# Understanding Plugins

version 8.14.5-20260321040636+0000

Gradle comes with a set of powerful core systems such as dependency management, task execution, and project configuration. But everything else it can do is supplied by plugins.

Plugins encapsulate logic for specific tasks or integrations, such as compiling code, running tests, or deploying artifacts. By applying plugins, users can easily add new features to their build process without having to write complex code from scratch.

This plugin-based approach allows Gradle to be lightweight and modular. It also promotes code reuse and maintainability, as plugins can be shared across projects or within an organization.

Before reading this chapter, it’s recommended that you first read Learning The Basics and complete the Tutorial.

## Plugins Introduction

Plugins can be sourced from Gradle or the Gradle community. But when users want to organize their build logic or need specific build capabilities not provided by existing plugins, they can develop their own.

As such, we distinguish between three different kinds of plugins:

1. Core Plugins - plugins that come from Gradle.

2. Community Plugins - plugins that come from Gradle Plugin Portal or a public repository.

3. Local or Custom Plugins - plugins that you develop yourself.

### Core Plugins

The term core plugin refers to a plugin that is part of the Gradle distribution such as the Java Library Plugin. They are always available.

### Community Plugins

The term community plugin refers to a plugin published to the Gradle Plugin Portal (or another public repository) such as the Spotless Plugin.

### Local or Custom Plugins

The term local or custom plugin refers to a plugin you write yourself for your own build.

## Custom plugins

There are three types of custom plugins:

# | Type | Location: | Most likely: | Benefit:
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | Script plugins | A `.gradle(.kts)` script file | A local plugin | Plugin is automatically compiled and included in the classpath of the build script.
2 | Precompiled script plugins | `buildSrc` folder or composite build | A convention plugin | Plugin is automatically compiled, tested, and available on the classpath of the build script. The plugin is visible to every build script used by the build.
3 | Binary plugins | Standalone project | A shared plugin | Plugin JAR is produced and published. The plugin can be used in multiple builds and shared with others.

## Script plugins

Script plugins are typically small, local plugins written in script files for tasks specific to a single build or project. They do not need to be reused across multiple projects. Script plugins are not recommended but many other forms of plugins evolve from script plugins.

To create a plugin, you need to write a class that implements the Plugin interface.

The following sample creates a `GreetingPlugin`, which adds a `hello` task to a project when applied:

build.gradle.kts

    class GreetingPlugin : Plugin<Project> {
        override fun apply(project: Project) {
            project.task("hello") {
                doLast {
                    println("Hello from the GreetingPlugin")
                }
            }
        }
    }

    // Apply the plugin
    apply<GreetingPlugin>()

build.gradle

    class GreetingPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
        void apply(Project project) {
            project.task('hello') {
                doLast {
                    println 'Hello from the GreetingPlugin'
                }
            }
        }
    }

    // Apply the plugin
    apply plugin: GreetingPlugin

    $ gradle -q hello
    Hello from the GreetingPlugin

The `Project` object is passed as a parameter in `apply()`, which the plugin can use to configure the project however it needs to (such as adding tasks, configuring dependencies, etc.). In this example, the plugin is written directly in the build file which is not a recommended practice.

When the plugin is written in a separate script file, it can be applied using `apply(from = "file_name.gradle.kts")` or `apply from: 'file_name.gradle'`. In the example below, the plugin is coded in the `other.gradle(.kts)` script file. Then, the `other.gradle(.kts)` is applied to `build.gradle(.kts)` using `apply from`:

other.gradle.kts

    class GreetingScriptPlugin : Plugin<Project> {
        override fun apply(project: Project) {
            project.task("hi") {
                doLast {
                    println("Hi from the GreetingScriptPlugin")
                }
            }
        }
    }

    // Apply the plugin
    apply<GreetingScriptPlugin>()

other.gradle

    class GreetingScriptPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
        void apply(Project project) {
            project.task('hi') {
                doLast {
                    println 'Hi from the GreetingScriptPlugin'
                }
            }
        }
    }

    // Apply the plugin
    apply plugin: GreetingScriptPlugin

build.gradle.kts

    apply(from = "other.gradle.kts")

build.gradle

    apply from: 'other.gradle'

    $ gradle -q hi
    Hi from the GreetingScriptPlugin

Script plugins should be avoided.

