Introduction
Gradle is an open-source build automation tool that provides support for multi-language development. It is a useful DevOps tool for those wanting to build, test, and deploy software on a variety of platforms. Gradle offers a flexible build model that can support developers throughout the entire development lifecycle from compiling and packaging code to publishing the final product online.
Gradle works with Java, C/C++, and Groovy. It is also Googles preferred tool for the development of applications for Android.
gradle download 6
In this article, you will learn how to download and install Gradle 6, the latest stable version of Gradle. You will also learn about some of the features and benefits of Gradle, and how it compares to other build tools like Maven.
Downloading Gradle 6
The current Gradle release is version 8.1.1, released on 21 Apr 2023. However, if you need to work with an older version of Gradle, you can download binaries and view docs for all Gradle versions from the .
The distribution zip file comes in two flavors:
Binary-only: contains only the executable files and libraries
Complete: contains the executable files, libraries, documentation, and sources
If in doubt, choose the binary-only version and browse docs and sources online.
gradle download 6.1.1 binary-only zip
gradle download 6.0 complete with docs and sources
gradle download 6.8.3 release notes
gradle download 6.7.1 api javadoc
gradle download 6.5 dsl reference
gradle download 6.9 nightly build
gradle download 6.4 checksums
gradle download 6.2 installation guide
gradle download 6.3 sdkman
gradle download 6.6 homebrew
gradle download 6.1 milestone 2
gradle download 6.0 rc 1
gradle download 6.8 all distribution
gradle download 6.7 bin distribution
gradle download 6.5 src distribution
gradle download 6.9 docs distribution
gradle download 6.4 windows
gradle download 6.2 linux
gradle download 6.3 macos
gradle download 6.6 configure path environment variable
gradle download 6.1 verify installation
gradle download 6.0 upgrade with wrapper
gradle download 6.8 command-line completion
gradle download 6.7 prerequisites java jdk version
gradle download 6.5 online training tutorials
gradle download 6.9 build scan tool
gradle download 6.4 newsletter subscription
gradle download 6.2 older releases page
gradle download 6.3 user manual pdf
gradle download 6.6 getting started html
gradle download 6.1 init.d scripts
gradle download 6.0 media logo images
gradle download 6.8 license notice files
gradle download 6.7 github repository source code
gradle download 6.5 forum community support
gradle download 6.9 issue tracker bug report
gradle download 6.4 roadmap future plans features
gradle download 6.2 samples example projects
gradle download 6.3 guides best practices tips
gradle download 6.6 plugins directory marketplace
You can download the binary-only or complete distribution of Gradle 6 from the . You can also verify the checksums of the downloaded files to ensure their integrity.
Installing Gradle 6
Once you have downloaded the distribution zip file of your choice, you need to unpack it and configure your system environment to run Gradle. The steps to do this are different for each operating system.
Linux & MacOS users
Unzip the distribution zip file in the directory of your choosing, e.g.:$ mkdir /opt/gradle$ unzip -d /opt/gradle gradle-6.0-bin.zip$ ls /opt/gradle/gradle-6.0LICENSE NOTICE bin getting-started.html init.d lib media
Configure your PATH environment variable to include the bin directory of the unzipped distribution, e.g.:$ export PATH=$PATH:/opt/gradle/gradle-6.0/bin
Microsoft Windows users
Create a new directory C:\Gradle with File Explorer.
Open a second File Explorer window and go to the directory where the Gradle distribution was downloaded.
Double-click the ZIP archive to expose the content.
Drag the content folder gradle-6.0 to your newly created C:\Gradle folder.
In File Explorer right-click on the This PC (or Computer) icon, then click Properties -> Advanced System Settings -> Environmental Variables.
Under System Variables select Path, then click Edit.
Add an entry for C:\Gradle\gradle-6.0 - Click OK. - Open a command prompt (or a PowerShell) and run gradle -v to run gradle and display the version, e.g.:$ gradle -v------------------------------------------------------------Gradle 6.0------------------------------------------------------------Build time: 2020-11-08 18:39:06 UTCRevision: 0f0274bf0d6d8a6c4f8d333f9df31f5c68c2e53aKotlin: 1.3.50Groovy: 2.5.8Ant: Apache Ant(TM) version 1.10.7 compiled on September 1 2019JVM: 1.8.0_231 (Oracle Corporation 25.231-b11)OS: Windows 10 10.0 amd64
Verifying Gradle 6 installation
To verify that Gradle is installed correctly, you can run a simple build using the Gradle Wrapper, a script that downloads and invokes the correct version of Gradle for a given project.
