How is an OSGi module bundled in Liferay?

In Liferay, OSGi modules are bundled using the Bnd tool, which is essential for generating the necessary bundle metadata required for OSGi. Bnd is a build tool that simplifies the creation of OSGi bundles by allowing developers to define the contents and metadata of the bundle using a simple specification in the form of a properties file. This includes defining the bundle name, version, and dependencies, which are critical to ensuring that the module can communicate and interact correctly with other OSGi components within the Liferay ecosystem.

When you use Bnd, it processes the module's classes and resources, producing a JAR file containing all the necessary OSGi metadata in the manifest, which is essential for the OSGi runtime to manage the lifecycle of the bundles. This automated process ensures consistency and adherence to OSGi standards, making the module deployment and management more efficient.

In contrast, Maven, while a powerful build tool for managing dependencies and builds, does not directly create the OSGi metadata required for Liferay's modular architecture without additional configurations or plugins. Manually editing configuration files might lead to errors and inconsistencies due to the complexity of OSGi specifications. Service Builder is a tool designed for generating service-layer code based