Bazel vs Sonatype Nexus: What are the differences?

# Bazel vs Sonatype Nexus

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1. **Build System vs Repository Manager**: Bazel is a build system that focuses on building software and managing dependencies, while Sonatype Nexus is a repository manager that stores, manages, and distributes binary components. While Bazel helps with the actual process of building software, Sonatype Nexus helps with storing and retrieving build artifacts.
2. **Language Support**: Bazel supports multiple languages including Java, C++, and Python, providing a more diverse range of supported languages for developers. On the other hand, Sonatype Nexus is language-agnostic and can be used with any programming language that requires dependency management and artifact storage.
3. **Scalability**: Bazel is known for its scalability, easily handling large codebases with millions of lines of code and dependencies. Sonatype Nexus, while capable of managing a considerable number of artifacts, may face challenges with extremely large-scale projects or organizations due to its focus on repository management.
4. **Dependency Management**: Bazel has built-in dependency management capabilities, allowing developers to define and manage dependencies within the build system. In contrast, Sonatype Nexus primarily focuses on storing and serving dependencies, relying on integration with build tools like Bazel for managing dependencies in the build process.
5. **Build Performance**: Bazel is renowned for its fast build times, utilizing its advanced caching and parallel execution features to optimize build performance. Sonatype Nexus, being a repository manager, does not directly impact build performance but can indirectly affect it if there are issues with artifact retrieval or network latency.
6. **Community and Ecosystem**: Bazel has a thriving open-source community and ecosystem with active contributions and support from major tech companies. Sonatype Nexus also has a community around it, but its primary focus is on providing enterprise-level repository management solutions with less emphasis on building and compiling software.

In summary, Bazel and Sonatype Nexus differ in their core functionalities, language support, scalability, dependency management approaches, build performance, and community focus. Each tool serves a distinct purpose in the software development and deployment lifecycle.