compileJava

compileJava is a task within the Gradle build automation tool. Its primary function is to compile Java source files into Java bytecode. When a Gradle project includes Java code, the compileJava task is automatically configured and made available. It leverages the Java compiler (javac) to perform the compilation process. The task identifies all Java source files within the project's configured source sets, typically found in directories like 'src/main/java' and 'src/test/java'. It then passes these source files to the javac compiler, along with any necessary dependencies from the project's compile classpath.

The output of the compileJava task is Java class files, which are typically placed in the project's build directory, often within a sub-directory corresponding to the source set (e.g., 'build/classes/java/main'). This compiled bytecode can then be used by other Gradle tasks, such as packaging the application into a JAR file or running unit tests. The compileJava task is an integral part of the Java plugin in Gradle and is often executed implicitly when other tasks that depend on compiled code are invoked, such as the 'build' or 'test' tasks. Its configuration can be customized to specify compiler arguments, target versions, and encoding.