It uses an XML file to describe the project that you are building, the dependencies of the software with regards to third-party modules and parts, the build order, as well as the needed plugins. It helps you map out how a particular software is built, as well as its different dependencies. Maven is used for project build automation using Java. It supports development and subsequent deployment using Java, Scala, and Groovy, with other project workflows and languages being introduced in the future. For now, the latest stable release is version 3.4, which was launched in February 2017. Tasks that are dependent on updated parts are no longer re-executed. It also allows for incrementally adding to your build, because it knows which parts of your project are updated. It was designed to support multi-project builds that are expected to be quite huge. Several developers created Gradle and first released in 2007, and in 2013, it was adopted by Google as the build system for Android projects. It also determines the order of tasks run by using a directed acyclic graph. It uses domain-specific language based on the programming language Groovy, differentiating it from Apache Maven, which uses XML for its project configuration.

Gradle is a build automation system that is fully open source and uses the concepts you see on Apache Maven and Apache Ant. The size of your project, your need for customization, and a few other variables can help you choose.

Maven is an older and commonly used alternative, but which build system is best for your project? With other tools, such as Spring, allowing developers to choose between the two systems, coupled with an increasing number of integrations for both, the decision is largely up to you. Gradle is one of several Java development tools featured in Stackify’s Comprehensive Java Developer’s Guide, but it’s not the only build automation tool to consider.

Gradle build system