[[build_travis]]
= Executing Gradle builds on Travis CI

TIP: Top engineering teams using Travis CI have been able to reduce CI build time by up to 90% by using the Gradle Build Cache. https://gradle.org/training/#build-cache-deep-dive[Register here] for our Build Cache training session to learn how your team can achieve similar results.

Building Gradle projects doesn't stop with the developer's machine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_integration[Continuous Integration] (CI) has been a long-established practice for running a build for every single change committed to version control to tighten the feedback loop.

In this guide, we'll discuss how to configure link:https://travis-ci.org/[Travis CI] for a typical Gradle project.

== What you'll need

* A text editor
* A command prompt
* The Java Development Kit (JDK), version 1.8 or higher

== Setup a typical project

As example, this guide is going to focus on a Java-based project.
More specifically, a Gradle plugin written in Java and tested with https://www.spekframework.org/[Spek].
First, we'll get the project set up on your local machine before covering the same steps on CI.

Just follow these steps:

=== Clone the https://github.com/gradle/gradle-site-plugin[Gradle Site Plugin] repository

[listing.terminal.sample-command]
----
$ git clone https://github.com/gradle/gradle-site-plugin.git
Cloning into 'gradle-site-plugin'...
$ cd gradle-site-plugin
----

=== Build the project

As a developer of a Java project, you'll typical want to compile the source code, run the tests and assemble the JAR artifact. That's no different for Gradle plugins. The following command achieves exactly that:

[listing.terminal.sample-command]
----
$ ./gradlew build

BUILD SUCCESSFUL
14 actionable tasks: 14 executed
----

The project provides the <<gradle_wrapper.adoc#gradle_wrapper,Gradle Wrapper>> as part of the repository.
It is a recommended practice for any Gradle project as it enables your project to built on CI without having to install the Gradle runtime.

=== Build scan integration

The sample project is equipped with support for generating link:https://scans.gradle.com/[build scans].
Running the build with the command line option `--scan` renders a link in the console.

[listing.terminal.sample-command]
----
$ ./gradlew build --scan
Publishing build scan...
https://gradle.com/s/7mtynxxmesdio
----

The following section will describe how to build the project with the help of Travis CI.

== Configure Travis CI

Travis CI is a free, cloud-based CI solution provider making it an excellent choice for open source projects.
You can build any project as long as it is hosted on GitHub as a public repository.
Travis CI doesn't not provide built-in options to post-process produced artifacts of the build e.g. host the JAR file or the HTML test reports.
You will have to use external services (like S3) to https://docs.travis-ci.com/user/uploading-artifacts/[transfer the files].

=== Create the configuration file

Travis CI requires you to check in a https://docs.travis-ci.com/user/customizing-the-build/[configuration file] with your source code named `.travis.yml`.
This file contains all relevant instructions for building the project.

The following configuration file tells Travis CI to build a Java project with JDK 8, skip the usual https://docs.travis-ci.com/user/customizing-the-build/#Skipping-the-Installation-Step[default execution step], and run the Gradle build with the Wrapper.

[listing]
----
language: java
install: skip

os: linux
dist: trusty
jdk: oraclejdk8

script:
  - ./gradlew build --scan -s
----

Select the project from the Travis CI profile.
After activating the repository from the dashboard, the project is ready to be built with every single commit.

image::ci-systems/travis-enable-project.png[Enabling a project]

NOTE: Configuring link:https://scans.gradle.com/[build scans] is especially helpful on cloud CI systems like Travis CI because it has additional environment and test results information that are difficult to obtain otherwise.

=== Enable caching of downloaded artifacts

Gradle's dependency management mechanism resolves declared modules and their corresponding artifacts from a binary repository.
Once downloaded, the files will be re-used from the cache.
You need to tell Travis CI explicitly that you want to https://docs.travis-ci.com/user/languages/java/#Caching[store and use the Gradle cache and Wrapper] for successive invocations of the build.

[listing]
----
before_cache:
  - rm -f  $HOME/.gradle/caches/modules-2/modules-2.lock
  - rm -fr $HOME/.gradle/caches/*/plugin-resolution/

cache:
  directories:
    - $HOME/.gradle/caches/
    - $HOME/.gradle/wrapper/
----

=== Further reading

You can learn more about advanced Travis CI usage through these resources:

* https://docs.travis-ci.com/user/encryption-keys/[Encrypting sensitive data]
* https://docs.travis-ci.com/user/build-stages/[Modelling a pipeline with build stages]

== Summary

Executing Gradle builds on CI can be set up and configured with just a handful of steps.
The benefit of receiving fast feedback clearly speaks for itself.
If you are not using Travis CI, no problem, many CI products tightly integrate with Gradle as a first-class citizen.
