Nexus Professional

Why Nexus?

A repository manager stores and organizes binary software components for use in development, deployment, and provisioning. Repository managers serve four primary purposess:

• Provides a central point for management of binary software components and their dependencies
• Provides a solid component repository for a complete Component Lifecycle Management approach.
• Acts as highly configurable proxy between your organization and public repositories
• Provides a deployment destination for internally developed binary components

Repository managers have become essential infrastructure for component-based software development. Below is a diagram that depicts where a repository manager fits into a typical development process.

The Benefits of a Repository Manager

A repository manager encourages collaboration, lowers build times, and improves visibility and control over component usage. Some of the specific benefits you’ll see from a repository manager include the following:

• Faster and more reliable builds

  Caching components locally eliminates the need to download dependencies over the Internet, saving time and eliminating the risk that the Internet or remote server won’t be available during the build.

• Improved collaboration

  It provides a mechanism for developers to share binary components for internally developed software projects. The repository manager becomes a deployment target when components are created, and the canonical source of both internally developed and open source components for use in development.

• Component usage visibility

  By examining the components present in the repository manager you’ll have visibility into what internally developed components are available and what components developers have downloaded from public repositories.

• Enforce component standards

  Problematic components that don’t meet your standards can be kept out of the repository so developers won’t use them. The challenge is to ensure that all developers and build systems acquire components only from the enterprise repository manager.

• Controlled sharing with partners

  Partner-specific repositories with access controls allow you to choose which components and projects to share.

• Ideal repo for robust governance

  It provides the basis for storing components, which is an integral part of an overall Component Lifecycle Management solution.

To learn more, read the following whitepapers:

• Introduction to Repository Management (PDF)
• The Benefits of a Repository Manager (PDF)
• Repository Managements: Stages of Adoption (PDF)

Why Go Pro?

Faster builds, more control, and broader integration

Nexus Professional offers architects, managers and developers the most enhanced, scalable, and best supported repository manager for binary software components.

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  Ideal Repo for CLM

  To get the most out of your components and your development teams, you need a complete governance solution that spans the entire software lifecycle. The Nexus repository provides an ideal starting point for a complete Component Lifecycle Management approach.

  Learn More

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  New: SSL Support

  SSL support provides tamper resistant connection to the Central Repository. It eliminates eavesdropping and man-in-the middle attacks that could compromise components. Sonatype is making SSL support available to all repository managers.

  Learn More

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  User Token Authentication

  Authenticate against a Nexus server with user tokens, a pair of authentication keys which can be used in your settings in lieu of storing a plaintext password. This change is moving Nexus towards an authentication system on par with the security of a system that relies on public SSH keys (a system such as Github).

  Learn More

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  Enterprise Technical Support

  The engineers who built the leading Java development tools are available to support you when the team’s success is on the line. Our comprehensive support offering is backed by a service level agreement.

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  Availability Architecture

  Improve availability and performance using the enhanced proxy capabilities of Nexus Pro. Your repository is always available to read or write components and remote teams will always have access to the latest versions of your components.

  Watch the Video

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  .NET Repository

  Improve collaboration and share .NET components using NuGet. Nexus Pro hosts and proxies .NET packages so you’ll get all the benefits of Nexus for your .NET developers and save on support costs by standardizing on a single repository manager.

  Watch a short video
  Learn More

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  Repository Health Awareness

  Choose better components for your projects and avoid risks when you know the popularity, license type and security vulnerabilities for every component in the repository.

  See a Sample Report
  Watch a short video

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  Artifact Procurement

  Control downloads of open source components using white and black lists to avoid quality, security, or licensing issues. For a complete, automated open source component management system, check out the Sonatype CLM.

  Learn More
  Watch the Screencast

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  Improved Proxy Scalability

  Reduce build times and keep even the largest teams in sync by collocating proxy servers with developers. Nexus Pro’s enhanced proxy functionality scales to support the largest deployments by pushing component update notifications from the master repository.

  Watch the Webinar

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  Build Promotion and Staging

  Improve your development processes with a controlled workflow from development, through QA, to production. Nexus creates temporary staging repositories and ensures components meet user-defined rules before being promoted.

  Learn More
  

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  OSGi Bundle and P2 Repository

  Proxy, host, and group OSGi and P2 components. Configure your builds to publish OSGi bundles, and expose these repositories as a publishing and distribution platform. Use Nexus to bridge between Maven and OSGi bundle repositories.

  Learn More

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  Enterprise LDAP

  Control users with your enterprise LDAP authentication system. Nexus Pro adds several key features, including external user role mapping, server mirroring, authentication caching, multiple server support and multiple schema support.

  Learn More

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  Atlassian Crowd

  Integrate with your existing single sign-on and identity management solution to consolidate user account management.

  Learn More

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  Collaboration

  Improve your teamwork by hosting project web sites on the Nexus server, and sharing Maven settings and archetypes with your team.

  Learn More

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  Enriched Search

  Find the components you need and their details. Nexus Pro lets you search by custom metadata, browse archives and view component dependencies.

  Learn More

What is New 2.3

Ensure Availability, Avoid Risks and Manage .NET Components

We know how critical Nexus has become to effectively source components and drive greater efficiency in the development lifecycle. We are constantly working to expand the Nexus ecosystem so Nexus can be used to manage additional component technologies. The latest release, Nexus 2.3, available now, provides support for Yum repositories.

