Is your build held together by duct tape?

In many software projects the build isn't given the time it deserves, and deteriorates with time.

Any of these sound familiar?

  • you're tired of waiting forever to rebuild after a one-line change
  • you're afraid to make changes to your build script
  • you wish your team were more productive


Yes, Gradle helps solve many of these issues. But there's still a problem.

The frustrations of learning Gradle

Some developers learning Gradle report feeling that to do anything you have to know everything. 

It's true that it's easy enough to create a simple Gradle project, but scaling your build as your project grows needs in-depth knowledge.

When you're working in a company that doesn't recognise the importance of build engineering, you likely don't get the time you need to properly learn Gradle.

This leads to frustration:

  • you're not sure if you're doing things the right way
  • you can get your project built, but it's not working efficiently
  • you're tired of reading official documentation written by experts for experts


When you want to make a positive difference in your team, there's nothing worse than not knowing where to start.

Been there. Done that.

Your instructor, Tom GregoryHi I'm Tom. And I felt the same 5 years ago when I was introduced to Gradle on a new project. It was fast & powerful, but my frustrated brain had no idea how it worked! 

On my next project it was back to the dreaded XML build tool, and a massive step back. There and then I decided that was it, I just had to figure out this Gradle thing! 

For the next few years I studied Gradle obsessively, and it finally gave up its mysteries. I made big gains in performance and maintainability, without XML! At last my team could spend more time delivering new features to our customers.

I continued my journey with Gradle, and since then have helped thousands of engineers get to grips with Gradle. 



Introducing Gradle Hero

Zero to Gradle hero in one course

Learn everything to build and maintain your Gradle project effectively.

Aimed primarily at those wanting to master building Java projects, it goes deep teaching you not only what to do, but why to do it.  

Gradle Hero gives you a clear mental model of how Gradle works, meaning projects and documentation start to make sense.

If you want to reach a high level of competence and effectiveness with Gradle as quickly as possible, Gradle Hero will get you there.

What exactly is Gradle Hero?

It's an online course, consisting of easy-to-understand video tutorials, practical lessons, quizzes, and more. 

Gradle Hero is designed specifically to turn you into a proficient Gradle build engineer fast.

From Tom: 

"Gradle Hero is the course I wish I'd had 5 years ago to avoid years of frustration. I can't go back in time, but the next best thing is to offer it to you to fast-track your journey."

Course outcomes

How you can expect this course to help you

  • know how to start any new Gradle project on the right foot

  • understand in-depth the fundamental Gradle concepts

  • propose and implement better ways of building your project

  • fix your build to make development fun again

  • master Java projects in Gradle

  • progress your career as a build engineer

Gradle Hero overview

5 chapters to Gradle proficiency

  • 1) Understanding the fundamentals

    All the key Gradle concepts you might have heard of, properly explained to get you to where you're easily creating simple projects from scratch.

  • 2) Interacting with Gradle

    Nailing command line and IDE interaction means you can more effectively work with Gradle projects. Be prepared for any situation, with full understanding of the Gradle wrapper, daemon, and build lifecycle.

  • 3) Mastering Gradle build scripts

    Each build script concept is dissected and explained simply, so all those mysterious code snippets now make sense. Prefer Groovy or Kotlin build scripts? Whatever your preference, we'll cover both languages here.

  • 4) Working with Java projects in Gradle

    If you work with Java projects, this is the ultimate guide to more effectively building, testing, and running them. And then some. By the end of this chapter, you'll be creating realistic Java projects following all the best-practices.

  • 5) Organising Gradle projects effectively

    Prepare your Gradle build for the growth and change expected in a successful software project. Scale up with multi-project builds, and learn to reuse build logic with tasks and plugins.

Learn through real examples

Create real-world applications

You'll create Gradle builds for real applications you can interact with based on a fictional Theme Park company.

Stay engaged

Learn through a variety of presentation techniques

Professionally presented with animated diagrams, slideshows, and screen annotations. You'll want to power through lesson after lesson.

Learn the latest techniques

Up-to-date for 2021

Gradle changes fast. Learn from the course that uses the latest Gradle version 7, so you can implement the best features in your project.
Gradle 7

So what do you actually get?

  • Access to all video lessons, to view at your own pace

  • Practical lessons, to improve understanding

  • Quizzes, to validate learning

  • Access to Gradle Hero GitHub repository

  • Interact with your instructor through lesson comments

  • Lifetime access, so you can come back any time

  • Inclusive access to all future course additions and updates

How is this course different?

REINFORCES LEARNING: a mix of theory, demonstration, practical lessons, and quizzes helps you retain knowledge 

RESPECTS YOUR TIME: properly scripted concise lessons mean you get what you need to know as efficiently as possible. No ums an errs here!

KEEPS YOU ENGAGED: this course is professionally presented with animated diagrams, slideshows, and annotated screencasts. Not just someone clicking around a screen for hours on end like other courses!

GIVES YOU DEEP KNOWLEDGE (NO SURFACE SKIMMING HERE): learn from an engineer whose been working with Gradle for 5 years+. I work almost exclusively with Gradle, have published 60+ in-depth articles and videos on it, and always keep up-to-date. 


