What do you use for building the project: Maven or…

Depending on the project requirements and team preferences, I use either Maven or Gradle.

Maven - a mature, widely used tool based on the "Convention over Configuration" concept. It is well-suited for projects with simple structures and standard dependencies. The main configuration file is pom.xml.

Gradle - a newer and more flexible tool based on Groovy or Kotlin DSL. It offers more powerful configuration capabilities and scales better for large and complex projects. It supports incremental builds, which speeds up the process. The main configuration files are build.gradle or build.gradle.kts.

Advantages of Maven:

Easy setup for standard projects.
Extensive documentation and a large community.
Stability and predictability.

Disadvantages of Maven:

Less flexible for non-standard scenarios.
Slower builds compared to Gradle for large projects.
XML syntax can be verbose.

Advantages of Gradle:

Flexibility and extensibility.
Faster builds thanks to incremental and cached builds.
More expressive syntax (Groovy/Kotlin DSL).
Better support for polyglot projects.

Disadvantages of Gradle:

Steeper learning curve due to flexibility.
Less intuitive project structure for beginners.

Example pom.xml (Maven):

<!--<root>
    <groupId>com.example</groupId>
    <artifactId>my-app</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
            <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-web</artifactId>
            <version>2.6.3</version>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
</root>-->

Example build.gradle (Gradle - Groovy DSL):

//plugins {
//    id 'java'
//    id 'org.springframework.boot' version '2.6.3'
//    id 'io.spring.dependency-management' version '1.0.11.RELEASE'
//}
//
//group = 'com.example'
//version = '1.0-SNAPSHOT'
//
//repositories {
//    mavenCentral()
//}
//
//dependencies {
//    implementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-web'
//    testImplementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-test'
//}

Example build.gradle.kts (Gradle - Kotlin DSL):

//plugins {
//    java
//    id("org.springframework.boot") version "2.6.3"
//    id("io.spring.dependency-management") version "1.0.11.RELEASE"
//}
//
//group = "com.example"
//version = "1.0-SNAPSHOT"
//
//repositories {
//    mavenCentral()
//}
//
//dependencies {
//    implementation("org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-web")
//    testImplementation("org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-test")
//}

Overall, Gradle is preferred for new, complex projects where build performance and flexible configuration are important. Maven is a reliable choice for established projects or those with simpler requirements. The final choice depends on the project's specifics and the team's experience.

What do you use for building the project: Maven or Gradle?