What is Maven?

Maven is a build automation tool used primarily for Java projects. Maven addresses two aspects of building software: how software is built and its dependencies.

An XML file describes the software project being built, its dependencies on other external modules and components, the build order, directories, and required plugins. It comes with pre-defined targets for performing certain well-defined tasks such as compilation of code and its packaging.

Maven dynamically downloads Java libraries and Maven plug-ins from one or more repositories such as the Maven 2 Central Repository, and stores them in a local cache. This local cache of downloaded artifacts can also be updated with artifacts created by local projects.

Maven is based around the central concept of a build lifecycle. There are three built-in build lifecycles:

• The default lifecycle handles your project deployment
• The clean lifecycle handles project cleaning
• The site lifecycle handles the creation of your project’s site documentation.

Each of these build lifecycles is defined by a different list of build phases, wherein a build phase represents a stage in the lifecycle.

For example, the default lifecycle comprises of the following phases: