# Composite Builds Plugin Development Sample

version 9.4.0-20260303013825+0000

- Groovy DSL

- Kotlin DSL

| You can open this sample in an IDE that supports Gradle.

## Composite build to develop a Gradle plugin

This sample demonstrates a composite build used to develop a Gradle plugin in conjunction with a consuming build.

The plugin could be in the same repository (only used by this build) or it could be in a different repository (used by many other builds).

This removes the need for the special `buildSrc` project and makes prototyping plugins even easier.

## Buildscript dependencies are substituted

In a composite build, dependencies declared in the `plugins { }` block or in the `buildscript` `classpath` configuration are substituted in the same way as other dependencies. In this sample, the build declares that plugin 'org.sample.greeting', and this dependency is substituted by the `greeting-plugin` included build.

Without ever publishing the `greeting-plugin` project to a repository, it is possible to build the project with the locally developed 'org.sample.greeting' plugin.

    > gradle --include-build ../greeting-plugin greeting
    [composite-build] Configuring build: /home/user/gradle/sample/compositeBuilds/plugin-dev/greeting-plugin
    :greeting-plugin:compileJava
    :greeting-plugin:pluginDescriptors
    :greeting-plugin:processResources
    :greeting-plugin:classes
    :greeting-plugin:jar
    :my-greeting-app:greeting
    Hi Bob!!!

## Plugin changes can be tested

This sample can be used to demonstrate the development lifecycle of a Gradle plugin. Edit the file `greeting-plugin/src/main/java/org/sample/GreetingTask.java` to change the greeting, and re-execute the consumer build:

    > gradle --include-build ../greeting-plugin greeting
    [composite-build] Configuring build: /home/user/gradle/sample/compositeBuilds/plugin-dev/greeting-plugin
    :greeting-plugin:compileJava
    :greeting-plugin:pluginDescriptors
    :greeting-plugin:processResources
    :greeting-plugin:classes
    :greeting-plugin:jar
    :my-greeting-app:greeting
    G'day Bob!!!