Gradle is a powerful build automation tool that simplifies the process of compiling, testing, and packaging software projects. This guide provides essential Gradle commands for efficient project management.

Compile, Test, and Package Projects

The primary command to build your project, including compilation, running tests, and packaging, is:

gradle build

Skip Specific Tasks

You can exclude certain tasks from the build process, such as tests, using the -x flag:

gradle build -x test

Offline Builds

To prevent Gradle from accessing the network and ensure a faster build using cached dependencies:

gradle build --offline

Clean Build Directory

Remove the build directory to start with a clean slate:

gradle clean

Refresh Project Dependencies

Force Gradle to re-download and refresh project dependencies:

gradle clean build --refresh-dependencies

List Project Dependencies

View the dependency tree for your project:

gradle dependencies

List Available Tasks

See all the tasks that can be executed in your project:

gradle tasks

List All Tasks

Display all available tasks, including hidden ones:

gradle tasks --all

Initialize New Gradle Project

Create a new Gradle build script or convert an existing Maven build:

gradle init

Initialize New Java Project

Specifically initialize a new Java library project:

gradle init --type java-library

These commands cover the most common operations for managing your projects with Gradle. For more advanced configurations and custom tasks, refer to the official Gradle documentation.

External Resources:

• Gradle User Guide
• Apache Maven (for comparison)
• JavaScript Super Keyword (example of a related development concept)