Maven is an open source build automation tool used primarily for Java projects to manage builds, documentation, dependencies, and reports. It uses a project object model (POM) file to manage build configuration and dependencies. Maven has defined build lifecycles consisting of phases that execute plugin goals. It provides standard project layout and dependency management. Maven searches dependencies in local, central, and remote repositories. Build profiles allow customizing builds for different environments. Plugins are used to perform tasks like compiling, testing, packaging, and generating documentation.