What is Maven: Here's What You Need to Know

All applications, no matter how small or large, must undergo a specific process. These processes can be configured manually, but this becomes a burden. 

To solve this issue—enter Maven™—which automates the entire process. This article will help give you a clearer picture of what Maven is and the advantages of using it.

Key topics covered:

• What is Maven?
• Build Tools
• Project Object Model (POM)
• Need for Maven
• Advantages of Maven
• Companies using Maven

What is Maven?

Maven is a popular open-source build tool developed by the Apache Group to build, publish, and deploy several projects at once for better project management. The tool provides allows developers to build and document the lifecycle framework. 

Maven is written in Java and is used to build projects written in C#, Scala, Ruby, etc. Based on the Project Object Model (POM), this tool has made the lives of Java developers easier while developing reports, checks build and testing automation setups. 

Maven focuses on the simplification and standardization of the building process, taking care of the following:

• Builds
• Documentation
• Dependencies
• Reports 
• SCMs
• Distribution
• Releases
• Mailing list

Build Tools

Build tools are the tools or programs that help create an executable application from the source code. As the name suggests, it’s essential for building or scripting a wide variety of tasks.

The build tool is needed for the following processes:

• Generating source code
• Generating documentation from the source code
• Compiling source code
• Packaging the compiled codes into JAR files
• Installing the packaged code in the local repository, server, or central repository

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.

The Need for Maven

Maven is chiefly used for Java-based projects, helping to download dependencies, which refers to the libraries or JAR files. The tool helps get the right JAR files for each project as there may be different versions of separate packages. 

After Maven, downloading dependencies doesn’t require visiting the official websites of different software. You can visit mvnrepository to find libraries in different languages. The tool also helps to create the right project structure in struts, servlets, etc., which is essential for execution. 

Advantages of Maven

• Helps manage all the processes, such as building, documentation, releasing, and distribution in project management
• Simplifies the process of project building
• Increases the performance of the project and the building process
• The task of downloading Jar files and other dependencies is done automatically
• Provides easy access to all the required information 
• Makes it easy for the developer to build a project in different environments without worrying about the dependencies, processes, etc.
• In Maven, it’s easy to add new dependencies by writing the dependency code in the pom file

Companies Using Maven 

There are over 2,000 companies using Maven today, most of which are located in the United States and in the Computer Science industry. Maven is also used in industries other than computer science, like information technology, financial services, banking, hospital and care, and much more. 

Some of the largest corporations that use Maven include:

• Accenture
• JPMorgan Chase & Co
• Via Varejo 
• craft base
• Red Hat 
• Mitratech Holdings, Inc.
• KRG TECHNOLOGIES
• Radio - Canada

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