is there an alternative to copy the postgres library?

[gkwan-ibm]

For the finish scenario, use mvn package to copy the required postgres library for building docker image.

is there an alternative to achieve it?

[gkwan-ibm]

What is the best practice to copy the 3rd-party libraries during docker build? The configuration (pom.xml and Dockerfile) should fulfill the following requirements:

• ideal pom.xml: the pom.xml should be as simplest as possible
• the app can be run by liberty:dev and liberty:devc
• Dockerfile can be used for production
• Dockerfile can be used for liberty:devc
• Dockerfile can be used for testing with testcontainers in CI/CD, i.e. run by mvn clean verify only

Solution 1: In this guide, it currently uses the maven-dependency-plugin. It can directly download the postgres library locally by mvn package, but it makes the pom.xml complicated. I like to improve it.

Solution 2: Thank you Scott to improve it by binding the create goal to prepare-package in the LMP configuration. I concern that when run the tests in CI/CD, there is an overhead to install the Liberty kenral locally just for copying the postgres library to local.

Solution 3: I tried out to use Maven docker image to download the postgres library as a staging in the Dockerfile, and copy it to the Liberty. Its pros is simpler the pom.xml, but its cons are making the Dockerfile a bit more and an overhead of downloading Maven image during build.

Is there any better idea or either of the above 3 solutions is the best practice?

Other ideas (probably unrealistic):

• OL docker image provides mvn/mvnw command for users to download/copy 3rd libraries directly in docker build
• OL feature provides tool (under the bin directory) to download/copy 3rd libraries
• OL docker image provides script to download/copy 3rd libraries, like RUN features.sh, RUN configure.sh