build: upgrade maven-release-plugin from 2.5.3 to a compatible 3.x version

[nikagra]

Background

The maven-release-plugin was bumped to 3.3.1 (released end of May 2026), which broke the GitHub release flow with the following error:

Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-release-plugin:3.3.1:perform (default-cli)
on project java-driver-parent: Cannot perform release - the preparation step was stopped mid-way.
Please re-run release:prepare to continue, or perform the release from an SCM tag.

The build environment uses Maven 3.9.16.

Root Cause

The pom.xml pins a dependency on maven-scm-provider-gitexe:1.9.5:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.scm</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-scm-provider-gitexe</artifactId>
    <version>1.9.5</version>
</dependency>

maven-scm-provider-gitexe 1.9.5 implements the SCM 1.x API. Starting with maven-release-plugin 3.x, the plugin internally uses the SCM 2.x API. This mismatch causes the release lifecycle to fail mid-prepare, leaving the build in a broken state that blocks release:perform.

Current State

As a short-term workaround, maven-release-plugin has been reverted to 2.5.3 (the last known-good version, compatible with maven-scm-provider-gitexe:1.9.5). See PR #936.

Resolution Path

To properly upgrade to 3.x, both artifacts must be upgraded together:

1. Upgrade maven-scm-provider-gitexe to a 2.x release (e.g. 2.1.0) — this aligns with the SCM 2.x API required by plugin 3.x.
2. Upgrade maven-release-plugin to the desired 3.x version (avoid 3.3.1 until its stability on Maven 3.9.x is confirmed; 3.0.1 or 3.1.x are reasonable starting points).
3. Validate the full release:prepare → release:perform cycle on Maven 3.9.x in CI before merging.

Notes

• No urgency — the 2.5.3 workaround restores release functionality.
• The upgrade should be done as a coordinated change, not a plugin-only bump.