📦 Guide: Repurposing a GitHub Repository into a Maven Artifact Repository using GitHub Actions

[vikulin]

If you're looking to convert a regular GitHub repository into a functional Maven repository to host .aar, .jar, or other Java artifacts, this guide will walk you through the process using two simple GitHub Actions:

• github-publish-maven-action — handles Maven metadata publishing
• copy-local-file-maven-action — copies and publishes local files (like .aar, .jar, -sources.jar) to your Maven repo

✅ Goal

Repurpose a GitHub repo (e.g., https://github.com/RiV-chain/artifact) as a Maven repository where you can push artifacts from other repos using GitHub Actions.

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🧱 Step-by-Step Setup

1. Create/Prepare the Target Repository

Choose or create a GitHub repository to act as your Maven repository.
Example: https://github.com/RiV-chain/artifact

Structure doesn't matter initially — files will be committed to branches based on artifact metadata.

Tip: You can make it public if you want global Maven access, or private for internal use.

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2. Set up a Personal Access Token (PAT)

In the source repo (where you publish from), go to Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret:

• Name: MAVEN_PAT
• Value: A GitHub [fine-scoped PAT](https://github.com/settings/tokens) with repo and workflow access (from the user pushing to the Maven repo)

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3. Add GitHub Action to Source Repo

In your source repo (where you build the .aar or .jar), add a GitHub Actions workflow like this:

name: Publish Library to Maven Repo

on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'  # Trigger on version tags like v0.4.7.8

jobs:
  publish:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Build AAR
        run: |
          ./gradlew assembleRelease  # or your build command

      - name: Publish aar library to Maven repo
        uses: RiV-chain/copy-local-file-maven-action@main
        with:
          artifact_repo: RiV-chain/artifact
          artifact_path: mesh.aar
          artifact_source_path: mesh-sources.jar
          gh_pat: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PAT }}
          artifact_id: mesh
          group_id: org.rivchain
          version: 0.4.7.8

This action will:

• Copy mesh.aar and mesh-sources.jar to the artifact repo

• Generate Maven-compatible structure like:

  org/rivchain/mesh/0.4.7.8/mesh-0.4.7.8.aar
  org/rivchain/mesh/0.4.7.8/mesh-0.4.7.8-sources.jar
  org/rivchain/mesh/0.4.7.8/mesh-0.4.7.8.pom
  

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📦 Consuming the Artifacts

To consume the artifact in another project via Gradle:

repositories {
    maven {
        url "https://github.com/RiV-chain/artifact/raw/main"
    }
}

dependencies {
    implementation 'org.rivchain:mesh:0.4.7.8'
}

Note: Replace main with another branch if you're pushing to a version-specific branch or structure.

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📚 References

• RiV-chain/artifact — Example GitHub Maven repository
• copy-local-file-maven-action
• github-publish-maven-action

[ebndev]

Hi @vikulin, thanks for sharing with the community!

Unfortunately, we currently do not allow self-promotion or advertising on the Community Discussions. We want to make sure there is space for users to ask questions without overwhelming them with other conversations. Thank you for helping us maintain a productive and tidy community for all our members.