In the previous chapter, we learned about the Maven lifecycle and the phases and goals of the lifecycle, understood the essential elements of the pom project configuration file and the settings file, and learned to use Maven profiles and properties.

In this chapter, we will look at how to add and configure plugins to the pom file and use them to perform essential build tasks. Maven has a plugin architecture, and except for core functionalities, every task in Maven is done using plugins. There are a number of plugins that are provided by Maven. In addition, there are several third-party plugins. Maven also provides a mechanism for users to develop their own plugins if they choose to do so.