Creating the Apache Maven project structure

Before we start with showing you how to develop a custom Elasticsearch plugin, we would like to discuss a way to package it so that it can be installed by Elasticsearch using the plugin command. In order to do that, we will use Apache Maven (http://maven.apache.org/), which is designed to simplify software projects' management. It aims to make your build process easier, provide a unifying build system, manage dependencies, and so on.

Note

Please note that the chapter you are currently reading was written and tested using Elasticsearch 1.4.1.

Also remember that the book you are holding in your hands is not about Maven but Elasticsearch, and we will keep Maven-related information to the required minimum.

Note

Installing Apache Maven is a straightforward task; we assume that you already have it installed. However, if you have problems with it, please consult http://maven.apache.org/ for more information.