Lombok Maven Dependency Tutorial: Simplifying Java Code with Examples

Lombok is a Java library that helps reduce boilerplate code by providing annotations to generate common code during compilation. It simplifies the code, making it more concise and readable. Lombok annotations are processed at compile time, and the generated code becomes part of your compiled classes.

To use Lombok in a Maven project, you need to include the Lombok dependency in your project’s pom.xml file. Here’s an example:

<dependencies>
    <!-- Other dependencies -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.projectlombok</groupId>
        <artifactId>lombok</artifactId>
        <version>1.18.22</version> <!-- Check for the latest version on the Lombok website -->
        <scope>provided</scope>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

Now, let’s look at some Lombok annotations and examples:

1. @Getter and @Setter: These annotations generate getter and setter methods for your class fields.

   import lombok.Getter;
   import lombok.Setter;

   public class Person {
       @Getter @Setter
       private String name;

       @Getter @Setter
       private int age;
   }

2. @NoArgsConstructor and @AllArgsConstructor: These annotations generate a no-args constructor and a constructor with all the fields.

   import lombok.AllArgsConstructor;
   import lombok.NoArgsConstructor;

   @NoArgsConstructor
   @AllArgsConstructor
   public class Person {
       private String name;
       private int age;
   }

3. @ToString: This annotation generates a toString method for your class.

   import lombok.ToString;

   @ToString
   public class Person {
       private String name;
       private int age;
   }

4. @Data: This annotation combines the functionality of @Getter, @Setter, @ToString, @EqualsAndHashCode, and @RequiredArgsConstructor.

   import lombok.Data;

   @Data
   public class Person {
       private String name;
       private int age;
   }

5. @Builder: This annotation generates a builder pattern for your class, providing a convenient way to create instances.

   import lombok.Builder;

   @Builder
   public class Person {
       private String name;
       private int age;
   }

After adding Lombok annotations to your classes, Lombok takes care of generating the corresponding methods during the compilation process. Note that you might need to install the Lombok plugin for your IDE to get proper support for these annotations in the development environment. Once the plugin is installed, you can use these annotated classes as if the generated methods were explicitly written in your code.