with its <<<DefaultArtifact>>> implementation ({{{./xref/org/apache/maven/artifact/DefaultArtifact.html}source}}).

 The jar file is executable and provides a little tool to display how Maven parses and compares versions:

+----+
$ java -jar maven-artifact-*.jar 3.2.4-alpha-1 3.2.4-SNAPSHOT 3.2.4.0
Display parameters as parsed by Maven (in canonical form) and comparison result:
1. 3.2.4-alpha-1 == 3.2.4.alpha.1

     1. plugin goal execution in a child is usually simply appended (at end): you can't try to insert in the middle of pre-existing inherited executions,

     2. append happens at plugin level first, then goal level, independently from phases.
        This means for example that adding pluginA:goal2 to pre-existing (pluginA:goal1, pluginB:goal) will lead to (pluginA:goal1, pluginA:goal2, pluginB:goal)