What Are the Dependencies for Building Chat2DB? A Full-Stack Maven and NPM Guide

To build Chat2DB from source, you need Java 17, Maven, Node.js, and Yarn to resolve roughly 120 backend Maven artifacts declared in chat2db-community-server/chat2db-community-bom/pom.xml and approximately 40 frontend NPM packages listed in chat2db-community-client/package.json.

Chat2DB is an open-source, full‑stack database client maintained by OtterMind. If you plan to compile the project from source, understanding the dependencies for building Chat2DB is the first step to a successful build. The repository splits dependency management between a centralized Maven BOM for its Java 17/Spring Boot backend and a Yarn-managed package.json for its React/TypeScript frontend.

Backend Build Dependencies

Chat2DB's server side is a multi-module Maven project. Every library version and plugin version is locked in a single Bill-of-Materials file that child modules import.

The Central BOM (chat2db-community-bom/pom.xml)

In chat2db-community-server/chat2db-community-bom/pom.xml, the <dependencyManagement> section aggregates roughly 120 Maven coordinates. Individual modules reference these artifacts using the ${revision} property, which guarantees consistent versions across the entire build.

Key backend dependency groups include:

• Spring ecosystem — spring-boot-dependencies, spring-ai-bom, and spring-context-indexer.
• Database access — mybatis-plus, mybatis-plus-generator, HikariCP, liquibase-core, flyway-core, plus dialect-specific drivers in chat2db-community-server/chat2db-community-plugins/*/pom.xml.
• Utilities — Guava, Hutool, FastJSON2, MapStruct, Lombok, Apache Commons, Vavr, JTS, Tika, Calcite, and POI.
• Security — java-jwt, bouncycastle, sa-token-spring-boot3-starter, and sa-token-jwt.
• HTTP clients — okhttp and forest-core.
• AI / LLM integration — chatgpt-java, openai-gpt3-java, and spring-ai-starter-mcp-server-webmvc.
• Desktop bridge — jcef, used by the native desktop launcher.

Maven Build Plugins

The same BOM file defines required build tools inside <build><pluginManagement>. Essential plugins include maven-compiler-plugin, spring-boot-maven-plugin, maven-surefire-plugin, and flatten-maven-plugin. These handle compilation, packaging, test execution, and metadata flattening.

Frontend Build Dependencies

The user interface lives in chat2db-community-client/ and is built with Umi, React, and TypeScript. Yarn manages both runtime libraries and local development tools.

Production Libraries (package.json)

The dependencies block in chat2db-community-client/package.json lists the runtime packages that Webpack bundles into the final web or desktop UI. Core entries include:

• Framework — Umi and @umijs/plugins.
• UI components — antd and antd-style.
• Data tables — @visactor/vtable family for high-performance rendering.
• Interaction — @dnd-kit/* for drag-and-drop and elkjs for graph layout.
• State management — zustand.
• Editors — monaco-editor.
• Terminal — xterm and its addons.
• Utilities — lodash, dayjs, uuid, query-string, and url-parse.

Development and Test Tools

The devDependencies section in the same package.json supplies TypeScript, ESLint, Prettier, Stylelint, Jest (tsx), and cross-env. These tools are required for linting, formatting, testing, and build-time environment switching but are not shipped in the production bundle.

How to Build Chat2DB From Source

With Java 17, Maven, Node.js, and Yarn installed, the following commands automatically download every dependency and produce runnable artifacts.

Backend Build (Maven)

Run this from the repository root to compile, test, and package the executable JAR:

cd chat2db-community-server
mvn -B clean package \
    -Dchat2db.runtime.mode=community \
    -Dchat2db.network.status=OFFLINE \
    -Dchat2db.finalName=chat2db-community \
    -DskipTests=false

This pulls every library and plugin declared in the BOM and places the final JAR in chat2db-community-start/target/chat2db-community.jar.

Frontend Build (Yarn)

From the client directory, install exact versions and build the Community edition:

cd chat2db-community-client
yarn install --frozen-lockfile
yarn run lint
yarn run build:web:community

yarn install resolves all entries in dependencies and devDependencies, while build:web:community bundles the UI via Umi.

Run the Full Stack Locally

Start the backend JAR on port 10825:

java -Dchat2db.runtime.mode=community \
     -Dchat2db.network.status=OFFLINE \
     -Dserver.port=10825 \
     -jar chat2db-community-server/chat2db-community-start/target/chat2db-community.jar

In a second terminal, launch the frontend dev server:

cd chat2db-community-client
yarn start:community:hot

The UI defaults to port 8889 and communicates with the backend at 127.0.0.1:10825.

Summary

• Chat2DB is a full‑stack project requiring Java 17 and Maven for the backend and Node.js and Yarn for the frontend.
• All backend library and plugin versions are centralized in chat2db-community-server/chat2db-community-bom/pom.xml.
• The frontend dependency tree is defined in chat2db-community-client/package.json, split between production dependencies and build devDependencies.
• Key backend technologies include Spring Boot, MyBatis-Plus, HikariCP, Liquibase, and modular database dialect plugins.
• Key frontend technologies include Umi, Ant Design, VTable, Monaco Editor, Zustand, and XTerm.
• Running mvn clean package and yarn install resolves every required JAR and NPM module automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Java version is required to build Chat2DB?

The backend targets Java 17. The maven-compiler-plugin configuration inside the BOM enforces this version, and the Spring Boot 3.x stack used by Chat2DB expects a Java 17 runtime or newer.

Can I build Chat2DB without an internet connection?

A fully offline build is only possible if you already have a populated Maven repository and Yarn offline cache. Passing -Dchat2db.network.status=OFFLINE configures runtime behavior, but Maven and Yarn must still resolve roughly 120 JARs and 40 NPM packages from local caches because the BOM and package.json reference external coordinates.

Where are the database driver dependencies located?

Individual drivers are declared inside each plugin module under chat2db-community-server/chat2db-community-plugins/. For example, the MySQL plugin contains its own pom.xml that inherits the parent BOM and pulls the MySQL connector. This modular layout supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, ClickHouse, DuckDB, and others without bloating the core server.

Is Yarn mandatory for the frontend build?

The repository documentation and build scripts are written for Yarn. Commands such as yarn install --frozen-lockfile and yarn run build:web:community rely on Yarn's lockfile semantics, making it the supported package manager for resolving the dependencies in chat2db-community-client/package.json.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}