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Install Maven, and Java along with it, on all managed nodes with a short playbook, verify both versions, and learn how to pin a specific JDK instead of relying on dependencies.

A Java build server needs two things: a JDK to compile the code and Maven to run the build. On Amazon Linux you do not even have to ask for Java separately. The maven package depends on a Java runtime, so the package manager installs Java automatically when it installs Maven. That makes this playbook almost identical to the Git one, which is exactly the point: once you know the pattern, installing new software is a two-line change.

Reuse the previous playbook

There is no need to type everything again. Print the Git playbook, copy it, and paste it into a new file:

sudo su - ansible
cat git-install.yml
vi maven-java.yml

Change only the task name and the package name:

maven-java.yml

---
- hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: maven java installation
      yum:
        name: maven
        state: latest
...

Line	Why it is there
`hosts: all`	Install on every managed node. Use `hosts: webservers` if only the application servers should get Java and Maven
`become: true`	Installing packages needs root, as explained in the Git playbook
`yum:` with `name: maven`	Install the `maven` package. Amazon Linux uses yum/dnf, Ubuntu uses apt
`state: latest`	Install, or upgrade to the newest version in the repository

Run it

ansible-playbook maven-java.yml --syntax-check
ansible-playbook maven-java.yml

TASK [maven java installation] *************************************************
changed: [172.31.9.250]
changed: [172.31.12.18]

Maven brings quite a few dependencies with it, so this run takes longer than the Git one. changed on both hosts means Maven and Java are now installed everywhere.

Verify Maven and Java

On a managed node:

mvn --version

Apache Maven 3.8.4 (Red Hat 3.8.4-3.amzn2023.0.5)
Maven home: /usr/share/maven
Java version: 17.0.15, vendor: Amazon.com Inc., runtime: /usr/lib/jvm/java-17-amazon-corretto.x86_64

java --version

openjdk 17.0.15 2025-04-15 LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Corretto-17.0.15.6.1 (build 17.0.15+6-LTS)

Two things to notice:

The package is called maven, but the command is mvn. Typing maven -version gives command not found, which also happens in the lecture
Java arrived as a dependency: Amazon Corretto 17, Amazon's free build of OpenJDK

Or check every node at once from the control node:

ansible all -a "mvn -v"
ansible all -a "java -version"

Pinning the Java version you actually want

Getting Java "for free" through Maven is convenient, but you do not control which Java you get. It is whatever the maven package depends on today. If your application needs Java 21, say so explicitly. The package modules accept a list of names:

maven-java.yml

---
- name: Prepare Java build servers
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install JDK 21 and Maven
      ansible.builtin.dnf:
        name:
          - java-21-amazon-corretto-devel
          - maven
        state: present

Package	What it contains
`java-21-amazon-corretto-devel`	The full JDK 21 (compiler `javac` included), not just the runtime
`maven`	Maven itself

When several JDKs are installed, java -version shows the one selected by the system alternatives setting, and you can switch with sudo alternatives --config java. On Ubuntu the equivalent packages are openjdk-21-jdk and maven, installed with ansible.builtin.apt.

Why the build tools matter

These are the same tools the Maven course runs by hand on one machine. With this playbook you can prepare ten identical build servers, or rebuild one from scratch in a few minutes, instead of repeating the installation steps on each machine.

Try It Yourself

Change hosts: all to hosts: webservers and run it. Confirm with ansible dbservers -a "mvn -v" that nothing new happened on the database node.
Run the playbook twice in a row and compare the changed counts.
Install java-21-amazon-corretto-devel alongside Java 17 and check which one java -version reports.
Write a playbook that removes Maven with state: absent. Does Java get removed too? Why or why not?

Official references

Written By: Shramik Masti

Ansible Java maven playbook