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Introduction
We have a plethora of technology in the field of development. Every one of them has its own importance. If you are a developer, you must have heard about Apache Maven. Do you know Apache Maven has become one of the top choices of developers? How is it better than all other techs, then? Well, it is because of its repo.
This article will discuss the Maven repository and its types. The types of Maven include the local repo, central repo and remote repo. We will also see how Maven searches for repos and how the repo manager works. So without any further ado, let’s get started!!
What is Maven?
Maven is a platform-independent software development tool. It is used for managing dependencies between projects. It creates POM files that can be used by many JVM-based tools such as Eclipse, STS, and Bitbucket. It requires POM files in the Java ecosystem.
Where is Maven used?
Maven is generally used where JVM-based software is built. We can find Maven while building and integrating scripts and deploying pipelines.
It is used by teams of different sizes worldwide to compile software into JAR files. It also provides reports and docs and automates various other processes.
Maven Repository
Maven is simply a collection of cached jars. For any project, Maven stores the project's JAR files, library JAR files, plugins, and other project-specific assets. Maven uses POM files to store meta-data.
Maven repos are of three types:
Maven local repo
Maven central repo
Maven remote repo
Maven Local Repository
Maven local repo refers to a directory on your computer. A local repo is generated when you run any maven command for the first time. On your system, Maven local repo keeps all dependency library jars, plugin jars, and so on. When Maven downloads dependency jars, the jar files are saved in the local Maven repository.
If the version stated in the dependent portion of the pom.xml file already exists in the local Maven repository, it is used directly. Otherwise, Maven will download a newer version.
Maven generates the local repo by default in the %USER HOME% directory.
We can find the Maven local repo folder in the Maven settings.xml file, which is located in the %M2_HOME%conf directory. If you cannot find it, you can create it.
XML files will be imported from various websites, such as maven.apache.org (Apache Maven Website) and w3.org(World Wide Web Consortium).
After running the above command, the repo folder will be configured. Afterwards, maven will download dependencies to the specified path.
Maven Central Repository
The Apache Maven community creates the Maven central repo. It includes a large number of regularly used libraries. Maven searches in this central repo by default for any dependencies that are required but are not found in your local repo.
The Maven central repo search webpage looks like this:
Maven Remote Repository
We may need to set up a Maven repository within a company or project development team to host our own libraries. The company manages the Maven remote repo, which is located outside the developer's workstation.
The following pom.xml defines dependencies as well as the URL of the remote repo.
When maven begins performing the build commands, it begins searching for dependencies.
It is done as follows:
It searches the local repos for any set of dependencies. If it is discovered, the execution proceeds. It searches the central repo if the configured dependencies cannot be located in the local repo.
If the required dependencies are identified in the central repo, they are downloaded to the local repo for future use and reference. If no matches are discovered, Maven begins scanning the remote repos.
If no remote repo is configured, maven will throw an exception stating that it could not locate the dependencies and will stop processing. If any dependencies are discovered, they are downloaded to the local repo for future reference and use.
Maven Repository Manager
A Maven repository manager is a server program that is dedicated to managing repos. A repository manager is regarded as an essential best practice for any serious Maven usage.
Some properties of Repository Manager are:
One of the proxy servers for public Maven repos is Repository Manager.
The repos can now be used as a destination for Maven project outputs.
Repository Manager lowers the complexity of downloading remote repos. It then results in less time consumption and improved build performance.
Maven has robust reporting for errors and integrity. It ensures uniform application across all projects. The capacity to establish projects using guidelines. It is also compatible with previous versions of its are some features of Maven.
How important is POM?
The project object model, or POM, is a critical component of Maven's operation. The pom file in the current directory is checked when performing a Maven objective or task.
What is the purpose of Maven plugins?
Maven plugins generate JAR files, WAR files, source code compilation, and unit testing.
What locations do Maven dependencies are kept in?
Maven has a local repository for each JAR, dependency file, and other things it downloads. All the artifacts are kept on the local computer in the Maven local repository, a folder.
What does a snapshot in Maven mean?
A snapshot is a specific version of a project that reflects its present level of development. Maven retrieves a project snapshot from the remote repository for each build.
Conclusion
This article briefly discussed the Maven repository and its types. The types of Maven include the local repo, central repo and remote repo. We also saw how Maven searches for repos and how the repo manager works. Thus concluding our discussion of the Maven repository and its types.
We hope this blog has helped you with the Maven repository and its types. If you like to learn more, you can check out our articles:
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