# The User Manual

version 8.6

Explore our guides and examples to use Gradle.

## Releases

Information on Gradle releases and how to install Gradle is found on the Installation page.

## Content

The Gradle User Manual is broken down into the following sections:

Running Gradle Builds

  Learn Gradle basics and how to use Gradle to build your project.

Authoring Gradle Builds

  Develop tasks and plugins to customize your build.

Authoring JVM Builds

  Use Gradle with your Java project.

Working with Dependencies

  Add dependencies to your build.

Optimizing Builds

  Use caches to optimize your build and understand the Gradle daemon, incremental builds and file system watching.

Gradle on CI

  Gradle integration with popular continuous integration (CI) servers.

## Reference

1. Gradle’s API Javadocs

2. Gradle’s Groovy DSL

3. Gradle’s Kotlin DSL

4. Gradle’s Core Plugins