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Android Studio 3.2 Canary 5
Build #AI-173.4630681, built on March 3, 2018
JRE: 1.8.0_152-release-1136-b01 amd64
JVM: OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM by JetBrains s.r.o
Linux 4.15.4-300.fc27.x86_64

I have just started a new project and when I sync'd I got this dialog box.

enter image description here

I am just wondering what is the difference between the Android Gradle Project and Gradle.

How would I upgrade to Gradle to version 4.5?
What is the purpose of both of these?

Many thanks in advance

ant2009
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4 Answers4

62

Gradle is the build system.

You can use it with a lot of plugins. One of these is the Android Gradle plugin.
It is used to provide processes and configurable settings that are specific to building and testing Android applications.

Gabriele Mariotti
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    Upvoting for clearing a common misconception: the Android Gradle Plugin is a plugin for Gradle which allows you to build Android applications, not a plugin for Android Studio which allows you to use Gradle. – user2891462 Sep 08 '20 at 15:43
22

Even if you have written the same java source code for a java project and android project, the way they are built and executed completely differs from each other.
Java project sources compiles to byte codes (.class files) and runs on JVM (java virtual machine). Android project sources compiles to Dalvik byte codes (.dex files) and runs on DVM (Dalvik Virtual Machine). And both of these virtual machine have different ways of executing commands.

Android projects have many platform specific steps when building application that standard Java applications does not have. (like packaging as apk, automatic signing, project flavors management, minimum API level) With the addition of Android Gradle plugin these differences can be applied more easily and in a more refined way. (So building Android apps becomes easier for everyone).

miskender
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12

The Android Studio build system is based on Gradle, and the Android plugin for Gradle adds several features that are specific to building Android apps. Although the Android plugin is typically updated in lock-step with Android Studio, the plugin (and the rest of the Gradle system) can run independent of Android Studio and be updated separately.

From the Docs

https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/gradle-plugin.html

MarGin
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    Only to be more complete: in Doc(above link) there is a table that specified which version of Gradle is required for each version of the Android Gradle plugin. – Reyhane Farshbaf Nov 17 '20 at 09:55
-3

In Android development, there are two distinct components related to Gradle:

  1. Android Gradle Plugin (AGP) Version: The Android Gradle Plugin is a build tool provided by Google for building Android applications. It's responsible for tasks like compiling code, packaging resources, and generating APK files. The Android Gradle Plugin is specified in your project's build.gradle file within the "buildscript" block, like this:
buildscript {
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:4.2.2'
    }
}

In this example, the AGP version is set to "4.2.2."

  1. Gradle Version: Gradle is the build automation tool used by Android Studio to execute build tasks. It's responsible for downloading dependencies, managing project configuration, and running various build tasks. The Gradle version is specified in the Gradle Wrapper configuration or in the "gradle-wrapper.properties" file, like this:
distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-7.0.2-bin.zip

In this example, the Gradle version is set to "7.0.2."

The key differences between these two versions are:

Purpose:

AGP Version: It is specific to Android app development and is used for building Android projects. Gradle Version: It is the core build tool used by various projects and is not Android-specific. It can be used for building a wide range of projects, not just Android apps.

Responsibilities:

AGP Version: It primarily deals with Android-specific build tasks, such as generating APKs, handling resources, and integrating with Android libraries and components. Gradle Version: It handles the general build process and dependency management for your project. It's responsible for resolving and downloading all project dependencies, including the Android Gradle Plugin itself.

Compatibility:

AGP Version: The Android Gradle Plugin version needs to be compatible with the Gradle version being used. The Android Gradle Plugin version often specifies the minimum and maximum compatible Gradle versions. Gradle Version: It's responsible for executing all build tasks in your project, including those related to the Android Gradle Plugin. It should be compatible with the Android Gradle Plugin version you're using.

In summary, the Android Gradle Plugin version and the Gradle version are two separate but related components in an Android project's build process. They serve different purposes, and it's important to ensure that they are compatible with each other to build and maintain Android applications successfully.

Arun Aditya
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