Gradle: Build Automation Evolved

One of the most critical tools in a developer’s software toolbox is the build automation tool. A good tool used correctly can make continuous integration and delivery to customers easy; a bad one can require expensive and frustrating man-hours in debugging and maintenance. Innovation in the build automation space is rapid, and Gradle has emerged as one of the leaders. Gradle combines the power and flexibility of Ant with the dependency management and conventions of Maven into a more effective way to build. Powered by a Groovy DSL, Gradle provides a declarative way to describe all kinds of builds through sensible defaults. This presentation will be an introduction to Gradle, including a comparison with existing build tools and practical experiences from its use in Pearson products.