What is the first phase of the Maven lifecycle?

The first phase of the Maven lifecycle is the compile phase. In Maven's lifecycle, the phases are defined to provide a structured process for building and managing project dependencies. During the compile phase, the source code of the project is compiled into bytecode, which is an essential step in transforming human-readable code into machine-readable code that can be executed.

Understanding the Maven lifecycle is crucial for effectively managing the build process of Java projects. The compile phase ensures that errors in the code are detected early in the build process, allowing developers to address issues before proceeding to subsequent phases like testing, packaging, and deployment. This structured approach helps maintain project consistency and reliability throughout the development process.