Course lessons in detail

  • 1

    Introduction

    • How to make the most of your course

    • Building software with Gradle: not just another build tool
  • 2

    1) Understanding the Gradle fundamentals

    • Introduction

    • The Gradle project

    • The Gradle build script

    • The Gradle task

    • The Gradle plugin

    • Practical: creating a simple Gradle project

    • Quiz

    • "Zip" challenge
  • 3

    2) Interacting with Gradle

    • Introduction

    • gradle init: create projects in seconds

    • Gradle wrapper introduction

    • Managing the Gradle wrapper

    • Project layout

    • Command line interaction

    • Build lifecycle introduction

    • Gradle Daemon

    • IntelliJ IDEA Gradle integration

    • Practical "start from scratch"

    • Quiz
  • 4

    3) Mastering Gradle build scripts

    • Introduction

    • Groovy build scripts

    • Kotlin build scripts

    • Groovy or Kotlin. Which to choose?

    • Configuring your project

    • Defining tasks

    • Locating tasks

    • Task dependencies & ordering

    • Task inputs & outputs

    • Applying plugins

    • Repositories & dependencies

    • Quiz
  • 5

    4) Working with Java projects in Gradle

    • Introduction

    • The Java plugin

    • Practical: building a Java project

    • Tasks in Java projects

    • Dependencies in Java projects

    • Build customisations

    • Running Java applications

    • Testing Java applications

    • Adding integration tests to a project

    • Controlling Java versions

    • Publishing to Maven

    • Practical: building Spring Boot applications

    • Building Java libraries

    • Quiz
  • 6

    5) Organising Gradle projects effectively

    • Introduction

    • Project properties

    • Multi-project builds

    • Practical: creating a multi-project build

    • Working with files

    • buildSrc and convention plugins

    • Creating custom tasks

    • Quiz
  • 7

    Bonus lessons

    • Viewing the task graph

    • Investigating dependencies
  • 8

    Conclusion

    • What now?

    • Quick course survey
Watch Intro Video

How this course can help you

Gradle Hero is hot off the press...

...but here's what students have to say so far

5 star rating

Best Course On Gradle!

Maximilian Gravert

I was excited to find that Tom Gregory did this course on gradle as I already loved his videos on youtube. With his calm, witty and competent manner, it ...

Read More

I was excited to find that Tom Gregory did this course on gradle as I already loved his videos on youtube. With his calm, witty and competent manner, it was a pleasure for me as a student to watch the videos and I really hope that he will offer many more courses in the future. Before that, I've seen 6 gradle courses by now, but this is the only one that I would absolutely recommend! Thank you!

Read Less
5 star rating

Excellent introduction to Gradle

Steve Dearth

Tom's content is always great. This course gives a good overview of what can be done with Gradle and how to do it. This is a great way to pick up Gradle skil...

Read More

Tom's content is always great. This course gives a good overview of what can be done with Gradle and how to do it. This is a great way to pick up Gradle skills if you've been frustrated trying to learn it through documentation or outdated books. There really isn't any "fluff" in this course - everything presented will be useful and will help get you up and running with Gradle very quickly.

Read Less
5 star rating

Gradle 7 Shines Through

Kurt Fickie

I've run Gradle in production environments for several years, but wanted to learn needed adjustments for the latest version. This course shows many "best i...

Read More

I've run Gradle in production environments for several years, but wanted to learn needed adjustments for the latest version. This course shows many "best in practice" techniques to speed up and organize enterprise builds. Clear, concise examples illustrate how to improve code even for an "expert" in earlier releases. Well worth the time!

Read Less

Companies I've helped

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FAQ

  • How long do I get access for?

    You’ll have access for the lifetime of the course, for as long as I continue to run Gradle Hero, and guaranteed access for AT LEAST one year after you enroll. Of course you'll also benefit from any updates I make to the course too.

  • What if I don't get on with the course?

    While I've made every effort to make this course as approachable as possible, I understand you may change your mind. You can request a full refund within 30 days of purchase and I will return the full course fee. No hard feelings. I'd appreciate if you let me know why so I can continue to improve the course.

  • Who is this course for?

    It's ideal for anyone currently working with Gradle at a beginner or intermediate level, wanting to take it to the next level. The focus is on Java projects, not Android, but the fundamentals learnt help with any type of project.

    Some basic knowledge of Java will help to get the most from the course.

    If you're frustrated with your build, and are willing to put in the work to make a difference, then this course is for you.

  • How long does it take to complete the course?

    This depends on your learning style. There are 5 chapters each with on average 10 lessons. Each lesson is approximately 6 minutes long.

    An hour a day for 2-3 weeks should give you enough time to understand in full the lessons, complete the practicals, and take the quizzes. It's up to you though.

  • Who is Tom Gregory anyway?

    Tom, the course instructor, is originally from a Java development background. He made the switch to working full-time on Gradle after suffering the frustrations of inefficient builds, and wanting to improve things.

    Now he helps thousands of engineers create software more effectively through in-depth tutorials, videos, and courses. Slow builds are his itch, Gradle is his preferred tool for scratching them.

  • Does the world need another Gradle course?

    In short, yes. Most of the other courses available right now are out-of-date and don't have a good learning experience.

    Gradle Hero is different as it was designed from the ground up to get engineers to proficiency in Gradle as soon as possible, whilst making that journey enjoyable. The course also has a depth that other courses don't, since it was created by an engineer who is 100% focussed on the technology.

Don't forget, joining is risk free

I put a lot of value into Gradle Hero because I want to ensure anyone who takes it is successful in mastering Gradle.

To make your decision easier, on purchasing this course you have a full 30 day money-back guarantee.

Yes, you can sign up, access all the materials, take the practical lessons, and if you don't feel it's right for you just email me within 30 days and I'll refund the full course fee.