root user, which is necessary for system-wide changes like software installation. The apt-get update command fetches the package lists from the repositories and updates them with the newest versions of packages and their dependencies.

Step 2: Upgrade Maven

Next, you can upgrade Maven to the latest version available in the Ubuntu repositories by running:

sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install maven

The --only-upgrade option tells apt-get to only upgrade the package if it is already installed. The install maven command tells apt-get to handle the Maven package.

However, note that this may not always give you the latest version, as the repositories might not have been updated yet.

Method 2: Manually Downloading and Installing the Latest Version

If you need a specific version of Maven that is not available in the Ubuntu repositories, you can download it manually from the Apache Maven website and install it on your system.

Step 1: Download Maven

Go to the Apache Maven website and download the desired version of Maven, in this case, apache-maven-3.1.1-bin.tar.gz.

Step 2: Move the Downloaded File

Open a terminal and navigate to the directory where the downloaded file is located. For example, if it is in the “Downloads” directory, run cd ~/Downloads.

Create a directory to install Maven by running sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/apache-maven.

Move the downloaded file to the newly created directory by running sudo mv apache-maven-3.1.1-bin.tar.gz /usr/local/apache-maven.

Step 3: Extract the Contents and Set Environment Variables

Navigate to the installation directory by running cd /usr/local/apache-maven.

Extract the contents of the tar.gz file by running sudo tar -xzvf apache-maven-3.1.1-bin.tar.gz.

Edit the ~/.profile file by running gedit ~/.profile and add the following lines at the end:

export M2_HOME=/usr/local/apache-maven/apache-maven-3.1.1
export M2=$M2_HOME/bin
export MAVEN_OPTS="-Xms256m -Xmx512m"
export PATH=$M2:$PATH

These lines set environment variables that are necessary for Maven to run. M2_HOME is the location of your Maven installation, M2 is the location of the bin directory inside the Maven installation, MAVEN_OPTS are options passed to the JVM when Maven runs, and PATH is updated to include the Maven bin directory.

Save the file and close the editor.

To apply the changes without restarting the machine, run source ~/.profile.

And there you have it! You have successfully upgraded and installed Maven 3.1.1 on Ubuntu.

Remember, it’s always important to verify your installations. You can do this by checking the version of Maven that is currently active on your system. Just type mvn -version in your terminal and it should display the version of Maven that is currently in use.

Conclusion

In this article, we have covered two methods of upgrading and installing Maven 3.1.1 on Ubuntu. Whether you prefer to use the package manager or manually download and install the software, these instructions should have you up and running with Maven in no time. Happy coding!