How to Install Maven on Ubuntu

Apache Maven is the standard build and project-management tool for Java. It reads pom.xml files, resolves dependencies from Maven Central, and runs lifecycle phases such as compile, test, and package. On Ubuntu you install a JDK first, then Maven from apt (simplest) or from the official binary archive when you need a newer release than your LTS repository ships.

This guide covers how to install Maven on Ubuntu, set JAVA_HOME, verify with mvn -version, install upstream 3.9.16 under /opt, and run a minimal hello-world build. Steps below were tested on Ubuntu 25.04.

Tested on: Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin); kernel 6.14.0-37-generic; amd64.

Quick command summary

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, or newer (25.04 tested here) on amd64.
• sudo for package installation.
• A JDK 8 or newer—Apache Maven 3.9.x requires JDK 8+; OpenJDK 17 or 21 is recommended on current Ubuntu.
• Outbound HTTPS to archive.ubuntu.com and repo.maven.apache.org (or your corporate mirror).

Choose an install method

Ubuntu apt often lags the current Apache release (Stack Overflow discussion). For most developers apt is enough; use the binary when plugins or documentation require the newest 3.9.x patch.

Step 1: Install a JDK

Maven is a Java program—it will not run without a JDK.

Option A — OpenJDK 17 (widely used LTS):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y openjdk-17-jdk
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64

Option B — default-jdk metapackage (tracks the current Ubuntu default, 21 on 25.04):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y default-jdk
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-21-openjdk-amd64

Verify Java:

java -version
javac -version

openjdk version "21.0.9" 2025-10-21
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 21.0.9+10-Ubuntu-125.04)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 21.0.9+10-Ubuntu-125.04, mixed mode, sharing)

Persist JAVA_HOME in ~/.profile or /etc/profile.d/java.sh when builds should see it in every login shell. See the on-site Java install guide for more JDK options.

Step 2: Install Maven from apt (recommended)

Inspect the candidate before installing:

apt-cache policy maven

Example on Ubuntu 25.04:

maven:
 Installed: (none)
 Candidate: 3.9.9-1
 Version table:
 3.9.9-1 500
 500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu plucky/universe amd64 Packages

Install with apt:

sudo apt install -y maven

Verify:

mvn -version
which mvn
dpkg -l maven

Apache Maven 3.9.9
Maven home: /usr/share/maven
Java version: 21.0.9, vendor: Ubuntu, runtime: /usr/lib/jvm/java-21-openjdk-amd64
Default locale: en_US, platform encoding: UTF-8
OS name: "linux", version: "6.14.0-37-generic", arch: "amd64", family: "unix"
/usr/bin/mvn
ii maven 3.9.9-1 all Java software project management and comprehension tool

Apt Maven layout:

This matches the official Maven installation guide APT section: sudo apt install maven.

Step 3: Install from the official binary archive

When apt is too old (for example 3.6.3 on Ubuntu 22.04) or you need 3.9.16, use the upstream tarball from the Apache Maven download page.

Remove apt Maven to avoid PATH conflicts:

sudo apt purge -y maven

Download and extract (example 3.9.16, latest stable per maven.apache.org):

cd /tmp
wget https://dlcdn.apache.org/maven/maven-3/3.9.16/binaries/apache-maven-3.9.16-bin.tar.gz
sudo tar -xzf apache-maven-3.9.16-bin.tar.gz -C /opt

Create a system-wide environment snippet:

sudo tee /etc/profile.d/maven.sh >/dev/null <<'EOF'
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64
export M2_HOME=/opt/apache-maven-3.9.16
export MAVEN_HOME=/opt/apache-maven-3.9.16
export PATH="${MAVEN_HOME}/bin:${JAVA_HOME}/bin:${PATH}"
EOF
sudo chmod +x /etc/profile.d/maven.sh
source /etc/profile.d/maven.sh

Adjust JAVA_HOME if you use 21 (/usr/lib/jvm/java-21-openjdk-amd64) or another JDK path.

Confirm:

mvn -version

Apache Maven 3.9.16 (…)
Maven home: /opt/apache-maven-3.9.16
Java version: 17.0.17, vendor: Ubuntu, runtime: /usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64

Log out and back in (or open a new SSH session) if a fresh shell does not pick up /etc/profile.d/maven.sh—a common gotcha from manual install guides.

Step 4: Verify with a hello-world project

Generate a sample project:

mkdir -p ~/maven-hello && cd ~/maven-hello
mvn archetype:generate \
 -DgroupId=com.example \
 -DartifactId=hello \
 -DarchetypeArtifactId=maven-archetype-quickstart \
 -DarchetypeVersion=1.4 \
 -DinteractiveMode=false

[INFO] Project created from Archetype in dir: …/maven-hello/hello
[INFO] BUILD SUCCESS

The quickstart archetype still targets Java 7 in its pom.xml. Modern JDKs reject that—override the release when building:

cd hello
mvn package -Dmaven.compiler.release=21
java -cp target/hello-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar com.example.App

Hello World!

For real projects, set <maven.compiler.release>17</maven.compiler.release> (or 21) in pom.xml instead of relying on the command-line flag.

Optional: Maven Wrapper

Teams that pin Maven per repository can use ./mvnw instead of a global install—the wrapper downloads the project’s Maven version on first run. No Ubuntu package step required beyond the JDK.

Uninstall

APT Maven:

sudo apt purge -y maven
sudo apt autoremove -y

Manual /opt install:

sudo rm -rf /opt/apache-maven-*
sudo rm -f /etc/profile.d/maven.sh

Optional cache cleanup:

rm -rf ~/.m2/repository

Troubleshooting

References

• Apache Maven — Installation — prerequisites, apt, binary steps
• Apache Maven — Download — current 3.9.16 tarball
• Stack Overflow: install latest Maven on Ubuntu
• On-site: apt command, wget command, install Java

Summary

Install a JDK (openjdk-17-jdk or default-jdk), then run sudo apt install -y maven for the simplest path—3.9.9 on Ubuntu 25.04 with Maven home: /usr/share/maven. When apt trails upstream, download apache-maven-3.9.16-bin.tar.gz, extract to /opt, and wire JAVA_HOME plus PATH through /etc/profile.d/maven.sh.

Confirm with mvn -version, align JAVA_HOME with your JDK, and build a sample project—remember to set a modern Java release when using the quickstart archetype on JDK 17+.