Coverage of the 50 most-used Maven plugins

Bleep refuses the plugin system Maven, Gradle, and sbt all settled on. That refusal is load-bearing: the case for build-as-data, the inner-loop guarantee, and the self-editing model all rest on it.

So the obvious next question, especially from a Java team coming off twenty years of Maven, is: what about all my plugins?

This page is the answer. It surveys the 50 most-used Maven plugins by real-world usage and shows where each one lands in bleep's model. Forty-seven out of 50 fit cleanly. The three that don't only exist because Maven's plugin system does: scaffolding Maven projects, building Maven plugins, and testing Maven plugins. None of them apply to bleep.

The remaining concern from a previous version of this page was Spring Boot. That one was real, and it's now solved: see Spring Boot proves the model for the design argument and the tutorial for the working setup.

Methodology

Rankings come from mvnrepository.com usage counts. The current site sorts by total Maven Central artifacts that declare the plugin in their pom.xml, which is the right signal for "how many real projects use this."

The top 10 comes from a March 2026 snapshot. Ranks 11 to 50 are reconstructed from a mix of October 2025 and October 2021 Wayback Machine paginated snapshots, since the modern site changed its metric mid-redesign and paginated listings in the new format aren't yet archived. The ranking is approximate from rank 11 down, but the set of plugins is accurate.

Anachronistic plugins (maven-site-plugin, maven-jxr-plugin) and superseded ones (cobertura, findbugs) appear in the raw rankings but are dropped here. They're listed at the end with reasons.

Categories

Symbol	Category	What it means
🟢	Built-in	Bleep handles this out of the box. Either a CLI primitive (compile, test, package, link, publish, clean, run) or a script shipped in bleep's standard library (bleep-plugin-pgp, bleep-plugin-sonatype including the new Central Portal API, bleep-plugin-dynver, bleep-plugin-ci-release, bleep-plugin-native-image, bleep-plugin-spring-boot)
⚙️	Sourcegen	Maps to bleep's sourcegen mechanism. The plugin produces files the compiler reads, which is exactly what sourcegen is for
📝	User script	A main in your repo. Clear path, modest engineering. Typical case: distribution concerns (Docker, signing, doc gen, CI glue, migrations)
🔧	Meta to Maven	Only exists because Maven plugins exist. No equivalent needed

The list

#	Plugin	What it does	Bleep approach	Fit
1	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-compiler-plugin	Compile Java	bleep compile	🟢 Built-in
2	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-source-plugin	Source JAR for publishing	Part of bleep publish	🟢 Built-in
3	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-javadoc-plugin	Javadoc JAR for publishing	Part of bleep publish	🟢 Built-in
4	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-surefire-plugin	Unit tests	bleep test	🟢 Built-in
5	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-jar-plugin	Build JAR	Part of bleep package	🟢 Built-in
6	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-gpg-plugin	PGP-sign artifacts	bleep-plugin-pgp	🟢 Built-in
7	org.sonatype.plugins:nexus-staging-maven-plugin	OSSRH staging (legacy)	bleep-plugin-sonatype	🟢 Built-in
8	org.apache.felix:maven-bundle-plugin	OSGi bundle and MANIFEST.MF	Script: write manifest, package	📝 Script
9	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-release-plugin	Tag, bump, stage release	DynVer + ci-release; version from git tag	🟢 Built-in
10	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-assembly-plugin	Custom distribution archives	Script using bleep's packaging API	📝 Script
11	org.sonatype.central:central-publishing-maven-plugin	Publish to new Sonatype Central Portal	bleep-plugin-sonatype (new Central API)	🟢 Built-in
12	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-shade-plugin	Uber-JAR with relocation	Script using bleep packaging	📝 Script
13	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-dependency-plugin	Tree, copy, unpack, analyze	Native for inspection; script for copy/unpack	🟢 + 📝
14	org.jacoco:jacoco-maven-plugin	Test coverage	Script wires javaagent into bleep's test JVM args	📝 Script
15	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-enforcer-plugin	Build-time rules	JDK and deps via bleep.yaml; rule sets via script	📝 Mixed
16	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-failsafe-plugin	Integration tests	Just another project with isTestProject: true	🟢 Built-in
17	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-deploy-plugin	Upload artifacts	bleep publish	🟢 Built-in
18	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-install-plugin	Install to local repo	bleep publish-local	🟢 Built-in
19	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-clean-plugin	Delete target/	bleep clean	🟢 Built-in
20	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-resources-plugin	Copy resources, filter	Native (resources); sourcegen (filtering)	🟢 + ⚙️
21	org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-maven-plugin	Fat JAR, run, build-info, build-image, AOT	bleep-plugin-spring-boot — see the tutorial	🟢 Built-in
22	org.codehaus.mojo:versions-maven-plugin	Update dep versions	bleep build update-deps (lossless round-trip)	🟢 Built-in
23	org.codehaus.mojo:exec-maven-plugin	Run main class or external program	bleep run for main; script otherwise	🟢 + 📝
24	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-war-plugin	WAR file	Script (write WAR layout, package)	📝 Script
25	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-checkstyle-plugin	Checkstyle report	Pre-commit hook or CI script	📝 Script
26	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-pmd-plugin	PMD report	Pre-commit hook or CI script	📝 Script
27	org.codehaus.mojo:build-helper-maven-plugin	Misc helpers (source roots, ports)	Source roots native; rest via script	🟢 + 📝
28	org.jetbrains.kotlin:kotlin-maven-plugin	Compile Kotlin	bleep compile (Kotlin is native)	🟢 Built-in
29	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-antrun-plugin	Run arbitrary tasks (Ant in pom.xml)	Write a Java/Scala script; or call ant from a script	📝 Script
30	com.mycila:license-maven-plugin	License headers	Pre-commit hook	📝 Script
31	com.github.eirslett:frontend-maven-plugin	Install Node, run npm scripts	node: config (native); npm via script	🟢 + 📝
32	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-scm-plugin	SCM commands as Maven goals	Call git from a script	📝 Script
33	io.fabric8:docker-maven-plugin	Build, run, push Docker images	Script: canonical "run a program" case	📝 Script
34	com.google.cloud.tools:jib-maven-plugin	OCI images without daemon	Script (Jib has Java API and CLI)	📝 Script
35	org.openapitools:openapi-generator-maven-plugin	OpenAPI to client/server stubs	Sourcegen	⚙️ Sourcegen
36	org.apache.avro:avro-maven-plugin	Avro schemas to Java	Sourcegen	⚙️ Sourcegen
37	org.flywaydb:flyway-maven-plugin	Database migrations	Script (Flyway CLI or Java API)	📝 Script
38	org.liquibase:liquibase-maven-plugin	Database migrations	Script (Liquibase CLI or Java API)	📝 Script
39	org.sonarsource.scanner.maven:sonar-maven-plugin	Upload to SonarQube	Script (Sonar Scanner CLI)	📝 Script
40	org.eluder.coveralls:coveralls-maven-plugin	Upload coverage to coveralls.io	Script (HTTP POST to coveralls API)	📝 Script
41	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-archetype-plugin	New Maven project from template	Bleep needs no archetype mechanism; scaffold from any directory	🔧 Meta
42	org.codehaus.mojo:properties-maven-plugin	Read and write .properties files	Trivial script	📝 Script
43	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-plugin-plugin	Generate Maven plugin descriptor	Bleep has no plugin system	🔧 Meta
44	org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-invoker-plugin	Nested Maven builds for plugin tests	Bleep has no plugin system	🔧 Meta
45	net.alchim31.maven:scala-maven-plugin	Compile Scala	bleep compile (Scala is core)	🟢 Built-in
46	org.antlr:antlr4-maven-plugin	ANTLR grammars to parsers	Sourcegen	⚙️ Sourcegen
47	org.jvnet.jaxb2.maven2:maven-jaxb2-plugin	XSD to Java	Sourcegen	⚙️ Sourcegen
48	org.mybatis.generator:mybatis-generator-maven-plugin	Database schema to MyBatis Java	Sourcegen	⚙️ Sourcegen
49	org.jsonschema2pojo:jsonschema2pojo-maven-plugin	JSON Schema to Java POJO	Sourcegen	⚙️ Sourcegen
50	de.thetaphi:forbiddenapis	Banned API checker	Pre-commit or CI script	📝 Script

What this proves

The 50 most-used Maven plugins decompose into a handful of categories that bleep already handles:

• 17 plugins are built-ins. Compile, test, package, publish, sign, Sonatype Central, native-image, the version-bump dance, and the full Spring Boot integration via bleep-plugin-spring-boot. The plugin you would have used in Maven, you don't need to think about in bleep.
• 6 plugins are sourcegen. Avro, OpenAPI Generator, ANTLR, JAXB2, MyBatis Generator, jsonschema2pojo. Every one of these is a schema or IDL feeding a code generator. Bleep's sourcegen mechanism is built for exactly this shape.
• 19 plugins are user scripts. Container builds, doc generation, integration-test sidecars, CI glue, database migrations, coverage uploads, license headers, ad-hoc Ant-style steps, enforcer rules. They consume what the compiler produced, run when you say so, and don't need a task DAG to make sense.
• 5 plugins span built-in plus a script or sourcegen edge. Resource filtering, dependency inspection, exec, build helpers, frontend tooling. Clean primitive path for the common case, script or sourcegen for the edge.

