GNU Make vs Gradle

Struggling to choose between GNU Make and Gradle? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

GNU Make is a Development solution with tags like build, automation, make, compiler.

It boasts features such as Dependency tracking - Automatically determines dependencies between files, Parallel builds - Can build independent targets simultaneously, Built-in functions - Many built-in functions for common build tasks, Recursive builds - Can build targets in subdirectories recursively, Pattern rules - General rules can be applied based on pattern matching, Conditionals - Supports if/else conditionals in makefiles and pros including Widely used and well-supported, Mature and stable, Powerful dependency tracking, Built-in parallelism, Portable across platforms, Integrates well with other tools.

On the other hand, Gradle is a Development product tagged with build-automation, dependency-management, groovy-dsl.

Its standout features include Flexible build configurations, Built-in dependency management, Supports multi-project builds, Plugin ecosystem, Incremental builds, and it shines with pros like Highly customizable, Good performance, Large plugin ecosystem, Backed by open-source community.

Feature	GNU Make	Gradle
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

Product Overview

GNU Make

Description: GNU Make is a utility that automatically builds executable programs and libraries from source code by reading files called Makefiles which specify how to derive the target program. It allows users to easily compile large projects without manually issuing the compilation commands.

Gradle

Description: Gradle is an open-source build automation tool focused on flexibility and performance. It builds upon features of Apache Ant and Apache Maven and introduces a Groovy-based domain-specific language instead of XML form to declare the project configuration.

Key Features Comparison

GNU Make Features

• Dependency tracking - Automatically determines dependencies between files
• Parallel builds - Can build independent targets simultaneously
• Built-in functions - Many built-in functions for common build tasks
• Recursive builds - Can build targets in subdirectories recursively
• Pattern rules - General rules can be applied based on pattern matching
• Conditionals - Supports if/else conditionals in makefiles

Gradle Features

• Flexible build configurations
• Built-in dependency management
• Supports multi-project builds
• Plugin ecosystem
• Incremental builds

Pros & Cons Analysis

GNU Make

Pros

• Widely used and well-supported
• Mature and stable
• Powerful dependency tracking
• Built-in parallelism
• Portable across platforms
• Integrates well with other tools

Cons

• Cryptic syntax
• Difficult for complex builds
• Only rebuilds out-of-date targets
• Not suitable for all project types
• Limited to makefile build process

Gradle

Pros

• Highly customizable
• Good performance
• Large plugin ecosystem
• Backed by open-source community

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Complex DSL
• Limited IDE integration

Pricing Comparison

GNU Make

• Open Source

Gradle

• Open Source