Gradles

Gradle is an open-source build automation tool designed to automate the tasks of building, testing, publishing, and deploying software. It is cross-platform and runs on the Java Virtual Machine, using a directed acyclic graph of tasks to determine the order of work. The name Gradle refers to the project; "Gradles" is sometimes used informally for multiple instances or by non-native speakers, but the official name is Gradle.

Build scripts in Gradle are written in a Groovy-based DSL or a Kotlin-based DSL. Projects can be organized as multi-project builds, where a single Gradle script coordinates multiple subprojects. The Gradle wrapper allows a project to specify a concrete Gradle version, ensuring consistent builds across machines.

Core features include dependency management via repositories (such as Maven Central and Google's Maven repo), a rich plugin system, incremental builds, and a build cache. Gradle can detect which tasks must run based on changes, reuse outputs, and cache results locally or remotely to speed up builds. It supports Android development through the Android Gradle Plugin and has extensive support for JVM languages and other ecosystems via community plugins.

Comparison and ecosystem: Gradle competes with Ant and Maven as a build tool; it emphasizes performance and flexibility. It integrates with IDEs such as IntelliJ IDEA, Android Studio, Eclipse, and supports continuous integration with popular CI systems. Gradle is widely used in Java and Android development and has broad plugin support for additional languages and platforms.