Should I use POM first or MANIFEST first when developing OSGi application with Maven?

Question

There are two main approaches when developing an OSGi application with Maven: POM-first and MANIFEST first.

I\'m looking for an answer that is in a form of a table t

Answer 1

MANIFEST first does not lock you to Eclipse (although I'd be surprised if more than a tiny minority would use anything else). The MANIFEST is the file that counts, and needs to be added to a jar, regardless how you do that.

On the other hand, POM first completely locks you to Maven, you lose the advantage that an OSGi bundle is a regular jar you can make any way you want.

I've tried both, I really prefer MANIFEST first. The MANIFEST file is a really important file, I prefer to craft that file over crafting a file that produces that file. If something weird happens, (and it will at some point) the MANIFEST file is the first to check, it's just easier if it's your own file. Besides, you will have to be familiar with it anyway.

So, if Maven is your alpha and omega, POM first will suit you best, but you'll still need to have in-depth understanding of the MANIFEST file.