Detailed Comparison of Java Build Automation Tools: Maven vs Gradle

After 26 years on the market, Java remains one of the most popular programming languages among future engineers and businesses. Today it’s used by such giants as Microsoft, Google, Uber, Airbnb, and Netflix. With Java, you can develop everything from small and simple applications to large and complex enterprise software. It also provides all the necessary features for engineering solutions based on AI and machine learning, neural networks, big data, and cloud computing.

In this article, I’m going to dive into the world of Java software development and take a look at tools that help developers automate manual tasks to create and build software — Maven, and Gradle. It might be useful for all business owners to learn the ins and outs of how they work to get a clearer understanding of the software development process, whether they are handling their project in-house or outsourcing it. Read on for a detailed Maven vs Gradle comparison.

What is Build Automation?

Before ending up in the hands of the end-user an application goes a long way from numerous lines of source code to a program that a computer can execute. First, a developer or a group of developers writes source code in one of the programming languages. Once ready, it’s “translated” or, more accurately, compiled into the only form the computer can read and understand it — binary machine code consisting of a long sequence of ones and zeros. Then developers need to make sure all pieces of the code are linked with each other, and with other necessary resources like essential functionalities or libraries. It’s called dependency management. When it’s done, the ready-made version of an app is tested to check if it functions correctly and meets the requirements. And only after that it can be packaged and finally installed on the end user’s computer. The whole process of turning source code into a functioning app is called software build.

Today, all these tasks are carried out automatically using build automation tools. They require very little human intervention which saves developers time for more important activities.

When it comes to Java programming, the two main leaders in the build automation market are Maven and Gradle. Although both are designed for the same purpose, they are different in many ways. Let’s compare them by some key characteristics.

Industry adoption

Maven is more industry-adopted than Gradle. In fact, Maven is currently the most popular Java build automation tool on the market. According to a Snyk study, it’s used by over 78% of Java developers. Gradle ranks second on the market with 38% of users.

Naturally, if a product has less popularity it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s of lower quality. The thing is that Maven has been around a bit longer and has managed to become a “classic”, whereas Gradle is relatively new and still needs time to catch up and build up its “fan base”.

However, when it comes to choosing between build automation tools, popularity does matter. With a more widely used tool, it’ll be much easier for you to find essential resources and, most importantly, people with expert knowledge and hands-on experience.

Focus

Another point of Maven vs Gradle difference is the scope of their application. While Maven is used primarily for developing Java-based projects, Gradle focuses on building software written in domain-specific languages (DSL) — programming languages specialized in a particular application domain (web apps, databases) or a business area (finance, insurance, energy, billing, etc.). A good example of such languages is SQL which is used for storing, managing, and retrieving data in databases.

Language Support

However, Maven and Gradle have something in common too. Although they are usually viewed as Java-focused build tools, they both can be used to build projects written in other programming languages. Maven supports development in C#, Scala, and Ruby, and Gradle is compatible with Scala, C\C++, and Groovy.

Code

The key task of a build tool in the build automation process is to create a build file. It’s a set of instructions a computer needs to follow to turn the source code into an executable program.

So the difference between Maven and Gradle here is that they write build files in different languages. Maven describes project builds in extensible markup language (XML) and Gradle uses domain-specific language (DSL) based on either Groovy or Kotlin programming languages.

Tag-based XML is far wordier than code-based DSL, making Maven scripts hard to read and understand, especially when they grow large as the project expands. Therefore, Maven is better suited for smaller projects, simply put, those with fewer lines of source code. Whereas Gradle with its concise scripts is great for both small and large projects.

Performance

According to graphs on the Gradle official website, Gradle is 2 to 85 times faster than Maven in various build scenarios. The secret to such outstanding performance is a set of optimization features — incremental build, Gradle Daemon, etc. — that help both the tool and developers reduce or eliminate time on unnecessary tasks.

Maven vs Gradle: So, Which One is Better?

And the answer is… there’s no definite answer. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution on the market. While from what you’ve read in this article, Gradle may seem like a bit more attractive option, it’s not always the case. The fact is that no matter how powerful it is, for some projects, especially small and simple ones, you don’t need that much “power” and functionality, and Maven will be just fine. So there’s no right or wrong tool, there’s only the right tool for the job.

If you can’t decide which one to pick for your next project, or have any development-related questions, feel free to drop me a line via the link in my bio or contact my team.