Maven Lifecycle: Explained in Simple Terms

Welcome to the world of Maven Lifecycles! Think of Maven as a tool that helps us build, test, and deploy our Java projects, almost like a factory line where each station performs a unique task to get a project ready. Let's dive into the details, step-by-step!

🚗 Understanding the Maven Lifecycle

The Maven lifecycle is made up of 3 main stages:

1. Default - The main stage where your code is compiled, tested, and packaged.
2. Clean - Prepares the environment by deleting any previous builds.
3. Site - Generates project documentation and reports.

Let's go through each one in detail!

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1. 🧹 Clean Lifecycle

The Clean Lifecycle removes the target directory, where Maven stores compiled code and artifacts. This is like cleaning the workspace before starting fresh.

Steps in the Clean Lifecycle:

• pre-clean: Tasks that need to be done before cleaning.
• clean: Deletes files created from previous builds.
• post-clean: Tasks to perform after cleaning.

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2. 🛠️ Default Lifecycle

The Default Lifecycle is where most of the work happens! This stage compiles, tests, packages, and installs your project. Think of it as the main assembly line.

Steps in the Default Lifecycle:

1. validate: Checks that the project is correct and all required information is available.
2. compile: Compiles the source code into bytecode.
3. test: Runs tests to ensure everything works as expected.
4. package: Bundles the code into a deliverable format, like a .jar or .war.
5. verify: Runs checks to verify the package meets quality standards.
6. install: Adds the packaged code to your local repository.
7. deploy: Uploads the package to a remote repository for sharing with other developers.

Each step builds on the previous one, creating a seamless assembly line.

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3. 📄 Site Lifecycle

The Site Lifecycle generates documentation and reports about your project. Think of it as creating a user manual and quality report.

Steps in the Site Lifecycle:

• pre-site: Tasks that need to be completed before generating documentation.
• site: Generates project documentation.
• post-site: Final touches after generating documentation.
• site-deploy: Uploads the documentation to a server.

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🚀 Quick Reference