## Precompiled script plugins

Precompiled script plugins are compiled into class files and packaged into a JAR before they are executed. These plugins use the Groovy DSL or Kotlin DSL instead of pure Java, Kotlin, or Groovy. They are best used as convention plugins that share build logic across projects or as a way to neatly organize build logic.

To create a precompiled script plugin, you can:

1. Use Gradle’s Kotlin DSL - The plugin is a `.gradle.kts` file, and apply ``kotlin-dsl`` .

2. Use Gradle’s Groovy DSL - The plugin is a `.gradle` file, and apply `id("groovy-gradle-plugin")`.

To apply a precompiled script plugin, you need to know its ID. The ID is derived from the plugin script’s filename and its (optional) package declaration.

For example, the script `src/main/*/some-java-library.gradle(.kts)` has a plugin ID of `some-java-library` (assuming it has no package declaration). Likewise, `src/main/*/my/some-java-library.gradle(.kts)` has a plugin ID of `my.some-java-library` as long as it has a package declaration of `my`.

Precompiled script plugin names have two important limitations:

- They cannot start with `org.gradle`.

- They cannot have the same name as a core plugin.

When the plugin is applied to a project, Gradle creates an instance of the plugin class and calls the instance’s Plugin.apply() method.

| A new instance of a `Plugin` is created within each project applying that plugin.

Let’s rewrite the `GreetingPlugin` script plugin as a precompiled script plugin. Since we are using the Groovy or Kotlin DSL, the file essentially becomes the plugin. The original script plugin simply created a `hello` task which printed a greeting, this is what we will do in the pre-compiled script plugin:

buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/GreetingPlugin.gradle.kts

    tasks.register("hello") {
        doLast {
            println("Hello from the convention GreetingPlugin")
        }
    }

buildSrc/src/main/groovy/GreetingPlugin.gradle

    tasks.register("hello") {
        doLast {
            println("Hello from the convention GreetingPlugin")
        }
    }

The `GreetingPlugin` can now be applied in other subprojects' builds by using its ID:

app/build.gradle.kts

    plugins {
        application
        id("GreetingPlugin")
    }

app/build.gradle

    plugins {
        id 'application'
        id('GreetingPlugin')
    }

    $ gradle -q hello
    Hello from the convention GreetingPlugin

## Convention plugins

A convention plugin is typically a precompiled script plugin that configures existing core and community plugins with your own conventions (i.e. default values) such as setting the Java version by using `java.toolchain.languageVersion = JavaLanguageVersion.of(17)`. Convention plugins are also used to enforce project standards and help streamline the build process. They can apply and configure plugins, create new tasks and extensions, set dependencies, and much more.

Let’s take an example build with three subprojects: one for `data-model`, one for `database-logic` and one for `app` code. The project has the following structure:

    .
    ├── buildSrc
    │   ├── src
    │   │   └──...
    │   └── build.gradle.kts
    ├── data-model
    │   ├── src
    │   │   └──...
    │   └── build.gradle.kts
    ├── database-logic
    │   ├── src
    │   │   └──...
    │   └── build.gradle.kts
    ├── app
    │   ├── src
    │   │   └──...
    │   └── build.gradle.kts
    └── settings.gradle.kts

The build file of the `database-logic` subproject is as follows:

database-logic/build.gradle.kts

    plugins {
        id("java-library")
        id("org.jetbrains.kotlin.jvm") version "2.0.21"
    }

    repositories {
        mavenCentral()
    }

    java {
        toolchain.languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(11))
    }

    tasks.test {
        useJUnitPlatform()
    }

    kotlin {
        jvmToolchain(11)
    }

    // More build logic

database-logic/build.gradle

    plugins {
        id 'java-library'
        id 'org.jetbrains.kotlin.jvm' version '2.0.21'
    }

    repositories {
        mavenCentral()
    }

    java {
        toolchain.languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(11))
    }

    tasks.test {
        useJUnitPlatform()
    }

    kotlin {
        jvmToolchain {
            languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(11))
        }
    }

    // More build logic

We apply the `java-library` plugin and add the `org.jetbrains.kotlin.jvm` plugin for Kotlin support. We also configure Kotlin, Java, tests and more.

Our build file is beginning to grow…​

The more plugins we apply and the more plugins we configure, the larger it gets. There’s also repetition in the build files of the `app` and `data-model` subprojects, especially when configuring common extensions like setting the Java version and Kotlin support.

