Maven vs Bazel

Struggling to choose between Maven and Bazel? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Maven is a Development solution with tags like java, build-automation, dependency-management.

It boasts features such as Project management, Dependency management, Build automation, Testing automation, Packaging and pros including Simplifies builds, Promotes convention over configuration, Handles dependency management automatically, Plugin architecture to extend functionality, Wide adoption in Java ecosystem.

On the other hand, Bazel is a Development product tagged with build-tool, incremental-builds, multilanguage.

Its standout features include Fast, incremental builds, Scales to very large codebases, Language-agnostic, Hermetic and reproducible builds, Supports multiple platforms, and it shines with pros like Very fast build times, Easily build large projects, Reproducible builds, Language-agnostic, Active open source community.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Maven

Maven

Maven is a build automation tool used primarily for Java projects. It handles downloading dependencies, building, testing, and packaging Java code. Maven emphasizes convention over configuration, with sensible defaults to reduce setup time for builds.

Categories:
java build-automation dependency-management

Maven Features

  1. Project management
  2. Dependency management
  3. Build automation
  4. Testing automation
  5. Packaging

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Simplifies builds

Promotes convention over configuration

Handles dependency management automatically

Plugin architecture to extend functionality

Wide adoption in Java ecosystem

Cons

Steep learning curve

Configuration can get complex for larger projects

Build times can be slow for projects with many dependencies


Bazel

Bazel

Bazel is an open-source build and test tool similar to Make, Maven, or Gradle. It is optimized for building large, multi-language software projects efficiently by incrementally building only what has changed.

Categories:
build-tool incremental-builds multilanguage

Bazel Features

  1. Fast, incremental builds
  2. Scales to very large codebases
  3. Language-agnostic
  4. Hermetic and reproducible builds
  5. Supports multiple platforms

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Very fast build times

Easily build large projects

Reproducible builds

Language-agnostic

Active open source community

Cons

Steep learning curve

Requires buy-in from entire team

Not as feature-rich as alternatives like Gradle