# Gradle on Travis CI

version 9.6.0

This page is a reference for integrating Gradle with Travis CI.

## Default Gradle behavior

When Travis CI detects a `build.gradle` or `build.gradle.kts` file in the repository root, it automatically applies Gradle-specific defaults for the build lifecycle:

Phase | Without Wrapper | With Wrapper (`gradlew` present)
--- | --- | ---
`install` | `gradle assemble` | `./gradlew assemble`
`script` | `gradle check` | `./gradlew check`

Most projects override one or both phases in `.travis.yml` to run custom tasks.

## Minimal configuration

A `.travis.yml` that builds a Gradle project with the Wrapper:

    language: java

    dist: focal
    jdk: openjdk17

    install: skip

    script:
      - ./gradlew build

- `language: java` activates the Java environment and JDK selection.

- `dist: focal` selects Ubuntu 20.04 (the current default). Other options include `jammy` (22.04) and `noble` (24.04).

- `jdk` selects the JDK. Common values: `openjdk17`, `openjdk21`. IBM Semeru builds are available as `semeru11`, `semeru17`, etc.

- `install: skip` skips the default `gradle assemble` phase — the `build` task already includes assembly.

- The Gradle Wrapper is detected automatically when `gradlew` exists in the repository root.

## Testing against multiple JDKs

Use a `jdk` matrix to test across several Java versions in parallel:

    language: java
    dist: focal

    jdk:
      - openjdk17
      - openjdk21

    install: skip

    script:
      - ./gradlew build

Travis CI creates one job per JDK entry. Combine with `os` to add cross-platform coverage:

    os:
      - linux
      - osx

    jdk:
      - openjdk17
      - openjdk21

## Caching

Travis CI can persist directories between builds. For Gradle projects, cache the Wrapper distribution and the dependency cache:

    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/

The `before_cache` step removes lock files that should not be persisted.

| If you run Gradle with `sudo`, dependencies are stored under `/root/.gradle` and the cache configuration above has no effect. Avoid `sudo` when invoking Gradle.

| For large dependency trees, the cache archive upload/download time on shared infrastructure may offset the savings. In that case, consider a Gradle Remote Build Cache or a repository manager to proxy external dependencies.

## Publishing Build Scans

Pass `--scan` in the `script` phase to publish a Build Scan® for every build:

    script:
      - ./gradlew build --scan

To auto-accept the terms of use without the `--scan` flag, configure the Develocity plugin in `settings.gradle[.kts]`. Travis CI sets `CI=true` automatically, which can be used to gate publication:

    plugins {
        id("com.gradle.develocity") version "3.18.1"
    }

    develocity {
        buildScan {
            if (System.getenv("CI") != null) {
                termsOfUseUrl = "https://gradle.com/help/legal-terms-of-use"
                termsOfUseAgree = "yes"
                publishing.onlyIf { true }
            }
        }
    }

## Useful environment variables

Variable | Purpose
--- | ---
`CI` / `TRAVIS` | Always `true`. Use to branch Gradle build logic for CI.
`TRAVIS_BRANCH` | Branch name for push builds; base branch for pull-request builds.
`TRAVIS_PULL_REQUEST` | Pull-request number, or `"false"` for push builds.
`TRAVIS_EVENT_TYPE` | Trigger type: `push`, `pull_request`, `api`, or `cron`.
`TRAVIS_TAG` | Git tag name if the build was triggered by a tag push; empty otherwise.
`TRAVIS_BUILD_DIR` | Absolute path to the checked-out repository on the worker.
`TRAVIS_COMMIT` | The SHA of the commit being built.

See Default environment variables for the full list.

## Build stages and conditional jobs

Travis CI build stages run groups of jobs sequentially, while jobs within a stage run in parallel. Use stages to model pipelines — for example, build first, then deploy only on tagged commits:

    jobs:
      include:
        - stage: build
          script: ./gradlew build

        - stage: publish
          if: tag IS present
          script: ./gradlew publish

## Managing secrets

Store credentials (publishing tokens, signing keys) as encrypted environment variables in the repository settings or in `.travis.yml` via the Travis CLI:

    travis encrypt PUBLISH_TOKEN=secret --add env.global

Access them in `build.gradle[.kts]` with `System.getenv("PUBLISH_TOKEN")` or `providers.environmentVariable("PUBLISH_TOKEN")`.