Ant

Apache Ant is a Java-based build tool developed by the Apache Software Foundation. It is used primarily for automating the build processes in software development, especially for [[Java]] applications. Unlike traditional script-based build tools, Ant uses [[Extensible Markup Language|XML]] to describe the build process and its dependencies.

Ant uses an XML file (commonly named build.xml) to define the build tasks and their dependencies. This XML-based configuration makes Ant builds easy to read and maintain. Being Java-based, Ant is platform-independent. It can run on any operating system where the [[Java Runtime Environment (JRE)]] is available.

Ant includes a large number of built-in tasks that allow developers to compile code, copy files, delete directories, process [[Java Archive (JAR)|Java archives (JARs)]], and more. These tasks can be extended by writing custom tasks.

Ant integrates well with popular Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) like Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, and NetBeans, making it easy to use within a developer's workflow. Developers can extend Ant's capabilities by writing their own tasks in Java. They can also use third-party libraries and tasks to augment Ant’s core functionality.

Common use cases for Ant include compiling Java code, packaging binary code into JAR files, running tests, generating documentation, and deploying applications. Ant scripts are highly customizable, and the tool is known for its flexibility and simplicity. It allows for complex builds with conditional logic, looping, and method calls.

Ant predates tools like [[Apache Maven]] and [[Gradle]]. While it’s less opinionated than Maven and doesn’t have a convention-over-configuration approach, it may require more detailed setup for dependencies and project structure.

While Ant itself doesn’t provide advanced dependency management features like Maven or Gradle, it can be integrated with Apache Ivy for managing dependencies.