Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
Gradle
2.1.
Pros of Gradle
2.2.
Cons of Gradle
3.
Maven
3.1.
Pros of Maven
3.2.
Cons of Maven
4.
Gradle Vs Maven Feature Comparison
5.
Frequently Asked Questions
5.1.
Is it allowed to use Maven with Python?
5.2.
Can we use Maven only for Java?
5.3.
Why is Maven used in Eclipse?
5.4.
What language is Gradle?
5.5.
Can we use Maven and Gradle together?
6.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024

Gradle Vs Maven

Author Sagar Mishra
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Introduction

Hey Ninjas! As you all know, comparing two things is one the favorite behavior of human nature. Moving ahead with this behavior today, we will compare two tools. Gradle and Maven are both software tools. Both can cache dependencies locally and download them in parallel. Have you ever thought about between Gradle vs Maven which one is better?

Gradle Vs Maven

Today, we will discuss the comparison on the topic of Gradle vs Maven in this blog.

Gradle

Gradle is a build automation tool famous for its flexibility in building software. The term "build automation tool" refers to a tool used to automate app creation. The building process includes compiling, packaging, and linking, the code. This method gains consistency with the help of build automation tools.

Pros of Gradle

Some pros of Gradle are given below.

  • The tool focuses on usability, maintainability, extendability, performance, and flexibility. 
     
  • Gradle is famous for giving a high-speed performance.
     
  • The tools support a wide range of IDEs, which offers a better user experience.

Cons of Gradle

Now let's discuss some cons of Gradle.

  • You need deep knowledge of topics to use the Gradle. As a beginner, it is difficult to handle Gradle Complexities. 
     
  • Users need to draft and build scripts with the help of XML. If you seek to run a complex project, then you have to write a lot of logic in XML files.
     
  • Gradle documentation is quite extensive.

Maven

Maven is a famous open-source build tool created by the Apache Group. It is a software project management tool. It is used to build, deploy, and publish several projects at once for better project management. The tool allows developers to build and verify the lifecycle framework.

Pros of Maven

Some pros of Maven are given below.

  • Maven simplifies the process of project building.
     
  • Readers have easy access to all the vital data.
     
  • Maven helps to reduce duplication.

Cons of Maven

Some Cons of Maven are given below.

  • Maven is slow in terms of executing the project.
     
  • Users need to install Maven in the system along with its plugins which is quite a difficult task. 
     
  • If the existing dependency code is unavailable, one cannot add a dependency using Maven.

Gradle Vs Maven Feature Comparison

It's time for the Gradle Vs Maven one on one comparison. Let's have a look.

Features

Gradle

Maven

Tool

Gradle is a build automation tool. Maven is a project management tool.

XML usage for project config

Gradle does not use XML. Maven uses XML.

Goal

To add functionality to the project. It is related to the project phase.

Incremental compilations

It supports Incremental compilations. It does not support Incremental compilations.

Performance

Gradle is fast. Maven is slow.

Customization

Gradle has a huge range of IDE support built. Maven has a limited number of resources.

Usability

Gradle avoids using this installation through its wrapper class. A local installation is needed to use Maven.

Implementation 

Easy for Gradle. Quite tough as we have to write all dependencies.

Languages support

Java, C, C++, and Groovy. Java, Scala, C#, and Ruby.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it allowed to use Maven with Python?

A maven-exec-plugin can be used to run a python script. For example, run the org.codehaus.mojo plugin, then use the maven-exec-plugin. After performing these things, move to the src/main/python folder. Run the build.py command. Paste the python build package in the path ../../main/python:$PYTHONPATH. Now run the exec command.

Can we use Maven only for Java?

Maven is mainly used for Java projects only. It helps to download dependencies, which later refer to libraries or JAR files. The tool permits you to get the correct JAR files for each project, as there may be different versions of separate packages.

Why is Maven used in Eclipse?

Eclipse IDE has great support for Maven. We can smoothly create maven projects, build, deploy, and run them using the Eclipse GUI-based interface. Eclipse IDE automatically installs the dependencies from the Maven repositories. So this is why Eclipse is preferred over other IDEs.

What language is Gradle?

Gradle uses Groovy language for writing the scripts. Gradle offers a Domain Specific Language (DSL) for describing the builds. This uses Groovy to make it easier to define a build. Each build script of the Gradle is encoded using UTF-8, saved offline, and renamed as build.gradle.

Can we use Maven and Gradle together?

Yes, it is possible to use both Maven and Gradle in the same project. It will not create any conflicts. Both Gradle and Maven give patterns over configuration. Gradle understands different repo types, like Maven. It also supports various ways of accessing the repository via HTTP or protocols. We can also have repositories on the local file system. This can work for Maven repositories. Also, we can have more than one repo.

Conclusion

This article discusses the topic of Gradle Vs Maven. Now we have an idea of the topic Gradle Vs Maven on a various basis. The key is here flexibility. If the project can be managed without complex customization, then Maven is enough. However, if the project needs different types of functionalities, then you may prefer Gradle. Thus, we now conclude our comparison between Gradle Vs Maven. 

We hope this blog has helped you enhance your knowledge of Gradle Vs Maven. If you want to learn more, then check out our articles.

  1. Ant vs Maven
  2. Introduction to Maven Command
  3. Maven Interview Questions
     

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