Demystifying Maven: Simplifying Java Project Management

Maven

Maven is a powerful project management tool that is based on POM (project object model). It is used for projects build, dependency and documentation.

Project Object Model (POM)

Maven is so useful thanks to the Project Object Model (POM), which is an XML file that has all the information regarding project and configuration details. The POM has the description of the project, details regarding the versioning, and configuration management of the project.

The XML file is located in the project home directory. When you execute a task, Maven searches for the POM in the current directory.

Build Lifecycle

➜ validate : It is a phase that is about a check if the projects structure is correct and all the necessary information are available.

mvn validate

➜compile : Compiling the source code of the project.

mvn compile

➜test : Test the compiled source code with using a suitable unit testing framework.

mvn test

➜package : Take the compiled source code and package it in its format(JAR, WAR, POM).

mvn package

➜verify : Run and test the program to ensure the quality criteria are met.

mvn verify

➜install : Install the package into the local repository.

mvn install

➜deploy : Project is done in the building environment. Remote and share it online.

mvn deploy

Overall, Maven simplifies the build process, promotes best practices, and enhances collaboration among developers by providing a standardized approach to project management and dependency management in software development.