That accounts for 47 out of 50 by mechanisms that already exist.

The remaining three only exist because Maven's plugin system does: maven-plugin-plugin and maven-invoker-plugin are infrastructure for authoring and testing Maven plugins, and maven-archetype-plugin scaffolds Maven projects from XML archetypes. Without a plugin system or Maven-shaped projects, bleep needs none of them.

The case that used to be hard

When this page was first written, spring-boot-maven-plugin was the single entry that fit neither built-in, sourcegen, nor a one-script weekend.

It bundles five different jobs under one Maven goal namespace:

• spring-boot:repackage turns your .jar into an executable fat-JAR with Spring Boot's BOOT-INF/ classloader layout.
• spring-boot:run starts your application from a forked JVM with the right classpath.
• spring-boot:build-image builds an OCI image through buildpacks.
• spring-boot:process-aot runs Spring's ahead-of-time compilation pass, generating META-INF/native-image/ hints and reflection metadata.
• spring-boot:start and spring-boot:stop manage a background JVM for integration tests.

The honest assessment was that each piece was tractable as a script because Spring Boot ships clean Java APIs for the parts that matter (spring-boot-loader-tools, spring-boot-buildpack-platform, Spring AOT). It just needed someone to write the script. So we did.

bleep-plugin-spring-boot now ships with three classes wrapping the upstream API:

• SpringBootRun — fork a JVM with profile, JVM args, agents, env vars, system properties.
• SpringBootRepackage — produce the executable fat JAR with layout, layers, requires-unpack, and reproducible timestamps.
• SpringBootBuildInfo — write META-INF/build-info.properties as a sourcegen, so Spring Boot Actuator's /actuator/info endpoint returns build metadata.

The Spring Boot proves the model page walks through why this integration was the right test of the build-as-data thesis. The Spring Boot tutorial walks through the working example: a DuckDB-backed REST service with a repository, service, controller, profile-specific configuration, and three named scripts that bind ports and JVM args explicitly. If you're a Spring Boot shop evaluating bleep, start there.

Build-image (Buildpacks) and AOT (native-image) are not in bleep-plugin-spring-boot yet. The integration shape is the same: one more SpringBoot* class wrapping spring-boot-buildpack-platform and spring-aot. Open an issue or send a PR if either matters for your project.

What about BOM and dependencyManagement?

Not a plugin, but worth mentioning. Maven's BOM and dependencyManagement machinery is the one piece of Maven that bleep has acknowledged as a real gap. bleep import-maven inlines the BOM-resolved versions at import time, so an existing service comes across with explicit versions. New services need a template that lists them. See Project status for the underlying work.

Plugins dropped from this list

These appeared in the raw mvnrepository.com rankings but were dropped here as anachronistic or superseded:

Plugin	Why dropped
maven-site-plugin	Docusaurus, MkDocs, and Antora are the modern stack
maven-jxr-plugin	IDEs do this
maven-project-info-reports-plugin	GitHub README and bleep build show cover the use case
cobertura-maven-plugin	Superseded by JaCoCo
findbugs-maven-plugin	Superseded by SpotBugs
maven-surefire-report-plugin	Bleep's test runner already emits HTML and TUI output

These show up in usage rankings because they ship in old enterprise projects nobody touches. Including them on a coverage page would be honest, but listing them as "things bleep needs to support" would be misleading. The right answer for each is a modern alternative.

The broader point

The category "Maven plugin" is misleading. It contains:

• Things every build tool does natively (compile, test, package, publish): roughly 36% of the top 50.
• Schema-driven codegen (Protobuf, Avro, OpenAPI, JAXB2, ANTLR, MyBatis, jsonschema2pojo): roughly 12% of the top 50, all sourcegen.
• Distribution concerns (containers, signing, doc gen, CI glue, migrations): roughly 36% of the top 50, all programs.
• A long tail of one-offs, meta-plugins, and anachronisms: the rest.

When you decompose it that way, what about all my Maven plugins? becomes a much smaller question. Half of them don't need to be a build plugin at all. They need a primitive (compile, test, publish), a generator (sourcegen), or a script (everything else). Bleep ships all three.

See also

• Comparison with Maven
• Spring Boot proves the model — the design argument for the four-primitives claim, with Spring Boot as the worked example
• Spring Boot tutorial — the practical walkthrough of the worked example
• Sourcegen concept
• Scripts concept
• Project status