Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-compiler-plugin:3.1:compile (default-compile) on project…: Fatal error compiling: invalid target release: 1.8.0_11 -> [Help 1]

To summarize, I want to compile a maven project using Java 8, that is possible thanks to the JAVA_HOME configuration:

$ mvn -version
Apache Maven 3.2.1 (ea8b2b07643dbb1b84b6d16e1f08391b666bc1e9; 2014-02-14T18:37:52+01:00)
Maven home: /home/jbeneito/Applications/apache-maven-3.2.1
Java version: 1.8.0_11, vendor: Oracle Corporation
Java home: /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/jre
Default locale: en_US, platform encoding: UTF-8
OS name: "linux", version: "3.13.0-32-generic", arch: "amd64", family: "unix"

But I copied the maven compiler plugin configuration from another maven project without putting special attention:

<plugin>
                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
                <version>3.1</version>
                <configuration>
                    <source>${java.version}</source>
                    <target>${java.version}</target>
                    <encoding>${project.build.sourceEncoding}</encoding>
                </configuration>
            </plugin>

In programming the error usually contains the solution. I’m trying to use the current Java version (1.8.0_11) as the option for the javac command, that is not the expected one.

${java.version} is a environment variable whose value is currently 1.8.0_11, but the Maven Compiler Plugin expects the standard options of the javac command for Setting the -source and -target of the Java Compiler.

That is:

• 1.3 for Java SE 1.3
• 1.4 for Java SE 1.4
• 1.5 for Java SE 5
• 5 synonym for 1.5
• 1.6 for Java SE 6
• 6 synonym for 1.6
• 1.7 the default value. The compiler accepts code with features introduced in Java SE 7. (Yes, as it appears in the Java 8 official documentation)
• 7 Synonym for 1.7

Actually I only use the values with the format 1.X, that includes 1.8, that I assume is the default value for Java 8 SE.

Why did I use this variable?

Because in my previous project it wasn’t an environment variable, but a custom property in the pom.xml:

<properties>
        <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
        <java.version>1.8</java.version>
...
    </properties>

But this time I have another two custom properties:

<properties>
        <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
        <maven.compiler.source>1.8</maven.compiler.source>
        <maven.compiler.target>1.8</maven.compiler.target>

Thus the solution is easy:

1. Try to not copy-paste
2. Pay attention in any case
3. Just use the appropriate variables

<plugin>
                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
                <version>3.1</version>
                <configuration>
                    <source>${maven.compiler.target}</source>
                    <target>${maven.compiler.source}</target>
                    <encoding>${project.build.sourceEncoding}</encoding>
                </configuration>
            </plugin>