To address this, we use convention plugins. This allows us to avoid repeating configuration in each build file and keeps our build scripts more concise and maintainable. In convention plugins, we can encapsulate arbitrary build configuration or custom build logic.

To develop a convention plugin, we recommend using `buildSrc` – which represents a completely separate Gradle build. `buildSrc` has its own settings file to define where dependencies of this build are located.

We add a Kotlin script called `my-java-library.gradle.kts` inside the `buildSrc/src/main/kotlin` directory. Or conversely, a Groovy script called `my-java-library.gradle` inside the `buildSrc/src/main/groovy` directory. We put all the plugin application and configuration from the `database-logic` build file into it:

buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/my-java-library.gradle.kts

    plugins {
        id("java-library")
        id("org.jetbrains.kotlin.jvm")
    }

    repositories {
        mavenCentral()
    }

    java {
        toolchain.languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(11))
    }

    tasks.test {
        useJUnitPlatform()
    }

    kotlin {
        jvmToolchain(11)
    }

buildSrc/src/main/groovy/my-java-library.gradle

    plugins {
        id 'java-library'
        id 'org.jetbrains.kotlin.jvm'
    }

    repositories {
        mavenCentral()
    }

    java {
        toolchain.languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(11))
    }

    tasks.test {
        useJUnitPlatform()
    }

    kotlin {
        jvmToolchain {
            languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(11))
        }
    }

The name of the file `my-java-library` is the ID of our brand-new plugin, which we can now use in all of our subprojects.

| Why is the version of `id 'org.jetbrains.kotlin.jvm'` missing? See Applying External Plugins to Pre-Compiled Script Plugins.

The `database-logic` build file becomes much simpler by removing all the redundant build logic and applying our convention `my-java-library` plugin instead:

database-logic/build.gradle.kts

    plugins {
        id("my-java-library")
    }

database-logic/build.gradle

    plugins {
        id('my-java-library')
    }

This convention plugin enables us to easily share common configurations across all our build files. Any modifications can be made in one place, simplifying maintenance.

## Binary plugins

Binary plugins in Gradle are plugins that are built as standalone JAR files and applied to a project using the `plugins{}` block in the build script.

Let’s move our `GreetingPlugin` to a standalone project so that we can publish it and share it with others. The plugin is essentially moved from the `buildSrc` folder to its own build called `greeting-plugin`.

| You can publish the plugin from `buildSrc`, but this is not recommended practice. Plugins that are ready for publication should be in their own build.

`greeting-plugin` is simply a Java project that produces a JAR containing the plugin classes.

The easiest way to package and publish a plugin to a repository is to use the Gradle Plugin Development Plugin. This plugin provides the necessary tasks and configurations (including the plugin metadata) to compile your script into a plugin that can be applied in other builds.

Here is a simple build script for the `greeting-plugin` project using the Gradle Plugin Development Plugin:

build.gradle.kts

    plugins {
        `java-gradle-plugin`
    }

    gradlePlugin {
        plugins {
            create("simplePlugin") {
                id = "org.example.greeting"
                implementationClass = "org.example.GreetingPlugin"
            }
        }
    }

build.gradle

    plugins {
        id 'java-gradle-plugin'
    }

    gradlePlugin {
        plugins {
            simplePlugin {
                id = 'org.example.greeting'
                implementationClass = 'org.example.GreetingPlugin'
            }
        }
    }

For more on publishing plugins, see Publishing Plugins.

## Project vs Settings vs Init plugins

In the example used through this section, the plugin accepts the Project type as a type parameter. Alternatively, the plugin can accept a parameter of type Settings to be applied in a settings script, or a parameter of type Gradle to be applied in an initialization script.

The difference between these types of plugins lies in the scope of their application:

Project Plugin

  A project plugin is a plugin that is applied to a specific project in a build. It can customize the build logic, add tasks, and configure the project-specific settings.

Settings Plugin

  A settings plugin is a plugin that is applied in the `settings.gradle` or `settings.gradle.kts` file. It can configure settings that apply to the entire build, such as defining which projects are included in the build, configuring build script repositories, and applying common configurations to all projects.

Init Plugin

  An init plugin is a plugin that is applied in the `init.gradle` or `init.gradle.kts` file. It can configure settings that apply globally to all Gradle builds on a machine, such as configuring the Gradle version, setting up default repositories, or applying common plugins to all builds.