Groovy Development

What is Groovy ?

Apache Groovy is a Java-syntax-compatible object-oriented programming language for the Java platform. It is both a static and dynamic language with features similar to those of Python, Ruby, Perl, and Smalltalk. It can be used as both a programming language and a scripting language for the Java Platform, is compiled to Java virtual machine (JVM) bytecode, and interoperates seamlessly with other Java code and libraries. Groovy uses a curly-bracket syntax similar to Java's. Groovy supports closures, multiline strings, and expressions embedded in strings. Much of Groovy's power lies in its AST transformations, triggered through annotations.

Groovy 1.0 was released on January 2, 2007, and Groovy 2.0 in July, 2012. Since version 2, Groovy can be compiled statically, offering type inference and performance near that of Java. Groovy 2.4 was the last major release under Pivotal Software's sponsorship which ended in March 2015. Groovy 2.5.2 is the latest stable version of Groovy. Groovy has since changed its governance structure to a Project Management Committee in the Apache Software Foundation.

Source: Wikipedia


Advantages of Groovy

It's Java, but in a slightly different way

Groovy tries to be as natural as possible for Java developers. We’ve tried to follow the principle of least surprise when designing Groovy, particularly for developers learning Groovy who’ve come from a Java background.

Here we list all the major differences between Java and Groovy.

Source: Apache Groovy site


Reasons to use Groovy instead of Java

Groovy is a dynamic, object-oriented programming language for the Java platform. Its name comes from slang, where “groovy” means “cool”, “amazing” or “fashionable”.

Groovy is easy. Most of the code you write in Java will compile and work as expected when you try to run it as a Groovy program. Sure, sometimes you’ll be surprised by Groovy’s behaviour, but such cases are very limited. For example, == operator won’t compare instances but call equals() method instead. Isn’t it more intuitive though?

The learning curve for Groovy is flat: it won’t be challenging for someone who is fluent in Java. Also you don’t need to learn everything new from Groovy, you can discover new features step by step, so you won’t get overwhelmed.

I would never say that Groovy is a successor of Java or a language that will soon take over the world. But certainly it’s a great support tool whose knowledge will be beneficial. Knowing it will definitely increase your chances of getting your dream job.

Source: Allegro.tech


How can Asynchrone help with Groovy ?

Groovy is the main language Asynchrone uses. If you have a project written in Groovy, Asynchrone can provide the resources needed.

  • Backend solutions written in Groovy
    • API's supporting REST+JSON or SOAP+XML
    • Daemons running on Linux or Unix
  • Libraries written in Groovy
  • Plugins for various platforms written in Groovy, including Gradle
  • Extended Linux scripting using Groovy instead of Bash

More information

Page last updated on: 2018-09-10