Chapter 2. Apache Maven and Red Hat Decision Manager Spring Boot applications

Apache Maven is a distributed build automation tool used in Java application development to create, manage, and build software projects. Maven uses standard configuration files called Project Object Model (POM) files to define projects and manage the build process. POM files describe the module and component dependencies, build order, and targets for the resulting project packaging and output using an XML file. This ensures that the project is built in a correct and uniform manner.

A Maven repository stores Java libraries, plug-ins, and other build artifacts. The default public repository is the Maven 2 Central Repository, but repositories can be private and internal within a company to share common artifacts among development teams. Repositories are also available from third parties.

You can use the online Maven repository with your Spring Boot projects or you can download the Red Hat Decision Manager Maven repository. The recommended approach is to use the online Maven repository with your Spring Boot projects. Maven settings used with a repository manager or repository on a shared server provide better control and manageability of projects.