Java Glossary : ANT

Ant is a build tool based on java that provides better support in development of java applications. The applications developed by using the ant build tool resolves various cross platform issues. All the java projects at Apache projects and and many other Open Source Java projects uses ant as the build tool. Ant is used in order to perform various task such compilation of java source code files, build your deployment JAR and WAR files, unit-test code and create projects javadoc documentation.

A lot of new features are added to ant 1.6.0, most of them support for XML namespaces having new concept of Ant libraries that allows of using namespaces in order to avoid name clashes of custom tasks.

Benefits of Ant

Ant is build IN Java, USING Java, and FOR Java
It supports Java Tools such as javac, javadoc, etc.
Ant simplifies the process of building, read an XML File Build and Maintain then MAKE file
It is easier to extend
It also supports Cross Platform Java Development
It is much faster than using MAKE ? Each command in ant works as a new process
It runs from within the JVM
Each command in ant is executed from within JVM
Tools such as javac are new threads rather than new process
Compiling large number of java source files is MUCH, faster with Ant
Ant's provides very helpful Debugging Options
Ant provides easier processing of reading an XML file than MAKEFILE
User does not need to have knowledge about all command line interface options to tools that can be called programmatically
Even a user can set up OS-Specific commands in 'TaskDefs' and/or included from other sources