iDempiere CLI - Build, Deploy and Package

This skill guides you through building, deploying, and packaging iDempiere plugins using idempiere-cli.

Workflow

•Build: Compile the plugin using Maven/Tycho.
•Deploy: Install the built plugin to an iDempiere instance.
•Package: Create a distributable archive (zip or p2 update site).

Build

Compiles the plugin into an OSGi bundle (JAR) placed in target/.

bash

# Basic build (from plugin directory)
idempiere-cli build

# Clean build with tests skipped
idempiere-cli build --clean --skip-tests

# Build with local iDempiere for dependency resolution (faster)
idempiere-cli build --idempiere-home=/opt/idempiere

# Using IDEMPIERE_HOME environment variable
export IDEMPIERE_HOME=/opt/idempiere
idempiere-cli build

# Force update of snapshot dependencies
idempiere-cli build --update

# Specify plugin directory
idempiere-cli build --dir=/path/to/my-plugin

# Pass additional Maven arguments
idempiere-cli build -A="-X -e"

# CI/CD build (disable p2 mirrors for reliability)
idempiere-cli build --clean --skip-tests --disable-p2-mirrors

Build Options

Option	Default	Description
`--dir`	`.`	Plugin directory
`--idempiere-home`	-	Path to iDempiere installation (for dependencies)
`--clean`	false	Run clean before build
`--skip-tests`	false	Skip tests during build
`--update` / `-U`	false	Force update of snapshots
`--disable-p2-mirrors`	true	Disable p2 mirrors (recommended for CI)
`--maven-args` / `-A`	-	Additional Maven arguments

Dependency Resolution

•With --idempiere-home: Uses the local p2 repository from the iDempiere installation. Faster, works offline.
•Without --idempiere-home: Downloads dependencies from remote p2 repositories. Slower, requires network.

Deploy

Installs the built JAR to an iDempiere instance.

bash

# 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.

Package

Creates a distributable package for the plugin.

bash

# Create zip archive
idempiere-cli package --format=zip

# Create p2 update site (requires multi-module project with .p2 module)
idempiere-cli package --format=p2

# Custom output directory
idempiere-cli package --format=zip --output=/tmp/releases

# Specify plugin directory
idempiere-cli package --dir=/path/to/my-plugin --format=zip

Package Formats

Format	Description	Requirements
`zip`	Simple archive of the built JAR	Built plugin
`p2`	Eclipse update site for managed installs	Multi-module with .p2

Package Options

Option	Default	Description
`--dir`	`.`	Plugin directory
`--format`	`zip`	Package format: zip or p2
`--output`	-	Output directory

Complete Workflow Example

bash

# Navigate to plugin
cd org.mycompany.myplugin

# Build
idempiere-cli build --idempiere-home=/opt/idempiere --clean

# Validate before deploying
idempiere-cli validate

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

# Package for distribution
idempiere-cli package --format=zip --output=./dist

CI/CD Integration

bash

# Typical CI pipeline
idempiere-cli build --clean --skip-tests --disable-p2-mirrors
idempiere-cli validate --strict --quiet
idempiere-cli package --format=zip --output=./artifacts

Notes

•Always run idempiere-cli build before deploy or package.
•The build command must be run from within a valid iDempiere plugin directory (with META-INF/MANIFEST.MF).
•For multi-module projects, run build from the parent directory.
•Hot deploy is the fastest development cycle but requires OSGi console access.