Now you can leverage Nexus, a proven repository to support your RPM artifacts. Maven tooling can be used to deploy RPM artifacts to Maven while Yum clients continue to use the familiar and standard YUM protocol. Yum support includes:

• Any Maven 2 repository hosted in Nexus can act as a Yum repository to manage RPMs
• Maven tooling can be used to deploy RPMs into the Maven repository
• Yum clients can interact with the repository using the standard and familiar Yum protocol
• Yum repositories are automatically updated when RPMs are uploaded, deployed or deleted from Nexus
• Yum repositories can be logically grouped using a single Maven supported URL
• Yum group repositories can be used as a target for staging

Nexus 2.3 also includes these new capabilities:

Improved Search/Index Capability

The Nexus search/index capability has been enhanced so that it is faster, more reliable with enhanced scalability.

Smart Proxy Enhancements

The Nexus Smart Proxy capability now supports the ability to delete events and includes full support for drop/close/release staging. Individual message for affected artefacts are provided which enables pre-emptive fetching.

Support for New MIME Types & Modifying Existing MIME Types

Nexus validates the file’s content based on the MIME type for files that are downloaded into proxy repositories. This works well for most file types, but you may need to define a new MIME type or add additional file extensions to existing MIME types. Nexus 2.3 supports this capability so that you can accommodate additional MIME types.

For more information about this release, check out the release notes. As always, please share your thoughts and experiences using Nexus and Yum.

10 Reasons to Use Nexus Pro

Can’t decide between Nexus Open Source and Nexus Pro?

Generally speaking, Nexus OSS is for those investigating binary artifact repository management, small teams, or those with simple repository management requirements. Most organizations find that Nexus Professional delivers the additional features and support that they need as they go into production or as their requirements grow.

Nexus Pro is an ideal repo for robust governance. Nexus Professional provides the basis for storing components, which is an integral part of an overall Component Lifecycle Management solution. Only Nexus Professional is integrated with Sonatype CLM, which provides a seamless way to manage components and is integrated directly into the Nexus Professional interface.

Download a printable version if you want to pass it around.

Consider Nexus Pro if any of the following apply to your organization:

1. Depend on Your Repository to Deliver On Time, All the Time

You can eliminate unplanned downtime by using a highly available repository configuration built on the enhanced proxy capabilities of Nexus Pro. Multiple proxies behind a load balancer ensure that your developers will always have access to the latest components and ensures continuity of operations.

2. Need Control over Artifact Procurement

Many organizations need to gain better visibility and control over open source components. Nexus Pro enables you to manage component downloads from the Internet. You’ll be able to use white lists and black lists to control the components available to developers.

3. Must Avoid Components with License or Security Issues

Repository Health Awareness analyzes your entire repository and reports the popularity, license type and known security vulnerabilities for every open source component. Developers will have the information they need to choose the best components while avoiding license and security risks.

4. Consume or Share .NET Components

Nexus Pro brings the component management features you rely on for Java development to the .NET Framework. Developers can easily share artifacts and collaborate using the NuGet package manager to host and proxy .NET packages in a Nexus repository. You’ll also save on support costs by standardizing on a single repository manager for Java, .NET, and OSGI.

5. Want to Improve Your QA and Release Process

Using the Build Promotion and Staging Feature, your operations, quality assurance, and development teams can use the repository manager as a central point of collaboration. You’ll improve your development processes with a controlled workflow from development, through QA, and release that ensures components meet your requirements before being promoted to the next stage.

6. Manage Development Groups in Multiple Locations

Nexus Pro helps reduce build times and keeps multi-site teams in sync by collocating proxy servers with developers. Unlike Nexus OSS proxies that may overload the master with requests, the enhanced proxy functionality in Nexus Pro scales to support the largest deployments by pushing component update notifications from the master repository.

7. Use an Enterprise Security System such as LDAP or Atlassian Crowd

Nexus Pro integrates with your existing LDAP or Atlassian Crowd security systems to enable single sign on and ensure consistent access controls across all your development tools. While Nexus Open Source provides basic LDAP support, Nexus Pro adds several key features, including external user role mapping, server mirroring, authentication caching, multiple server support and multiple schema support. It also has been tested with popular LDAP servers such as OpenLDAP, and Microsoft Active Directory Server.

8. Are Concerned with the Security of Your Builds

Only Nexus Pro offers features to bulletproof your builds. You'll get token-based authentication using authentication keys, to ensure user passwords are kept private. In the near future, Nexus Pro customers will also get secure (SSL) access to the Central Repository (a feature only offered by Sonatype).

9. Want to Improve Developer Productivity

Nexus Pro provides enhanced collaboration and search capabilities that make it easier to develop high quality applications. You’ll improve your teamwork by hosting project web sites on the Nexus server, and sharing Maven settings and archetypes. Developers will more easily find components by searching with custom metadata, browsing archives and viewing component dependencies from within Nexus Pro.

10. Require Professional Support

When you invest in Nexus Pro, you are ensuring support from the team that created the industry-standard in repository management. With Nexus Pro, you not only get the industry-leading repository manager, you get the peace of mind that help is just a phone call away. Sonatype also offers an array of implementation and migration services for organizations looking for an extra level of assistance.