Gradle vs Maven
2019-10-15 08:07:09

Gradle vs Maven

Gradle

Gradle is an open-source build automation tool which focuses on flexibility and performance. Gradle build scripts are written using a groovy or kotlin DSL(domain-specific language). Gradle is an official android builds open-source. The Gradle Android plugin and the android studio are the official tools which are provided and maintained by the Android SDK tools team.

Features of Gradle

1) Declarative builds and build-by-convention

Gradle has rich extendible Domain Specific Language (DSL) which is based on Groovy. Gradle also has declarative builds that provide declarative language elements. These elements can be assembled as required. This declarative language elements also provide build by convention support for Groovy, java, OSGi, and web projects. As this declarative language is extensible, new language elements can be added.

2) Language for dependency-based programming

In the general-purpose task graph, the declarative language is on the top, which can be used in builds. It is very flexible to adapt to Gradle, whenever needed.

3) Structure your build

The common design principle in the builds can be applied in Gradle. Build logics can be reused.  A well structured, easily maintained, a comprehensible build can be created in Gradle.

4) Deep API

Monitoring and customizing the configuration and execution behavior is allowed in Gradle.

5) Gradle scales

The Gradle scales helps to increase productivity from simple single projects to multi-project builds. Structuring the builds is very easy in Gradle, which decreases the performance pain from which many enterprises build suffers.

6) Multi-project builds

Gradle has the feature of supporting multiple projects, which is outstanding. The dependencies are the first priority. Modeling project relationships with multiple projects is very easy.

7) Many ways to manage your dependencies

Gradle has many ways to manage external dependencies for any strategy. For example, transitive dependency management with remote Maven and Ivy repositories to jars, etc.

8) Build integration tool

Gradle can be used for any type of project as an integration tool. It can be used for enhancing a project, declaring dependencies on the Gradle task in build.xml. Gradle supports Maven and Ivy repository infrastructure for publishing as well as for retrieving dependencies. Maven pom.xml can be easily converted to the Gradle script.

9) Ease of migration

Gradle can be structured in any form. So, Gradle builds and production build can be merged and can be evolved in parallel. The migration of builds is less troublemaking and reliable as possible.

10) Groovy

The Gradle build script is written in groovy, which sometimes makes it very difficult to maintain build. Gradle is designed in such a way that it can be used as a language, not as a framework. Using groovy in Gradle makes the programmer work very easy. Gradle API fully depends on the groovy.

11) The Gradle wrapper

The Gradle wrapper is used for executing the Gradle where, Gradle is not installed. This is very useful where there is continuous integration of servers. It is very useful for the open-source project in which trouble is very low while building it. The wrapper is very useful for the enterprise. It also minimizes the support issues for the Gradle version.

Maven

Maven is a project management tool which provides a complete build lifecycle framework for developers. It is also used for project build automation using java. Maven helps to map out a particular software build and its different dependencies. A development team can automatically build the project structure in less time. It is because Maven uses standard directory layout and a default build lifecycle, which helps to build a project in very less time.

Features of Maven

  1. Maven has a simple project setup.
  2. Maven can be used comfortably across all the projects.
  3. Dependences can be automatically updated.
  4. It has a very large and growing library.
  5. Model-based builds: In Maven, any number of projects with predefined output like a jar, war, metadata, etc. can be built.
  6. Coherent site of project information: In Maven, websites and PDF with complete documentation can be generated using the metadata.
  7. Release management and distribution publication: If there is no additional configuration then Maven can integrate some source control system such as CVS and then can manage the release of the project.
  8. Backward Compatibility: In Maven, multiple modules of a project can port from the old version to the new version of Maven.
  9. Automatic parent versioning: In Maven, there is low maintenance required for the submodules as compared with the parent module.

Gradle vs Maven

Following are the main differences between Gradle and Maven project build approach:

Gradle Maven
It is based on a graph of task dependencies which do the work. It is based on the phases of the fixed and linear model.
In Gradle, goals can do work. In Maven, goals are attached to the project phase.
It allows multi-module builds to run. It allows multi-module builds to run.
It allows incremental builds because it checks whether tasks are updated or not. It does not allow incremental builds.
It can avoid compilation for java The compilation is mandatory
In Gradle, compiler daemon makes the compilation fast The compilation is slow.
It can handle dynamic as well as transitive dependencies It can also handle dynamic as well as transitive dependencies
It uses third-party dependency for reading POM metadata format It uses third-party dependency for reading POM metadata format
It downloads transitive dependencies from their artifact repositories It also downloads transitive dependencies from their artifact repositories
It has GradleJCenter repositories It has Maven Central repositories
The Gradle life cycle has 3 phases The Maven life cycle has 8 phases