# Maven-metadata.xml dropping older versions

**URL:** <https://community.sonatype.com/t/maven-metadata-xml-dropping-older-versions/14236>\
**Category:** Sonatype Nexus Repository\
**Created:** [January 24, 2025, 2:41pm UTC](https://community.sonatype.com/t/maven-metadata-xml-dropping-older-versions/14236 "2025-01-24T14:41:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jdelfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@jdelfino](https://community.sonatype.com/u/jdelfino)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2025, 2:41pm UTC](https://community.sonatype.com/t/maven-metadata-xml-dropping-older-versions/14236/1 "2025-01-24T14:41:22Z")

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Hi folks,

I’ve been publishing new minor versions of two different major versions of a library lately, and I find that older versions are not being included in maven-metadata.xml.

Here is my latest maven-metadata.xml: [https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/io/github/brandeis-cosi-103a/atg-api/maven-metadata.xml](https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/io/github/brandeis-cosi-103a/atg-api/maven-metadata.xml). Note that it lists 2.4.0 and 1.4.0.

And here is the package on Maven Central: [Maven Central: io.github.brandeis-cosi-103a:atg-api](https://central.sonatype.com/artifact/io.github.brandeis-cosi-103a/atg-api). Note that there are many more prior 2.x.x and 1.x.x versions available there. In the past, as I’ve published new versions, I’ve seen older versions be removed from maven-metadata.xml. Often I end up with only the most recently published version, but sometimes it leaves 1 or more past versions in there. I haven’t been able to discern a pattern for when older versions are dropped or retained.

I need at least some of these prior versions to be present in maven-metadata.xml to support access to older version docs on [javadoc.io](http://javadoc.io).

I’m publishing with the central-publishing-maven-plugin through Maven.

Can anyone advise me on how to either manually manage the versions that show up in maven-metadata.xml, or to at least prevent previously published versions from being removed?

I’m relatively new to maven, and especially this whole publising process, so this question may not belong here - please feel free to redirect me to documentation or other places to ask this question if this is the case.

Thanks,  
Joe

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**Author:** ![rseddon](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/community.sonatype.com/rseddon/32/341_2.png) [@rseddon](https://community.sonatype.com/u/rseddon)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://community.sonatype.com/t/maven-metadata-xml-dropping-older-versions/14236/2 "2025-01-27T14:30:47Z")

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Please use the publisher support system here:

[https://central.sonatype.org/pages/support/#producers](https://central.sonatype.org/pages/support/#producers)

Regards,

Rich

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**Author:** ![jdelfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@jdelfino](https://community.sonatype.com/u/jdelfino)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://community.sonatype.com/t/maven-metadata-xml-dropping-older-versions/14236/3 "2025-01-28T14:42:11Z")

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> [@jdelfino](#):
>
> Maven Central: io.github.brandeis-cosi-103a:atg-api

Hi Rich - thanks for the quick response, I’ve emailed them!