Apache Ant vs Gradle

Apache Ant is a Java library and command-line tool that runs processes described in build files as targets and tasks. Its tasks compile, assemble, test, and run Java applications, and can also build C and C++ projects. Additional built-in coverage handles archiving, file operations, execution, remote access, source control, and testing. Ant does not impose coding conventions or directory layouts on Java projects. Developers can extend it with Antlibs containing tasks and types, while optional Antlibs are distributed separately from the core release. For projects needing dependency management alongside build tooling, the project recommends Apache Ivy. Ant 1.10 requires JDK 8 or later; many tasks will not work with only a JRE. The JUnit task requires external libraries that are not bundled. Ant has been used on Linux, macOS, Windows NT descendants, Unix, and other platforms, with development focused on Linux, macOS, Windows, and Unix. Releases from version 1.6.1 onward use the Apache License, Version 2.0. The listed free plan is Apache Ant 1.10.18, distributed as ZIP, TAR.GZ, and TAR.BZ2 packages. Download guidance includes PGP signature and SHA512 verification.

Gradle Build Tool is a free, open-source system for automating software builds across projects of different types and sizes. Build logic can use either Kotlin DSL or Groovy DSL. Incremental builds, caching and parallel task execution support the build process, while Gradle downloads and manages transitive dependencies from Maven- and Ivy-compatible repositories. The Gradle Wrapper can provision a build environment and specify the Gradle version used by a project. Its ecosystem covers JVM, Android, C/C++, Swift, Objective-C and assembler projects, and it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. The Tooling API lets IDEs and other tools inspect projects, run builds, receive progress events and cancel operations. Listed support includes Android Studio and Ant, plus Checkstyle, CodeNarc, PMD and JaCoCo. Gradle includes dependency verification. The maker says open-source security fixes are limited by its end-of-life policy; its Security Subscription offers prioritized fixes under SLA and extended maintenance, but does not guarantee a clean scanner report when findings come from third-party libraries.