A Gradle build is made up of several key components that work together to automate tasks like compiling code, running tests, and packaging artifacts.

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At a high level, a build includes:

  • Projects, which represent things you’re building (like apps or libraries)

  • Tasks, which define the work to do (like compiling or testing)

  • Build scripts, which configure the projects and tasks

  • Plugins, which extend the build with reusable logic

Let’s first quickly review the directories in a simple Gradle project to better understand the components of a build: