idempiere-cli-build-deploy

name	idempiere-cli-build-deploy
description	Build, deploy, and distribute iDempiere plugins using Maven and idempiere-cli. Use when the user wants to compile, deploy, or distribute their iDempiere plugin.

iDempiere CLI - Build, Deploy and Distribute

This skill guides you through building, deploying, and distributing iDempiere plugins.

Workflow

1. Build: Compile the plugin using Maven/Tycho (./mvnw verify).
2. Deploy: Install the built plugin to an iDempiere instance (idempiere-cli deploy).
3. Distribute: Create distributable archives (idempiere-cli dist).

Build

Compiles the plugin into an OSGi bundle (JAR) placed in target/. Use Maven directly:

# Basic build (from plugin or multi-module root directory)
./mvnw verify

# Clean build with tests skipped
./mvnw clean verify -DskipTests

# On Windows
mvnw.cmd verify

Dependency Resolution

• With -Didempiere.core.repository.url: Uses a local p2 repository. Faster, works offline.

  ./mvnw verify -Didempiere.core.repository.url=file:///opt/idempiere/org.idempiere.p2/target/repository
  

• Without: Downloads dependencies from remote p2 repositories. Slower, requires network.

Deploy

Installs the built JAR to an iDempiere instance.

# Copy deploy (requires restart)
idempiere-cli deploy --target=/opt/idempiere

# Hot deploy via OSGi console (no restart needed)
idempiere-cli deploy --target=/opt/idempiere --hot

# Hot deploy to remote instance
idempiere-cli deploy --target=/opt/idempiere --hot \
  --osgi-host=192.168.1.100 --osgi-port=12612

# Specify plugin directory
idempiere-cli deploy --dir=/path/to/my-plugin --target=/opt/idempiere

Deploy Modes

Mode	Flag	Restart Required	How It Works
Copy deploy	-	Yes	Copies JAR to plugins/ directory
Hot deploy	--hot	No	Installs via OSGi console (port 12612)

Deploy Options

Option	Default	Description
--dir	.	Plugin directory
--target	(required)	Path to iDempiere installation
--hot	false	Hot deploy via OSGi console
--osgi-host	localhost	OSGi console host
--osgi-port	12612	OSGi console port

Hot Deploy Requirements

Hot deploy requires the OSGi console to be enabled in iDempiere. The console listens on port 12612 by default.

Distribute

Creates distributable packages. Auto-detects project type (core or plugin).

# Plugin: build and create distribution packages
idempiere-cli dist --dir=./my-plugin

# Plugin: skip build, package existing artifacts
idempiere-cli dist --dir=./my-plugin --skip-build

# Core: build and create server distribution ZIPs
idempiere-cli dist --source-dir=./idempiere

# Core: skip build, repackage existing artifacts
idempiere-cli dist --source-dir=./idempiere --skip-build

What dist produces

Project Type	Artifacts
Plugin (standalone)	pluginId-version.zip (JAR + metadata) + checksums
Plugin (multi-module with p2)	pluginId-version.zip + pluginId-version-p2.zip (p2 repository) + checksums
Core	Per-platform server ZIPs (Linux/Windows/macOS) + checksums

Dist Options

Option	Default	Description
--dir	-	Plugin project directory
--source-dir	.	iDempiere core source directory
--skip-build	false	Skip Maven build, use existing artifacts
--clean	false	Run clean before build
--version-label	-	Version label (default: auto-detect)
--output	dist	Output directory

Complete Workflow Example

# Navigate to plugin
cd org.mycompany.myplugin

# Build
./mvnw clean verify

# Validate before deploying
idempiere-cli validate

# Deploy to local instance
idempiere-cli deploy --target=/opt/idempiere --hot

# Package for distribution
idempiere-cli dist --dir=. --skip-build

CI/CD Integration

# Typical CI pipeline
idempiere-cli validate --strict --quiet
idempiere-cli dist --dir=.

Notes

• Always build (./mvnw verify) before deploy. The dist command builds automatically unless --skip-build is used.
• For multi-module projects, run from the project root.
• Hot deploy is the fastest development cycle but requires OSGi console access.