Ant vs Maven: Difference and Comparison

Many languages are used for developing different software and tools to make different tasks easier. The build tool is one of these tools which are used for developing new programs. Two types of build tools that are used are Ant and Maven. Both of them are used for the automation of repetitive specific tasks and have similar functions.

Following all the required information and differences that will help remove the confusion between them.

Key Takeaways

1. Ant is a tool that uses XML-based build files, while Maven uses a Project Object Model (POM) written in XML for build configuration.
2. Maven simplifies project management through its dependency management and builds lifecycle features, whereas Ant offers more flexibility and control over the build process.
3. Ant requires manual configuration of build tasks, while Maven uses conventions to streamline and standardize builds across projects.

Ant vs Maven

The difference between Ant and Maven is that both of them are different types of tools. Ant is a type of build-up tool, whereas Maven is a type of project management tool. Maven has a few advantages, such as a formal built-in convention, reusable plugins, built-in dependency management, etc., whereas all of these advantages are absent in the case of Ant. Despite this absence, the Ant is more flexible and easier, which also requires the least maintenance making it a more preferable option, while Maven is relatively more complex and less flexible hence, preferred less. Other than these, they can be differentiated on several bases, such as their nature, framework type, information requirement, lifecycles, etc., which are mentioned below.

Ant or popularly known as Apache Ant is a build tool. It is a java based command-line tool. It is used for the process of automation of repetitive specific tasks. It was created in July 2000 by James Duncan Davidson and was used to build the tomcat. The new version of it was then released in May 2014 with some advanced features. The latest version of it is 1.10.3, which was released in March 2018.

A maven is an automation tool used for Java Projects mainly. It is used for projects written in C#, Ruby, Scala, and many other languages. This tool is hosted by the Apache Software Foundation. It has reusable plugins and is declarative in nature. It was released on 13 July 2004, and the meaning of its name is ‘accumulator of knowledge. Java-based projects can be developed easily with the help of this tool.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Ant	Maven
Conventions	No formal conventions	Have built-in formal conventions
Type of tool	Build Tool	Project Management Tool
Usability	Not reusable	It has Reusable plugins
Preference	More preferred due to flexibility	Less preferred due to more complications.
Nature	Procedural Nature	Declarative Nature

What is Ant?

The following are the benefits of using this build tool:

• Allows you to automate selected tasks that happen in repetition. For example, running software tests, creating files, and compiling source code.
• No graphical user interface is required to run the program.
• Conversion of source code into executable code is easy with the help.
• Recompiling files is easier.
• Compiling several files in a short period.

Features of Apache Ant:

• Open-source project.
• Run on windows and UNIX/Linux systems.
• Require JVM for running.
• Wide ranges of predefined tasks are offered.
• Allow copying from different locations.
• Help in developing custom tasks.
• Deploy binaries to the test server.
• Extensible Architecture.
• Backward Compatibility.

The following are the steps required for installing this on Windows:

1. Download the Binaries.
2. Unzip Files.
3. Creation of environment variable.
4. Add on system properties.
5. Finding the environment variables.
6. Create a new user.
7. Fill in the details.
8. Create user.

Every build of Ant consists of the following nodes:

1. Project: everything under this is a project that has a name, Basedir, and default attributes.
2. Target: these are specific tasks defining the specific state for the process. It has a name, description, depends, if, and unless attributes.
3. Task: it is a section of code. This can be executed and has multiple attributes.

What is Maven?

Maven has the following functions:

• Making the project easier to build.
• Its project can be shared by all the maven projects.
• Providing project information.
• Easier to migrate to the advanced features of Maven.

It helps in managing:

• Builds.
• Documentation.
• Reporting.
• SCMs
• Releases
• Distribution

The following are the benefits of Maven:

• Better Dependency Management: it has better dependency management. Therefore dependent projects or tasks can be completed more easily as compared to other build tools.
• More advanced: it has advanced features which make it more preferred by the professionals that deal with these functions on a daily basis. It has certain features, such as reusable plugins, that are absent in similar tools.

Although it has several advantages with all of them, there is some disadvantage as well. It is more complex, difficult to work with, requires more maintenance, can be slow, and is unreliable.

Main Differences Between Ant and Maven

1. Both of them are based on different frameworks. Maven is mainly based on the POM concept, while Ant is based on Java Library and Command-Line Toolbox.
2. They can be differentiated based on formal convention. Maven has a formal convention that is used for placing the source of code, compiled code, etc., whereas Ant has the slight disadvantage of not having a built-in formal convention.
3. In the case of Maven, information on the project structure is not required in the pom.xml file, whereas the information on the project structure is required in the build.xml file in the case of Ant.
4. Both of them are different when it comes to lifecycle. While Maven has a lifecycle, but Ant does not have any lifecycle.
5. Both of them are different. Maven is declarative in nature, which implies that the source needs to be present in the default directory only, whereas the Ant is of procedural nature, which means manual instruction of what and when to do it is required.
6. Maven also has the advantage that it can self-download from a central repository the dependencies for building projects, whereas Ant has no such built-in support of dependency management for carrying out such processes.
7. Maven consists of reusable plugins, while no such reusable scripts have consisted of the Ant.
8. Ant is far more flexible and less complicated, which makes it more preferred by users. It also does not require heavy maintenance making it the best choice, whereas Maven is comparatively less flexible and more complex, making it less preferable.

References

1. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5261053/
2. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4302-0439-8_8
3. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10664-011-9169-5
4. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7832933/