diff --git a/java/cdk8s-composition/pom.xml b/java/cdk8s-composition/pom.xml
index a115aca8..a5f87a4d 100644
--- a/java/cdk8s-composition/pom.xml
+++ b/java/cdk8s-composition/pom.xml
@@ -20,11 +20,8 @@
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <properties>
-    <maven.compiler.source>1.8</maven.compiler.source>
-    <maven.compiler.target>1.8</maven.compiler.target>
+    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
   </properties>
-  <build>
-    <sourceDirectory>src/main/java</sourceDirectory>
-    <testSourceDirectory>src/test/java</testSourceDirectory>
-  </build>
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/cdk8s-core/pom.xml b/java/cdk8s-core/pom.xml
index be39c40a..1ba9deba 100644
--- a/java/cdk8s-core/pom.xml
+++ b/java/cdk8s-core/pom.xml
@@ -20,11 +20,8 @@
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <properties>
-    <maven.compiler.source>1.8</maven.compiler.source>
-    <maven.compiler.target>1.8</maven.compiler.target>
+    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
   </properties>
-  <build>
-    <sourceDirectory>src/main/java</sourceDirectory>
-    <testSourceDirectory>src/test/java</testSourceDirectory>
-  </build>
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/cdk8s-crd/pom.xml b/java/cdk8s-crd/pom.xml
index 73a55c72..02fd0a33 100644
--- a/java/cdk8s-crd/pom.xml
+++ b/java/cdk8s-crd/pom.xml
@@ -20,11 +20,8 @@
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <properties>
-    <maven.compiler.source>1.8</maven.compiler.source>
-    <maven.compiler.target>1.8</maven.compiler.target>
+    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
   </properties>
-  <build>
-    <sourceDirectory>src/main/java</sourceDirectory>
-    <testSourceDirectory>src/test/java</testSourceDirectory>
-  </build>
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/cdk8s-helm/pom.xml b/java/cdk8s-helm/pom.xml
index f56d9254..55e2fdb8 100644
--- a/java/cdk8s-helm/pom.xml
+++ b/java/cdk8s-helm/pom.xml
@@ -20,11 +20,8 @@
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <properties>
-    <maven.compiler.source>1.8</maven.compiler.source>
-    <maven.compiler.target>1.8</maven.compiler.target>
+    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
   </properties>
-  <build>
-    <sourceDirectory>src/main/java</sourceDirectory>
-    <testSourceDirectory>src/test/java</testSourceDirectory>
-  </build>
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/cdk8s-include/pom.xml b/java/cdk8s-include/pom.xml
index 962fe043..8ca69e59 100644
--- a/java/cdk8s-include/pom.xml
+++ b/java/cdk8s-include/pom.xml
@@ -20,11 +20,8 @@
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <properties>
-    <maven.compiler.source>1.8</maven.compiler.source>
-    <maven.compiler.target>1.8</maven.compiler.target>
+    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
   </properties>
-  <build>
-    <sourceDirectory>src/main/java</sourceDirectory>
-    <testSourceDirectory>src/test/java</testSourceDirectory>
-  </build>
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/cdk8s-plus-elasticsearch-query/pom.xml b/java/cdk8s-plus-elasticsearch-query/pom.xml
index 4cc72297..7c6cbaa2 100644
--- a/java/cdk8s-plus-elasticsearch-query/pom.xml
+++ b/java/cdk8s-plus-elasticsearch-query/pom.xml
@@ -25,11 +25,8 @@
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <properties>
-    <maven.compiler.source>1.8</maven.compiler.source>
-    <maven.compiler.target>1.8</maven.compiler.target>
+    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
   </properties>
-  <build>
-    <sourceDirectory>src/main/java</sourceDirectory>
-    <testSourceDirectory>src/test/java</testSourceDirectory>
-  </build>
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/cdk8s-plus-http-echo/pom.xml b/java/cdk8s-plus-http-echo/pom.xml
index c5ffbf52..1ae54518 100644
--- a/java/cdk8s-plus-http-echo/pom.xml
+++ b/java/cdk8s-plus-http-echo/pom.xml
@@ -25,11 +25,8 @@
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <properties>
-    <maven.compiler.source>1.8</maven.compiler.source>
-    <maven.compiler.target>1.8</maven.compiler.target>
+    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
   </properties>
-  <build>
-    <sourceDirectory>src/main/java</sourceDirectory>
-    <testSourceDirectory>src/test/java</testSourceDirectory>
-  </build>
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/cdk8s-plus-pod-info/pom.xml b/java/cdk8s-plus-pod-info/pom.xml
index c809d4d2..ea5b2ec4 100644
--- a/java/cdk8s-plus-pod-info/pom.xml
+++ b/java/cdk8s-plus-pod-info/pom.xml
@@ -25,11 +25,8 @@
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <properties>
-    <maven.compiler.source>1.8</maven.compiler.source>
-    <maven.compiler.target>1.8</maven.compiler.target>
+    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
   </properties>
-  <build>
-    <sourceDirectory>src/main/java</sourceDirectory>
-    <testSourceDirectory>src/test/java</testSourceDirectory>
-  </build>
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/cdk8s-plus-web-cache-db/pom.xml b/java/cdk8s-plus-web-cache-db/pom.xml
index 7aefc46d..d845323b 100644
--- a/java/cdk8s-plus-web-cache-db/pom.xml
+++ b/java/cdk8s-plus-web-cache-db/pom.xml
@@ -25,11 +25,8 @@
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <properties>
-    <maven.compiler.source>1.8</maven.compiler.source>
-    <maven.compiler.target>1.8</maven.compiler.target>
+    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
   </properties>
-  <build>
-    <sourceDirectory>src/main/java</sourceDirectory>
-    <testSourceDirectory>src/test/java</testSourceDirectory>
-  </build>
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/kubernetes-end-to-end-aws/pom.xml b/java/kubernetes-end-to-end-aws/pom.xml
index c6faad1b..b801dfd7 100644
--- a/java/kubernetes-end-to-end-aws/pom.xml
+++ b/java/kubernetes-end-to-end-aws/pom.xml
@@ -35,11 +35,8 @@
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <properties>
-    <maven.compiler.source>1.8</maven.compiler.source>
-    <maven.compiler.target>1.8</maven.compiler.target>
+    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
   </properties>
-  <build>
-    <sourceDirectory>src/main/java</sourceDirectory>
-    <testSourceDirectory>src/test/java</testSourceDirectory>
-  </build>
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file