Mastering Apache Maven 3

Avoid overriding the default directory structure

Maven follows the design philosophy convention over configuration. Without any configuration changes, Maven assumes that the location of the source code is ${basedir}/src/main/java, the location of tests is ${basedir}/src/test/java, and the resources are available at ${basedir}/src/main/resources. Once after a successful build, Maven knows where to place the compiled classes (${basedir}/target/classes) and where to copy the final artifact (${basedir}/target/). It is possible to change this directory structure, but it's recommended not to do so. Why?

Keeping the default structure improves the readability of the project. Even a fresh developer knows where to look into if he is familiar with Maven. ...