Maven and Gradle are both mainstream build tools for Java projects, but they have significant differences in design philosophy, configuration method, performance, and ecosystem.
1. Configuration Method:
- Maven: Uses XML format pom.xml file, structured but verbose configuration
- Gradle: Uses Groovy or Kotlin DSL, concise and flexible configuration, supports programmatic configuration
2. Performance:
- Maven: Relatively slow build speed, limited incremental build support
- Gradle: Fast build speed, supports incremental builds and build caching, especially suitable for large projects
3. Dependency Management:
- Maven: Fixed dependency transitivity rules, clear dependency conflict resolution mechanism
- Gradle: More flexible dependency management, supports advanced features such as dynamic versions, forced versions
4. Plugin System:
- Maven: Mature plugin ecosystem, but relatively limited extensibility
- Gradle: Flexible plugin system, can easily customize tasks and plugins
5. Convention Over Configuration:
- Maven: Strictly follows conventions, standardized project structure
- Gradle: Supports both conventions and customization, higher flexibility
6. Learning Curve:
- Maven: Gentle learning curve, intuitive configuration, suitable for beginners
- Gradle: Steeper learning curve, need to master DSL syntax
7. Multi-language Support:
- Maven: Mainly supports Java projects, limited support for other languages
- Gradle: Natively supports Java, Groovy, Kotlin, Scala and other languages
8. Build Lifecycle:
- Maven: Fixed lifecycle phases, clear process
- Gradle: Task-based build model, more flexible process
Selection Recommendations:
Scenarios to Choose Maven:
- Project already uses Maven, team is familiar with Maven
- Need to strictly follow standardized project structure
- Enterprise-level projects, need stable build tools
- Team members are more familiar with XML configuration
- Need to integrate with existing Maven ecosystem
Scenarios to Choose Gradle:
- Large projects, need faster build speed
- Need flexible custom build logic
- Projects use multiple programming languages
- Team is familiar with Groovy or Kotlin
- Need more flexible dependency management
Migration Recommendations:
- Migrating from Maven to Gradle can use Gradle's Maven plugin
- Gradual migration, try Gradle in subprojects first
- Evaluate migration costs and benefits, avoid blind migration
Summary: Maven is suitable for standardized, stable enterprise-level projects, Gradle is suitable for modern projects that need high performance and flexibility. When choosing, you need to comprehensively consider project requirements, team skills, and long-term maintenance costs.