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[[command_line_interface_basics]]
= Command-Line Interface Basics

The command-line interface is the primary **method of interacting with Gradle** outside the IDE.

image::gradle-basic-2.png[]

The Gradle CLI is the primary way to interact with a Gradle build from the terminal.
You can use it to run tasks, inspect the build, manage dependencies, and control logging, all through flexible and powerful command-line options.

TIP: Use of the <<gradle_wrapper.adoc#gradle_wrapper_reference, Gradle Wrapper>> is highly encouraged. Substitute `./gradlew` (in macOS / Linux) or `gradlew.bat` (in Windows) for `gradle` in the following examples.

== Running commands

To execute Gradle commands, use the following simple structure:

[source,text]
----
gradle [taskName...] [--option-name...]
----

You can specify one or more tasks separated by spaces.

[source,text]
----
gradle [taskName1 taskName2...] [--option-name...]
----

For example, to run a task named `build`, simply type:

[source,text]
----
gradle build
----

To `clean` first, and then `build`:

[source,text]
----
gradle clean build
----

== Command-line options

Gradle commands can include various options to adjust their behavior.
Options can appear _before_ or _after_ task names, like so:

[source,text]
----
gradle [--option-name...] [taskName...]
----

For options that accept a value, use an equals sign (`=`) for clarity:

[source,text]
----
gradle [...] --console=plain
----

Some options are toggles and have opposite forms.
For instance, to enable or disable the build cache:

[source,text]
----
gradle build --build-cache
gradle build --no-build-cache
----

Gradle also provides short-option equivalents for convenience.
The following two commands are equivalent:

[source,text]
----
gradle --help
gradle -h
----

[[command_line_executing_tasks]]
== Executing tasks

In Gradle, tasks belong to specific projects.
To clearly indicate which task you want to run, especially in multi-project builds, use a colon (`:`) as a project separator.

To execute a task named `test` at the root project level, use:

[source,text]
----
gradle :test
----

For nested subprojects, specify the full path using colons:

[source,text]
----
gradle :subproject:test
----

If you run a task without any colons, Gradle executes the task in the current directory's project context:

[source,text]
----
gradle test
----

[[disambiguate_task_options_from_built_in_options]]
== Task options

Some tasks accept their own specific options.
Pass these options directly after the task name, prefixed with `--`.

Here's how you can pass a custom option:

[source,text]
----
gradle taskName --exampleOption=exampleValue
----

For more details, see the complete <<command_line_interface.adoc#command_line_interface_reference, Gradle CLI reference>>.

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