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  1. Stackups
  2. DevOps
  3. Build Automation
  4. Javascript Build Tools
  5. Apache Ant vs Grunt

Apache Ant vs Grunt

OverviewComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Grunt
Grunt
Stacks8.8K
Followers5.6K
Votes697
GitHub Stars12.3K
Forks1.5K
Apache Ant
Apache Ant
Stacks250
Followers151
Votes7
GitHub Stars449
Forks449

Apache Ant vs Grunt: What are the differences?

  1. Language: Apache Ant uses XML for configuration and scripting, while Grunt uses JavaScript, making it easier for developers who are already familiar with the language to automate tasks in the build process.

  2. Plugins Ecosystem: Grunt has a large and diverse ecosystem of plugins available through npm, which allows developers to easily extend its functionality, whereas Apache Ant relies more on built-in tasks and custom tasks written in Java.

  3. Task Execution: Ant follows a sequential execution model where tasks are executed in the order they are specified in the build file, while Grunt allows developers to define task dependencies and run them in parallel or in the desired order.

  4. Configuration: Grunt relies on a declarative configuration approach where developers define tasks and their configurations in a Gruntfile, while Ant requires more verbose XML configurations for defining tasks and their properties.

  5. Scope: Ant is more suitable for complex build processes that involve multiple projects and require extensive customization, whereas Grunt is preferred for simpler projects or web development tasks that focus on automating repetitive tasks.

  6. Ease of Use: Grunt is considered more beginner-friendly due to its intuitive syntax and simplified configuration, making it easier for developers to get started with automation tasks, while Ant may have a steeper learning curve, especially for developers new to XML-based build scripts.

In Summary, Grunt is more favored for its JavaScript-based approach, extensive plugin ecosystem, and simpler task execution, making it a popular choice for web developers, while Apache Ant provides more flexibility and customization options for complex build processes.

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Detailed Comparison

Grunt
Grunt
Apache Ant
Apache Ant

The less work you have to do when performing repetitive tasks like minification, compilation, unit testing, linting, etc, the easier your job becomes. After you've configured it, a task runner can do most of that mundane work for you—and your team—with basically zero effort.

Ant is a Java-based build tool. In theory, it is kind of like Make, without Make's wrinkles and with the full portability of pure Java code.

-
The most complete Java build and deployment tool available.;Platform neutral and can handle platform specific properties such as file separators;Can be used to perform platform specific tasks such as modifying the modified time of a file using 'touch' command;Scripts are written using plain XML. If you are already familiar with XML, you can learn pretty quickly;Automate complicated repetitive tasks;Interface to develop custom tasks;Can be easily invoked from the command line and it can integrate with free and commercial IDEs
Statistics
GitHub Stars
12.3K
GitHub Stars
449
GitHub Forks
1.5K
GitHub Forks
449
Stacks
8.8K
Stacks
250
Followers
5.6K
Followers
151
Votes
697
Votes
7
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 288
    Configuration
  • 176
    Open source
  • 166
    Automation of minification and live reload
  • 60
    Great community
  • 7
    SASS compilation
Cons
  • 1
    Poor mindshare/community support
Pros
  • 4
    Flexible
  • 1
    Simple
  • 1
    Easy to learn
  • 1
    Easy to write own java-build-hooks
Cons
  • 1
    Slow
  • 1
    Old and not widely used anymore

What are some alternatives to Grunt, Apache Ant?

gulp

gulp

Build system automating tasks: minification and copying of all JavaScript files, static images. More capable of watching files to automatically rerun the task when a file changes.

Webpack

Webpack

A bundler for javascript and friends. Packs many modules into a few bundled assets. Code Splitting allows to load parts for the application on demand. Through "loaders" modules can be CommonJs, AMD, ES6 modules, CSS, Images, JSON, Coffeescript, LESS, ... and your custom stuff.

Apache Maven

Apache Maven

Maven allows a project to build using its project object model (POM) and a set of plugins that are shared by all projects using Maven, providing a uniform build system. Once you familiarize yourself with how one Maven project builds you automatically know how all Maven projects build saving you immense amounts of time when trying to navigate many projects.

Gradle

Gradle

Gradle is a build tool with a focus on build automation and support for multi-language development. If you are building, testing, publishing, and deploying software on any platform, Gradle offers a flexible model that can support the entire development lifecycle from compiling and packaging code to publishing web sites.

Bazel

Bazel

Bazel is a build tool that builds code quickly and reliably. It is used to build the majority of Google's software, and thus it has been designed to handle build problems present in Google's development environment.

Brunch

Brunch

Brunch is an assembler for HTML5 applications. It's agnostic to frameworks, libraries, programming, stylesheet & templating languages and backend technology.

Pants

Pants

Pants is a build system for Java, Scala and Python. It works particularly well for a source code repository that contains many distinct projects.

Parcel

Parcel

Parcel is a web application bundler, differentiated by its developer experience. It offers blazing fast performance utilizing multicore processing, and requires zero configuration.

rollup

rollup

It is a module bundler for JavaScript which compiles small pieces of code into something larger and more complex, such as a library or application. It uses the new standardized format for code modules included in the ES6 revision of JavaScript, instead of previous idiosyncratic solutions such as CommonJS and AMD.

Backpack

Backpack

Backpack is minimalistic build system for Node.js. Inspired by Facebook's create-react-app, Zeit's Next.js, and Remy's Nodemon, Backpack lets you create modern Node.js apps and services with zero configuration. Backpack handles all the file-watching, live-reloading, transpiling, and bundling, so you don't have to.

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