Maven is a framework for automation build project.
All the information about the project is in the pom.xml file.
Pom file consist from project properties and dependencies
Maven Lifecycle:
Compile - compile the source code of the project
Test - test the compiled source code using a suitable unit testing framework. These tests should not require the code be packaged or deployed
Package - take the compiled code and package it in its distributable format, such as a JAR.
Install - install the package into the local repository, for use as a dependency in other projects locally
Deploy - done in an integration or release environment, copies the final package to the remote repository for sharing with other developers and projects
Clean - clear any compiled files you have, making sure that you're really compiling each module from scratch.