The Gradle Wrapper is the preferred way of starting a Gradle build. It consists of a batch script for Windows and a shell script for other operating systems. When you start a Gradle build via the wrapper, Gradle will be automatically downloaded and used to run the build.
To use the Gradle Wrapper, you need to create a simple Java project with the following structure:
simple-java-project gradlew gradlew.bat settings.gradle src main java HelloWorld.java
The gradlew and gradlew.bat scripts are the Gradle Wrapper scripts that you can use to run the build. The settings.gradle file is a configuration file that tells Gradle the name of the project. The HelloWorld.java file is a simple Java class that prints "Hello, World!" to the standard output.
You can create these files manually or use the following commands to generate them:
Create a directory for the project and change into it:$ mkdir simple-java-project$ cd simple-java-project
Create the settings.gradle file with the following content:$ echo "rootProject.name = 'simple-java-project'" > settings.gradle
Create the src/main/java directory and the HelloWorld.java file with the following content:$ mkdir -p src/main/java$ cat > src/main/java/HelloWorld.java public class HelloWorld public static void main(String[] args) System.out.println("Hello, World!"); EOF
Create the Gradle Wrapper scripts using the wrapper task:$ gradle wrapper --gradle-version 6.0BUILD SUCCESSFUL in 2s1 actionable task: 1 executed
You should now have a simple Java project with the Gradle Wrapper ready to run.
To run the build, use the following command:$ ./gradlew buildBUILD SUCCESSFUL in 3s2 actionable tasks: 2 executed
This will compile the Java source code, run any tests, and create a JAR file in the build/libs directory.
To run the JAR file, use the following command:$ java -jar build/libs/simple-java-project.jarHello, World!
Congratulations! You have successfully verified your Gradle installation and run your first Gradle build.
Features and benefits of Gradle
Gradle is a powerful and flexible build automation tool that offers many features and benefits for developers. Here are some of them:
Flexibility
Gradle allows you to define your own custom tasks, plugins, and dependencies using a Groovy or Kotlin-based DSL (domain-specific language). You can also use existing plugins from the , which provide support for various languages, frameworks, and tools.
You can also configure your build scripts using a declarative or imperative style, depending on your preference and needs. Gradle also supports incremental builds, which means that it only executes the tasks that are necessary based on the changes in the source code.
Performance
Gradle is designed to be fast and efficient, using techniques such as parallel execution, build caching, and daemon processes to reduce build times and resource consumption. Gradle also supports distributed builds, which allow you to leverage the power of multiple machines to run your builds faster.
Gradle also integrates with , a commercial product that provides advanced features such as build scans, performance dashboards, and failure analytics to help you optimize and troubleshoot your builds.
User experience
Gradle provides a rich and intuitive user interface that gives you feedback and control over your builds. You can use the --console option to choose between plain, verbose, or rich console output modes. You can also use the --scan option to generate a comprehensive and interactive build scan that shows you detailed information about your build, such as task execution, dependency resolution, test results, and more.
Gradle also provides a powerful command-line tool that allows you to run various tasks and commands with ease. You can use the --help option to get help on any task or command, or use the --gui option to launch a graphical user interface for your build.
Dependency management
Gradle supports various dependency management systems, such as Maven and Ivy. You can declare your dependencies using a simple and expressive DSL, and Gradle will resolve them for you automatically. You can also use Gradle's own dependency management system, which offers features such as transitive dependency resolution, conflict resolution, dependency locking, version alignment, and more.
Gradle also supports composite builds, which allow you to combine multiple independent projects into a single build. This is useful for developing and testing changes across multiple projects without having to publish intermediate artifacts.
Gradle vs Maven
Maven is another popular build automation tool for Java and other languages. It is based on the concept of a project object model (POM), which defines the structure, dependencies, plugins, and goals of a project. Maven uses an XML-based syntax to configure the POM files.
Gradle differs from Maven in several ways, such as:
Design
Maven follows a convention-over-configuration approach, which means that it has predefined standards and rules for how a project should be structured and built. This can simplify the configuration process, but it can also limit the flexibility and customization of the build.
Gradle follows a configuration-on-demand approach, which means that it allows you to define your own conventions and rules for how a project should be structured and built. This gives you more control and freedom over the build process, but it can also require more effort and knowledge to set up.
Functionality
Maven relies on plugins to provide additional functionality for the build. There are many plugins available for Maven, but they are not always compatible or up-to-date with each other. Maven also has a fixed lifecycle that defines the phases and goals of the build, which can be hard to customize or extend.
Gradle provides most of the functionality for the build out of the box, without requiring any plugins. Gradle also has a dynamic task graph that determines the tasks and dependencies of the build based on the configuration and inputs. Gradle allows you to create custom tasks and plugins using Groovy or Kotlin code, which can be easily reused and shared.
