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Akshit Zatakia
Akshit Zatakia

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Boost Your Java Development: Speed Up Maven Builds with mvnd

๐Ÿš€ Introduction

As Java developers, we all know the pain of long build times when using Apache Maven. Every time we run mvn clean install, the JVM starts from scratch, dependencies are reloaded, and the build process feels sluggish. But what if I told you there's a way to turbocharge your Maven builds and cut down wait times drastically?

Enter mvnd (Maven Daemon) โ€” a game-changing tool that dramatically speeds up Maven builds by running a persistent daemon in the background. If youโ€™re tired of slow builds and want to boost productivity, this blog is for you! ๐ŸŽฏ


โšก What is mvnd?

mvnd (Maven Daemon) is a high-performance version of Apache Maven designed to eliminate build overhead. It speeds up builds by keeping a background JVM daemon running, reusing classloaders, and executing tasks in parallel.

In simple terms:

  • Traditional Maven (mvn) starts a new JVM process for each build, leading to startup delays.

  • Maven Daemon (mvnd) keeps a persistent JVM and reuses it, reducing execution time significantly.

๐Ÿ’ก If you use Maven, you should be using mvnd!


๐Ÿš€ How Does mvnd Make Builds Lightning Fast?

Letโ€™s break down how mvnd achieves its speed:

1๏ธโƒฃ Daemon Process (No More JVM Startup Overhead)

Each time you run mvn, a fresh JVM starts, loads dependencies, and then shuts down. mvnd eliminates this overhead by keeping a long-running daemon process, drastically cutting down build times.

2๏ธโƒฃ Parallel Execution (Faster Multi-Module Builds)

mvnd runs tasks in parallel across multiple CPU cores, optimizing multi-module projects. Unlike traditional Maven, which processes modules sequentially, mvnd uses a dependency graph to determine independent tasks that can be executed simultaneously.

3๏ธโƒฃ Classloader & Dependency Caching (No More Repeated Loading)

Maven loads dependencies every time a new build starts. mvnd caches these dependencies in memory, so subsequent builds donโ€™t need to reload them, making incremental builds faster.

4๏ธโƒฃ Built on Quarkus (Optimized for Speed)

The Quarkus-based architecture makes mvnd incredibly lightweight, further improving performance.

5๏ธโƒฃ Smart Process Management (Automatic Daemon Recycling)

mvnd automatically restarts the daemon when needed, ensuring memory leaks donโ€™t slow things down.

It optimizes task scheduling, minimizing idle time between dependent tasks.


๐Ÿš€ How to Install & Use mvnd

Ready to supercharge your Maven builds? Follow these steps:

๐Ÿ”น Step 1: Install mvnd

You can install mvnd easily using below tools or by downloading it manually.

Install using SDKMAN!

sdk install mvnd
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Install using Homebrew

brew install mvndaemon/homebrew-mvnd/mvnd
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Install using MacPorts

sudo port install mvnd
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Other installation ways are mentioned in their official site as well.

๐Ÿ”น Step 2: Run mvnd

Once installed, simply replace mvn with mvnd:

mvnd clean install
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๐ŸŽ‰ Enjoy the massive speed boost in your builds!


๐Ÿ“Š Performance Comparison: mvn vs mvnd

Hereโ€™s a real-world test on a multi-module Maven project which is pet-clinic:

Using mvn:
Using mvn

Using mvnd:
Using mvnd

๐Ÿ’ก Result: mvnd is 4x faster than traditional Maven! ๐Ÿš€


๐ŸŽฏ Should You Use mvnd?

If youโ€™re using Apache Maven, the answer is a resounding YES! ๐Ÿ”ฅ

โœ… Massively faster builds ๐Ÿš€

โœ… No more waiting for JVM startup โณ

โœ… Parallel execution for better CPU utilization โš™๏ธ

โœ… Fully compatible with existing Maven projects ๐Ÿ”„

The best part? You donโ€™t need to modify your Maven projectsโ€”just switch from mvn to mvnd and enjoy the speed boost! ๐Ÿ’จ


๐Ÿ“ข Final Thoughts: Get More Done in Less Time

As developers, our time is precious. Why waste it waiting for slow builds when you can make them 4x faster?

With mvnd, you can:

๐Ÿš€ Ship features faster

๐Ÿ’ป Boost productivity

โณ Reduce waiting time

Iโ€™ve never seen such a boost in build speed! ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ”ฅ If you know of any tools that are even more efficient, drop them in the commentsโ€”letโ€™s discuss and benchmark them! ๐Ÿ˜

Happy coding! ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ’ป๐Ÿš€

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