CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javamavenmaven-compiler-plugin
Sasidhar Nagandla
Sasidhar Nagandla

Reputation: 21

What is the use of 'fork' and 'executable' options in Maven compiler plugin?

Maven-compiler-plugin configuration

...
<fork>true</fork>
<executable>${env.JAVA_HOME}\bin\javac.exe</executable>
...

Upvotes: 1

Views: 3323

Answers (2)

Saikat
Saikat

Reputation: 16820

Maven compiler plugin has a good official documentation page explaining all plugin options.

<fork>: Allows running the compiler in a separate process. If false it uses the built in compiler, while if true it will use an executable.

<executable>: Sets the executable of the compiler to use when fork is true

Upvotes: 2

Benjamin Marwell
Benjamin Marwell

Reputation: 1246

to add to Saikat’s answer:

If <executable> is omitted and <fork>true</fork> is set, the maven-compiler-plugin will chose the JAVA_HOME/bin/javac binary.

If <fork>false</fork> is set, the maven-compiler-plugin will chose the compiler via the ToolProvider interface. This means that no new process will be started, and the same Java VM your Maven is running it will also do the compilation.

With <fork>false</fork>, you can also chose another compiler using the compilerId parameter.

Tip: Go with the defaults unless you have a good reason to change them. The only good reason I could thing of right now is a bug in JDK 16.

Using another javac from another java installation is NOT a good reason: You should use toolchains for this.

Upvotes: 1

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