How to Install Gradle on Debian 10

Introduction

Before we begin talking about how to install Gradle on Debian 10, let's briefly understand – What is Gradle?

Gradle is a powerful build automation tool used in software development. It simplifies the process of compiling, testing, and deploying applications. With its flexibility and efficient dependency management, Gradle allows developers to customize their build workflows.

It supports various programming languages, making it popular among Java, Android, and Kotlin developers. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, Gradle empowers you to automate and streamline your project builds, saving time and effort.

In this tutorial, you will install Gradle on Debian 10 Linux. We will also address a few FAQs on how to install Gradle on Debian 10.

Advantages of Gradle

1. Efficient Dependency Management: Gradle simplifies handling project dependencies, ensuring that required libraries and frameworks are seamlessly integrated.
2. Customizable Build Workflows: Gradle offers flexibility to define and customize build workflows, adapting to project-specific requirements.
3. Multi-Language Support: Gradle supports multiple programming languages, including Java, Android, and Kotlin, making it versatile for various development environments.
4. Incremental Builds: Gradle intelligently builds only the necessary components, saving time by avoiding recompilation of unchanged code.
5. Rich Plugin Ecosystem: Gradle provides a vast collection of plugins that extend its functionality, enabling integration with popular tools and frameworks.

Prerequisites to Install Gradle on Debian 10

The tutorial presumes you are logged in as root or a user with sudo privileges.

Installing OpenJDK

Java SE 8 or higher must be installed on the server in order to use Gradle.

To install the OpenJDK package, enter the following command:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install default-jdk

Run the following command to confirm the Java installation:

java -version

The screen will display the following output:

Output

openjdk version "11.0.6" 2020-01-14
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 11.0.6+10-post-Debian-1deb10u1)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 11.0.6+10-post-Debian-1deb10u1, mixed mode, sharing)

Downloading Gradle

The most recent version of Gradle is 7.6 at the time of writing this tutorial. You should check the Gradle releases page to see if a newer version is available before moving on to the next step.

Use the wget command shown below to download the Gradle binary file:

wget https://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-6.3-bin.zip -P /tmp

Extract the zip file in the /opt/gradle directory after the download is finished:

sudo apt install unzip
sudo unzip -d /opt/gradle /tmp/gradle-*.zip

Check to see if the Gradle files have been extracted:

ls /opt/gradle/gradle-*

Output

bin  init.d  lib  LICENSE  NOTICE  README

Setting up the Environment Variables

The next step is to configure the PATH environment variable to include the Gradle bin directory. Open your text editor and create a new file called gradle.sh in the /etc/profile.d directory to accomplish this.

sudo nano /etc/profile.d/gradle.sh

Paste the configuration shown below:

export GRADLE_HOME=/opt/gradle/gradle-6.3
export PATH=${GRADLE_HOME}/bin:${PATH}

Save the document, then exit. The script will be sourced during shell startup.

Run the chmod command to the script executable:

sudo chmod +x /etc/profile.d/gradle.sh

The source command should be used to load the environment variables:

source /etc/profile.d/gradle.sh

Verifying the Gradle Installation

Run the following command to see the Gradle version and check that Gradle is installed correctly:

gradle -v

The output should resemble something like shown below:

Output

Welcome to Gradle 6.3!

Here are the highlights of this release:
 - Java 14 support
 - Improved error messages for unexpected failures

For more details see https://docs.gradle.org/6.3/release-notes.html


------------------------------------------------------------
Gradle 6.3
------------------------------------------------------------

Build time:   2023-06-14 19:52:07 UTC
Revision:     bacd40b727b0130eeac8855ae3f9fd9a0b207c60

Kotlin:       1.3.70
Groovy:       2.5.10
Ant:          Apache Ant(TM) version 1.10.7 compiled on September 1 2019
JVM:          11.0.6 (Debian 11.0.6+10-post-Debian-1deb10u1)
OS:           Linux 4.19.0-6-amd64 amd64

Congratulations! Gradle is successfully installed on your Debian 10 system and is ready to use.

FAQs to Install Gradle on Debian 10

Conclusion

You now know how to install Gradle on Debian 10. To learn how to get started with Gradle, visit the official Gradle Documentation page.

If you have any queries, please leave a comment below, and we’ll be happy to respond to them.