docs/content/actions/automating-builds-and-tests/building-and-testing-java-with-ant.md

title, intro, redirect_from, versions, type, topics, shortTitle

title	intro	redirect_from	versions	type	topics	shortTitle
Building and testing Java with Ant	You can create a continuous integration (CI) workflow in GitHub Actions to build and test your Java project with Ant.	/actions/language-and-framework-guides/building-and-testing-java-with-ant /actions/guides/building-and-testing-java-with-ant	fpt ghes ghae ghec * * * *	tutorial	CI Java Ant	Build & test Java & Ant

{% data reusables.actions.enterprise-beta %} {% data reusables.actions.enterprise-github-hosted-runners %}

Introduction

This guide shows you how to create a workflow that performs continuous integration (CI) for your Java project using the Ant build system. The workflow you create will allow you to see when commits to a pull request cause build or test failures against your default branch; this approach can help ensure that your code is always healthy. You can extend your CI workflow to upload artifacts from a workflow run.

{% ifversion ghae %} {% data reusables.actions.self-hosted-runners-software %} {% else %} {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %}-hosted runners have a tools cache with pre-installed software, which includes Java Development Kits (JDKs) and Ant. For a list of software and the pre-installed versions for JDK and Ant, see "AUTOTITLE". {% endif %}

Prerequisites

You should be familiar with YAML and the syntax for {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}. For more information, see:

• "AUTOTITLE"
• "AUTOTITLE"

We recommend that you have a basic understanding of Java and the Ant framework. For more information, see the Apache Ant Manual.

{% data reusables.actions.enterprise-setup-prereq %}

Using the Ant starter workflow

{% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} provides an Ant starter workflow that will work for most Ant-based Java projects. For more information, see the Ant starter workflow.

To get started quickly, you can choose the preconfigured Ant starter workflow when you create a new workflow. For more information, see the "AUTOTITLE."

You can also add this workflow manually by creating a new file in the .github/workflows directory of your repository.

name: Java CI

on: [push]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - uses: {% data reusables.actions.action-checkout %}
      - name: Set up JDK 17
        uses: {% data reusables.actions.action-setup-java %}
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'
      - name: Build with Ant
        run: ant -noinput -buildfile build.xml

This workflow performs the following steps:

1. The checkout step downloads a copy of your repository on the runner.
2. The setup-java step configures the Eclipse Temurin (Java) 17 JDK by Eclipse Adoptium.
3. The "Build with Ant" step runs the default target in your build.xml in non-interactive mode.

The default starter workflows are excellent starting points when creating your build and test workflow, and you can customize the starter workflow to suit your project’s needs.

{% data reusables.actions.example-github-runner %}

{% data reusables.actions.java-jvm-architecture %}

Building and testing your code

You can use the same commands that you use locally to build and test your code.

The starter workflow will run the default target specified in your build.xml file. Your default target will commonly be set to build classes, run tests and package classes into their distributable format, for example, a JAR file.

If you use different commands to build your project, or you want to run a different target, you can specify those. For example, you may want to run the jar target that's configured in your _build-ci.xml_ file.

steps:
  - uses: {% data reusables.actions.action-checkout %}
  - uses: {% data reusables.actions.action-setup-java %}
    with:
      java-version: '17'
      distribution: 'temurin'
  - name: Run the Ant jar target
    run: ant -noinput -buildfile build-ci.xml jar

Packaging workflow data as artifacts

After your build has succeeded and your tests have passed, you may want to upload the resulting Java packages as a build artifact. This will store the built packages as part of the workflow run, and allow you to download them. Artifacts can help you test and debug pull requests in your local environment before they're merged. For more information, see "AUTOTITLE."

Ant will usually create output files like JARs, EARs, or WARs in the build/jar directory. You can upload the contents of that directory using the upload-artifact action.

steps:
  - uses: {% data reusables.actions.action-checkout %}
  - uses: {% data reusables.actions.action-setup-java %}
    with:
      java-version: '17'
      distribution: 'temurin'
  
  - run: ant -noinput -buildfile build.xml
  - uses: {% data reusables.actions.action-upload-artifact %}
    with:
      name: Package
      path: build/jar