Boost Your Java Development: Speed Up Maven Builds with mvnd

🚀 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) — a game-changing tool that dramatically speeds up Maven builds by running a persistent daemon in the background. If you’re tired of slow builds and want to boost productivity, this blog is for you! 🎯

⚡ 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.

💡 If you use Maven, you should be using mvnd!

🚀 How Does mvnd Make Builds Lightning Fast?

Let’s break down how mvnd achieves its speed:

1️⃣ 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.

2️⃣ 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.

3️⃣ 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 don’t need to reload them, making incremental builds faster.

4️⃣ Built on Quarkus (Optimized for Speed)

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

5️⃣ Smart Process Management (Automatic Daemon Recycling)

mvnd automatically restarts the daemon when needed, ensuring memory leaks don’t slow things down.

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

🚀 How to Install & Use mvnd

Ready to supercharge your Maven builds? Follow these steps:

🔹 Step 1: Install mvnd

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

Install using SDKMAN!

sdk install mvnd

Install using Homebrew

brew install mvndaemon/homebrew-mvnd/mvnd

Install using MacPorts

sudo port install mvnd

Other installation ways are mentioned in their official site as well.

🔹 Step 2: Run mvnd

Once installed, simply replace mvn with mvnd:

mvnd clean install

🎉 Enjoy the massive speed boost in your builds!

📊 Performance Comparison: mvn vs mvnd

Here’s a real-world test on a multi-module Maven project which is pet-clinic:

Using mvn:

Using mvnd:

💡 Result: mvnd is 4x faster than traditional Maven! 🚀

🎯 Should You Use mvnd?

If you’re using Apache Maven, the answer is a resounding YES! 🔥

✅ Massively faster builds 🚀

✅ No more waiting for JVM startup ⏳

✅ Parallel execution for better CPU utilization ⚙️

✅ Fully compatible with existing Maven projects 🔄

The best part? You don’t need to modify your Maven projects—just switch from mvn to mvnd and enjoy the speed boost! 💨

📢 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:

🚀 Ship features faster

💻 Boost productivity

⏳ Reduce waiting time

I’ve never seen such a boost in build speed! 💪🔥 If you know of any tools that are even more efficient, drop them in the comments—let’s discuss and benchmark them! 😁

Happy coding! 👨‍💻🚀