If you are a software developer or engineer looking for a role at a FAANG+ company, a list of Maven interview questions would definitely be of interest! These interview questions mostly test your knowledge of the software, as well as help you better prepare for your interview.
Maven is a popular software building automation tool designed by Apache Software Foundation. It is primarily used for Java-based programming projects to develop software programs and applications. It can, however, also be used for projects written in other OOP languages, including Scala, Ruby, and C#. But if you’re applying for a developer position, you can definitely expect a few Maven interview questions during the technical phone screen or on-site interview rounds.
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In this article, we’ll look at some popular Maven interview questions and answers to them. These questions often feature during technical rounds at FAANG+ companies. Let’s take a look.
This article will cover the following topics:
In this section, we’ll look at some common Maven interview questions and answers that are asked in technical interviews.
Maven manages the following aspects of project management:
The three build lifecycles in Maven include:
Maven works wonders in setting up the project quickly and doesn’t include complex build files like build.xml. The dependencies of your Java project are automatically downloaded by Maven and stored in a local repository and can be retrieved in quick time, whenever needed.
Maven also helps keep the deployment file light and easy to deploy, as it brings all the jars together in a bundle and stores them in the local repository.
Maven can be installed in multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac. Here are the steps to install Maven for Windows:
You can know the current Maven version by typing the command: maven-version.
POM in Maven stands for Project Object Model. POM is an XML file in Maven and the fundamental unit that contains crucial information regarding the project and other related configuration details needed to run the project.
An artifact is a Jar file that is usually deployed to a repository. The build function creates artifacts such as a source Jar or a compiled Jar. Every artifact that is deployed comprises an artifact ID, a group ID, and a version string. Artifacts in Maven are identified by these three parameters.
The command to build your site in Maven is: mvnsite
The mvnclean command deletes the target directory with all its data before commencing the build process for the project.
A Build Life Cycle in Maven specifies the order in which tasks need to be carried out and accomplished. Every build phase in Maven consists of a set of tasks or goals. This essentially implies that if one build life cycle is executed, all the tasks in that particular phase are executed. If a build phase is executed, the phases before it are executed.
A clean life cycle in Maven consists of the following three phases:
This command cleans the entire project and copies the dependencies in the project before packaging it.
A Maven repository is a place where all the artifacts related to the project, such as library jars, project jars, and plugins, are stored in order to be used for different project tasks.
Plugins in Maven are primarily used to:
There are three main types of Maven repositories. They are:
There are three types of Build Profiles in Maven.
The different phases in a site life cycle are:
The default location of the local Maven repository is ~/m2./repository
There are basically two types of plugins that Maven provides for:
Archetypes are Maven plugins that are used to create the structure of the project in accordance with the specifications of a predefined template.
The command used for this function is — maven archetype:generate.
The External Dependency feature comes to the fore when dependencies aren’t located in the local repository, and certain libraries need to be fetched from the central repository.
Transitive dependency is when Maven can automatically locate libraries and other dependencies required for the project without you needing to manually locate these dependencies.
Dependency scopes include project dependencies that are in line with the current, active stage of the build process. The different Dependency scopes in Maven are:
You can run the clean plugin by placing it inside the execution tag of the POM.xml file.
Q1. Are you required to know the uses and functions of Maven for technical interviews at FAANG companies?
Yes. If you are coding in Java, you can expect a few questions about the Maven automation tool during the technical phone screen and on-site interviews at FAANG+ companies.
Q2. What are some Maven interview questions that are asked in technical interviews?
Some Maven interview questions that are asked in tech interviews are:
Q3. Are Maven interview questions asked during the initial recruiter screen and technical phone screen rounds?
Maven interview questions are usually asked during the on-site interview. You aren’t expected to know in-depth answers to questions, as questions won’t be too difficult. Your basic knowledge of the working and functioning of Maven is tested.
Q4. What are some commands that are used in Maven?
Some commands used in Maven include mvn package, mvn install, mvn deploy, mvn compiler:testCompile, mvn dependency:tree, mvn validate, maven clean, and maven compiler:compile.
Q5. What are the types of Maven Plugins?
There are two fundamental Plugin types in Maven – the Build Plugin and the Reporting Plugin. Maven’s Build Plugins are executed at the time of build, while Maven’s Reporting Plugins are executed during the process of site generation.
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