What does Eclipse do when it says that it updates indexes?

Question

When I load the workspace (for Android Java development), Eclipse says in the status bar that it is updating indexes. On the "Progress" tab, it is reported that he gets to maven.org.

I read Maven - it looks like a build manager. What I don’t understand is why I need a workspace for Android or why it gets to a server in the cloud. Do I need this? If not, how to safely remove it?

Answer 1

This is a common step that occurs when m2e / m2eclipse is installed (Maven integration for Eclipse), regardless of whether they are actively used or not.

This step can be disabled using the Eclipse settings: Window / Preferences / Maven / "Download repository index updates at startup". This option is located on the "Maven" preferences main page (and not on the child page). Just clear the check box to prevent this from happening.

The file that is being downloaded is an index of all available dependencies available in the central Maven repository for use in projects with Maven support, which allows them to easily select and search in the Eclipse user interface. This is mainly user convenience and is optional.