mvn

Maven, commonly invoked as mvn, is an open-source build automation and project management tool primarily for Java projects. It uses a Project Object Model (POM) described in pom.xml to define project structure, dependencies, build settings, and plugins.

It organizes builds around a set of lifecycles, most notably the default and clean lifecycles, which comprise phases such as validate, compile, test, package, verify, install, and deploy. Users invoke goals via mvn, whose plugins perform tasks like compilation, testing, packaging, and deployment. Dependencies are declared in the POM with coordinates (groupId, artifactId, version); Maven resolves transitive dependencies from local and remote repositories, downloading artifacts to a local repository at ~/.m2/repository.

Projects can be multi-module; a parent POM can define modules and share configuration across modules. Maven uses repositories, with Maven Central as the default remote repository, and can be extended with additional repositories or mirrors. Settings are configured in settings.xml, including credentials, proxies, and profiles that enable conditional build configurations. Maven configurations can be inherited and overridden via pluginManagement, build plugins, and properties such as maven.compiler.source/target.

Usage and ecosystem: Maven is widely supported by IDEs and continuous integration systems. Many projects include a Maven Wrapper (mvnw) to pin a project to a specific Maven version. Common commands include mvn validate, mvn test, mvn package, mvn install, mvn deploy.

History and status: Maven originated in the early 2000s and is maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. It emphasizes convention over configuration and reproducible builds. It competes with other build tools such as Gradle and Ant.