Performance
Maven can be slow and inefficient when dealing with large or complex projects. Maven does not support incremental builds, which means that it always executes all the tasks in the lifecycle regardless of the changes in the source code. Maven also does not support parallel execution or distributed builds, which can limit its scalability.
Gradle is designed to be fast and efficient when dealing with large or complex projects. Gradle supports incremental builds, which means that it only executes the tasks that are necessary based on the changes in the source code. Gradle also supports parallel execution and distributed builds, which can improve its scalability.
Common issues and solutions with Gradle
Gradle is a powerful and flexible tool, but it can also have some issues or challenges when used in practice. Here are some of the common problems that Gradle users may encounter, and how to solve them:
Build failures
Sometimes Gradle builds may fail due to various reasons, such as syntax errors, configuration errors, dependency conflicts, or external factors. To troubleshoot and fix these issues, you can use the following tips:
Use the --stacktrace or --scan options to get more information about the cause and location of the error.
Use the --debug or --info options to get more detailed and verbose logging output.
Use the --dry-run or --rerun-tasks options to simulate or force the execution of the tasks without actually running them.
Use the --refresh-dependencies option to force Gradle to check for updated dependencies and download them if necessary.
Use the --offline option to run Gradle without accessing the network, which can help if you have connectivity issues or want to use cached dependencies.
Check the for similar issues and solutions.
Build performance
Sometimes Gradle builds may take longer than expected or consume more resources than desired. To optimize and improve the performance of your builds, you can use the following tips:
Use the --profile or --scan options to generate a performance report or a build scan that shows you how much time and memory each task and dependency takes.
Use the --parallel or --max-workers options to enable parallel execution of tasks or specify the number of workers to use.
Use the , which allows you to reuse the outputs of previous builds instead of executing the tasks again.
Use the , which is a long-lived background process that avoids the overhead of starting a new JVM for each build.
Use the , which provides advanced features such as distributed build caching, remote execution, and performance dashboards.
Check the , which provides best practices and recommendations for improving your build performance.
Conclusion
In this article, you have learned how to download and install Gradle 6, the latest stable version of Gradle. You have also learned about some of the features and benefits of Gradle, and how it compares to other build tools like Maven. You have also learned how to verify your Gradle installation, run a simple Gradle build, and troubleshoot some common issues with Gradle.
If you want to learn more about Gradle, you can visit the official , where you can ask questions, share feedback, and contribute to the project.
We hope you enjoyed this article and found it useful. If you did, please share it with your friends and colleagues who might be interested in Gradle. Happy building!
FAQs
What is Gradle used for?
Gradle is used for building, testing, and deploying software projects. It supports various languages, frameworks, and tools, such as Java, C/C++, Groovy, Android, Spring Boot, Kotlin, Scala, and more. It can also integrate with other tools like Git, Jenkins, Docker, SonarQube, and more.
How do I update Gradle?
To update Gradle, you can either download and install the latest version from the official website, or use a tool like SDKMAN! or Homebrew to manage your Gradle versions. You can also use the Gradle Wrapper to specify the version of Gradle for each project.
How do I uninstall Gradle?
To uninstall Gradle, you can simply delete the directory where you installed it. You may also want to remove any references to it from your PATH environment variable. If you used a tool like SDKMAN! or Homebrew to install Gradle, you can use their commands to uninstall Gradle.
How do I run Gradle tasks?
To run Gradle tasks, you can use the gradle or gradlew command followed by the name of the task, e.g.:$ gradle build$ ./gradlew test
You can also use the -q option to run Gradle in quiet mode, which only prints the output of the task, e.g.:$ gradle -q helloHello, World!
You can also use the -b option to specify a different build file than the default build.gradle, e.g.:$ gradle -b custom.gradle task
How do I create a Gradle project?
To create a Gradle project, you can use the gradle init command, which will generate a basic project structure and files for you. You can also use the --type option to specify the type of project you want to create, such as java-application, java-library, groovy-library, etc. For example:$ gradle init --type java-applicationSelect build script DSL: 1: groovy 2: kotlinEnter selection (default: groovy) [1..2] 1Select test framework: 1: junit 2: testng 3: spockEnter selection (default: junit) [1..3] 1Project name (default: simple-java-project):Source package (default: simple.java.project):BUILD SUCCESSFUL in 15s2 actionable tasks: 2 executed
This will create a simple Java application project with the following structure:
simple-java-project build.gradle gradlew gradlew.bat settings.gradle src main java App.java test java AppTest.java 44f88ac181
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