Create maven projects - archetype

To create a maven project, you can use the archetype goal, wich allows you to easily create a custom project.
Apache describes a archtype as: "an original pattern or model from which all other things of the same kind are made"

Create a simple project:
mvn archetype:create -DarchetypeGroupId=org.apache.maven.archetypes -DgroupId=com.mycompany.app -DartifactId=my-app<br />
Create a web project:
mvn archetype:create -DarchetypeGroupId=org.apache.maven.archetypes -DarchetypeArtifactId=maven-archetype-webapp -DgroupId=com.mycompany.app -DartifactId=my-webapp<br />
It's also possible to use "mvn archetype:generate" and then choose the archetype of your choice.