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  1. Stackups
  2. DevOps
  3. Build Automation
  4. Java Build Tools
  5. Apache Maven vs SourceTree

Apache Maven vs SourceTree

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Apache Maven
Apache Maven
Stacks3.4K
Followers1.7K
Votes414
GitHub Stars4.8K
Forks2.8K
SourceTree
SourceTree
Stacks10.6K
Followers8.1K
Votes727

Apache Maven vs SourceTree: What are the differences?

Apache Maven vs. SourceTree

Apache Maven and SourceTree are two commonly used tools in the software development process. Despite having similarities, they differ in several key aspects that can influence a developer's choice between them.

  1. Build Automation: Apache Maven is primarily a build automation tool that focuses on project management and dependency management. It provides a structured way to build projects based on a POM (Project Object Model) file. On the other hand, SourceTree is a Git GUI client that allows users to interact with Git repositories visually. While Maven focuses on the build process, SourceTree emphasizes version control and collaboration.

  2. Language Support: Maven is designed to work with Java projects and offers extensive support for managing Java dependencies and building Java projects. In contrast, SourceTree is not language-specific and can be used with repositories containing code in various programming languages, not limited to Java.

  3. User Interface: SourceTree provides a user-friendly graphical interface for managing Git repositories, making it easier for users to visualize changes, branches, and commits. Maven, on the other hand, is primarily used through the command line interface or integrated into IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA or Eclipse, offering less visual representation of the project structure.

  4. Dependencies Management: Maven excels in managing project dependencies by automatically downloading required libraries from a central repository based on the POM configuration. SourceTree, being a Git client, does not provide direct support for dependency management but focuses on helping users interact with version control systems efficiently.

  5. Workflow Integration: SourceTree integrates seamlessly with Git workflows, allowing developers to perform various version control actions like branching, merging, and committing changes easily. Maven, on the other hand, is more focused on the build process and may require additional plugins or configurations to integrate with specific development workflows.

  6. Community and Support: Apache Maven has a robust community that continually contributes to its development and provides support through forums, documentation, and updates. SourceTree, being a product of Atlassian, benefits from support from the company but may have a more limited community compared to the open-source Maven ecosystem.

In Summary, Apache Maven is primarily focused on build automation and Java project management, while SourceTree is a Git GUI client that emphasizes version control and collaboration across different programming languages.

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Advice on Apache Maven, SourceTree

Stefan
Stefan

Jan 19, 2020

Decided

I explored many Git Desktop tools for the Mac and my final decision was to use Fork. What I love about for that it contains three features, I like about a Git Client tool.

It allows

  • to handle day to day git operations (least important for me as I am cli junkie)
  • it helps to investigate the history
  • most important of all, it has a repo manager which many other tools are missing.
198k views198k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Apache Maven
Apache Maven
SourceTree
SourceTree

Maven allows a project to build using its project object model (POM) and a set of plugins that are shared by all projects using Maven, providing a uniform build system. Once you familiarize yourself with how one Maven project builds you automatically know how all Maven projects build saving you immense amounts of time when trying to navigate many projects.

Use the full capability of Git and Mercurial in the SourceTree desktop app. Manage all your repositories, hosted or local, through SourceTree's simple interface.

Simple project setup that follows best practices - get a new project or module started in seconds;Consistent usage across all projects means no ramp up time for new developers coming onto a project;Superior dependency management including automatic updating, dependency closures (also known as transitive dependencies);Able to easily work with multiple projects at the same time;A large and growing repository of libraries and metadata to use out of the box, and arrangements in place with the largest Open Source projects for real-time availability of their latest releases;Extensible, with the ability to easily write plugins in Java or scripting languages;Instant access to new features with little or no extra configuration;Ant tasks for dependency management and deployment outside of Maven
Full-powered DVCS;Create, clone, commit, push, pull, merge, and more are all just a click away.;Review your outgoing and incoming changesets, cherry-pick between branches, patch handling, rebase, stash, shelve, and much more.;Use Git-flow and Hg-flow with ease. Keep your repositories cleaner and your development more efficient with SourceTree's intuitive interface to Git and Hg's 'branchy' development model.
Statistics
GitHub Stars
4.8K
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Forks
2.8K
GitHub Forks
-
Stacks
3.4K
Stacks
10.6K
Followers
1.7K
Followers
8.1K
Votes
414
Votes
727
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 138
    Dependency management
  • 70
    Necessary evil
  • 60
    I’d rather code my app, not my build
  • 48
    Publishing packaged artifacts
  • 43
    Convention over configuration
Cons
  • 6
    Complex
  • 1
    Inconsistent buillds
  • 0
    Not many plugin-alternatives
Pros
  • 205
    Visual history and branch view
  • 164
    Beautiful UI
  • 134
    Easy repository browsing
  • 87
    Gitflow support
  • 75
    Interactive stage or discard by hunks or lines
Cons
  • 12
    Crashes often
  • 8
    So many bugs
  • 7
    Fetching is slow sometimes
  • 5
    Very unstable
  • 5
    No dark theme (Windows)
Integrations
No integrations available
GitHub
GitHub
Git
Git
Bitbucket
Bitbucket
Windows
Windows
macOS
macOS
Mercurial
Mercurial

What are some alternatives to Apache Maven, SourceTree?

GitKraken

GitKraken

The downright luxurious Git client for Windows, Mac and Linux. Cross-platform, 100% standalone, and free.

Gradle

Gradle

Gradle is a build tool with a focus on build automation and support for multi-language development. If you are building, testing, publishing, and deploying software on any platform, Gradle offers a flexible model that can support the entire development lifecycle from compiling and packaging code to publishing web sites.

Bazel

Bazel

Bazel is a build tool that builds code quickly and reliably. It is used to build the majority of Google's software, and thus it has been designed to handle build problems present in Google's development environment.

Fork

Fork

Manage your repositories without leaving the application. Organize the repositores into categories. Fork's Diff Viewer provides a clear view to spot the changes in your source code quickly.

Tower

Tower

Use all of Git's powerful feature set - in a GUI that makes you more productive.

Sublime Merge

Sublime Merge

A snappy UI, three-way merge tool, side-by-side diffs, syntax highlighting, and more. Evaluate for free – no account, tracking, or time limits.

GitUp

GitUp

GitUp lets you see your entire labyrinth of branches and merges with perfect clarity. Any change you make, large or small, even outside GitUp, is immediately reflected in GitUp's graph. No refreshing, no waiting.

Pants

Pants

Pants is a build system for Java, Scala and Python. It works particularly well for a source code repository that contains many distinct projects.

JitPack

JitPack

JitPack is an easy to use package repository for Gradle/Sbt and Maven projects. We build GitHub projects on demand and provides ready-to-use packages.

SBT

SBT

It is similar to Java's Maven and Ant. Its main features are: Native support for compiling Scala code and integrating with many Scala test frameworks.

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