Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThe Maven Git Commit ID Plugin records information about the Git checkout used for a Maven build. It can make that data available as Maven properties and generate a git.properties file that an application can package and read at runtime. That gives developers and operators a way to connect a deployed artifact to its source revision—but generating metadata does not, by itself, ensure the working tree is clean or make every recorded field suitable for public display.
What the Maven Git Commit ID Plugin does
The project describes the plugin as one that “Exports git version info to maven as properties in the pom.xml and as a file in the build output.” In practice, it reads Git information during a Maven build and makes selected values available to the build. When configured, it can also write a properties file such as git.properties. See the official project README for the plugin’s overview and configuration.
This metadata helps answer a practical production question: which source revision produced the application currently running? A commit ID can identify that revision more precisely than an application version alone. It does not replace a release policy or establish what a version number means; teams still need to define their application versioning scheme.
How to add Git metadata to a Maven-built application
The current project quick start uses the coordinates io.github.git-commit-id:git-commit-id-maven-plugin and shows version 9.2.0. It configures the revision goal in the initialize phase and writes git.properties under ${project.build.outputDirectory}, which is normally included in the application’s output. The example sets commitIdGenerationMode to full. See the project README quick start and the configuration guide for the full current examples and option details.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
A typical workflow is:
- Run Maven in a checkout where the Git repository metadata is available.
- Configure the plugin and run its
revisiongoal to read repository and build information. - Generate
git.propertiesin the build output if the application needs metadata at runtime. - Package the file with the application, then load it from the runtime classpath or use the available Maven properties during the build.
- Expose only the fields that are useful for operations and appropriate for the audience of any endpoint.
The documented default phase for revision is initialize; specifying the phase in the POM can make the execution timing visible to maintainers. The generated fields depend on plugin version and configuration. Examples may include a branch, build time, project version, commit ID, commit message, or dirty status, but do not assume every field will be present or have identical defaults in every setup.
Read the generated file at runtime
An application can load git.properties from its classpath to provide build information to support tooling or a version endpoint. The 2018 tutorial demonstrates this pattern in a Spring Boot service: it replaces a hard-coded value with data from the generated file and inspects the packaged JAR to confirm the file is present. Its example is not a requirement to expose the entire file. A runtime endpoint should return a deliberate subset rather than automatically publishing all available metadata.
Rank #2
How to fail a build when the Git working tree is dirty
Creating a properties file records repository state; it does not enforce a clean checkout. If a release must come from a clean working tree, configure the separate validateRevision goal with a rule that expects git.dirty to be false, and ensure that the validation execution runs in the build.
The plugin configuration guide lists verify as the default phase for validateRevision. A POM execution can choose another phase if the project needs validation earlier. Without that validation execution, generating git.properties alone will not make Maven fail on a dirty tree.
What to check before using the 2018 tutorial
Rotsaert’s DZone article, published February 23, 2018, uses pl.project13.maven:git-commit-id-plugin:2.2.4. Its sample POM and Spring Boot code are useful for understanding the basic idea, but those coordinates and that version are historical; do not copy them as current setup instructions. See the 2018 DZone tutorial for the original example.
The project README quick start shows version 9.2.0, while the releases page lists 10.0.0 as Latest and flags it as potentially breaking, including a Maven 3.9.0 requirement. Because those project pages present different versions, check the release notes and migration guidance before choosing a version rather than treating either sample as universally current.
The README lists minimum requirements of Java 11 and Maven 3.9.0. The 10.0.0 release listing also calls out Maven 3.9.0. These stated minimums are not a full compatibility matrix, so verify the requirements for the specific version you plan to use.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose carefully what metadata to package or expose
Git metadata can be useful for diagnostics, but the values may reveal more than a commit identifier. The tutorial’s example includes fields such as commit messages, usernames, email addresses, remote URLs, and branch names. Review the generated file and your endpoint’s output before making them available to users outside the development or operations team.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Best Value
- For build-time use: Maven properties may be sufficient when another build step needs the values.
- For runtime identification: package a generated file and have the application read only the fields needed to identify a deployment.
- For release enforcement: configure and execute validation rules separately from metadata generation.
The plugin depends on Git repository information being available to the build. The project’s release material describes a Heroku limitation where the .git directory is not copied into the build environment. If a platform or deployment pipeline omits repository metadata, do not assume the plugin can reconstruct it; arrange for the needed information to be available in the build environment.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

