Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Gradle plugin for faster Java compiles

Hey HN, We've written a pretty cool Gradle plugin I wanted to share. It turns out if you native-image the Java and Kotlin compilers, you can experience a serious gain, especially for "smaller" projects (under 10,000 classes). By compiling the compiler with native image, JIT warmup normally experienced by Gradle/Maven et al is skipped. Startup time is extremely fast, since native image seals the heap into the binary itself. The native version of javac produces identical outputs from inputs. It's the same exact code, just AOT-compiled, translated to machine code, and pre-optimized by…

This Gradle plugin accelerates Java and Kotlin compilation by using GraalVM's native-image technology to ahead-of-time compile the javac compiler itself. The plugin is designed for Java developers, particularly those… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

1
Compile for Arm at native speeds in an emulated system▲63
Runs AWS graviton2 images on intel, with native-speed compile times - valkmit/aws-graviton2-on-intel
2021 · github.com · its alternatives →
2
Fast.js – faster reimplementations of native JavaScript functions▲323
Faster user-land reimplementations for several common builtin native JavaScript functions. - codemix/fast.js
2014 · github.com · its alternatives →
3
Skip – Build native iOS and Android apps from a single Swift codebase▲322
Hello Hacker News. I'm Marc, one half of the team that created skip.tools. Skip is a tool that transpiles your SwiftUI iOS app into a Kotlin Jetpack Compose app, and enables you to use a single language to create a complete app that reaches the entire mobile marketplace. What it is: Skip stands in contrast to other cross-platform development tools like Flutter, React Native, and Xamarin, in that it enables the creation of genuinely native applications for both of the dominant mobile platforms. It doesn't embed a separate engine or runtime into your app, but instead lets you use pure Swift…
2024 · skip.tools · its alternatives →
4
I wrote a Java decompiler in pure C language▲172
The world's fastest apk (android)/java open source decompiler - neocanable/garlic
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
5
A dependently-typed programming language with static memory management▲456
A functional programming language with static memory management - vekatze/neut
2020 · github.com · its alternatives →
6
Faster.js – a micro-optimizing JavaScript compiler▲89
faster.js is a Babel plugin that compiles idiomatic Javascript to faster, micro-optimized Javascript. - vzhou842/faster.js
2018 · github.com · its alternatives →
7
Hello World Java Polyglot▲15
I wanted to see how much simpler native code integration has become with GraalVM's polyglot, when compared to JNI. It's less than 100 lines all up (including the POM). (I feel kinda stupid posting a "hello world" to HN, but this is a hell of an improvement.) Linux only at the moment.
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
8
I finished v5 of a JVM framework I've spent spent half a decade making▲377
ForewordJavalin is a Java and Kotlin web framework which focuses on simplicity and Java/Kotlin interoperability.It supports WebSockets and HTTP3, and it uses...
2022 · javalin.io · its alternatives →
9
Koin Plugin for Intellij &Android Studio▲49
Spot configuration and performance issues right in your IDE
2025 · plugins.jetbrains.com · its alternatives →
10
JavaFactory – IntelliJ plugin to generate Java code▲44
Hi HN, I built a code generator plugin for IntelliJ that uses LLMs to create repetitive Java code like implementations, tests, and fixtures — based on custom natural-language patterns and annotation-based references. Most tools like Copilot or Cursor aim to be general, but fail to produce code that actually fits a project structure or passes tests. So I made something more explicit: define patterns + reference scope, and generate code consistently. In this demo, 400 lines of Java were generated in 20 seconds — and all tests passed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReBCXKOpW3M…
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
11
Tail Recursion Optimization for the JVM▲107
Optimizer library for tail recursive calls in Java bytecode - Sipkab/jvm-tail-recursion
2020 · github.com · its alternatives →
12SU
Speeding up the code-test cycle for Java developers▲69
Hello HN, I am Parth. In my experience, the current form of testing automation takes too long. To solve this, I am creating a developer tool to speed up the code-test cycle for Java developers. It has two main parts: Direct Invoke - lets you call any Java function directly, without the need to execute the whole call hierarchy. (e.g. an HTTP endpoint) In my normal coding workflow, I use the “Evaluate Expression” feature inside IntelliJ IDE. I usually put a breakpoint somewhere in the code and after hitting the breakpoint by calling an HTTP api, let the execution remain paused while I explore…
2023 · its alternatives →
13
Kasama – an IntelliJ plugin to keep track of your coding practices▲105
Hi HN, I want to share with you an IntelliJ plugin I have developed and launched. Based on my own needs, I wanted a plugin that monitors my coding practices and gives me stats about them in order for me to improve on them. So, here is Kasama: An IDE plugin that works like a sport fitness tracker, gathering data on: - your coding sessions, i.e. how long are you active in the IDE and for which project - your activity in different modules, and how the activity is split between test code and prod code - your version control (git) interactions: how often you commit, the lifespan your branches,…
2024 · plugins.jetbrains.com · its alternatives →
14
Run globally distributed full-stack apps on high-performance MicroVMs▲98
Hi HN! We’re Yann, Edouard, and Bastien from Koyeb (https://www.koyeb.com/). We’re building a platform to let you deploy full-stack apps on high-performance hardware around the world, with zero configuration. We provide a “global serverless feeling”, without the hassle of re-writing all your apps or managing k8s complexity [1]. We built Scaleway, a cloud service provider where we designed ARM servers and provided them as cloud servers. During our time there, we saw customers struggle with the same issues while trying to deploy full-stack applications and APIs resiliently. As…
2023 · koyeb.com · its alternatives →
15IB
I Built a Java IDE for iPad▲189
Includes OpenJDK 17 and IntelliSense. I don't know what led me to make this but here it is.
2024 · its alternatives →
16
Tiny – A 2D Game Engine in Kotlin Working with Lua▲100
I created a small 2D game engine named Tiny. The engine was created using Kotlin Multiplatform and can run on a JVM and JS. Funny things: Games can be created using the programming language Lua. Tiny is designed to help you create and test your ideas quickly and effectively. Not only can you run your games on your desktop computer, but you can also export them for the web, making it easy to share your creations with others. You can create games easily with the hot reload, small API and Lua, which is very easy to learn. If you want to test a game idea, to try to create your first game or just…
2023 · minigdx.github.io · its alternatives →
17
s0mbra▲6
My mobile app experience with Kotlin was overwhelming and slow, so I decided to build something better from scratch. The result? An IDE written from the ground up for mobile developers who want something faster, leaner, and more focused. It's not a wrapper, plugin collection, or fork — it's built specifically to prioritize performance and simplicity. RAM usage stays between 200MB-1.2GB, even on resource-heavy tasks. Fast startup (boots in seconds, not minutes), minimal lag, and no distractions. More resources for your code, less waiting around. The setup includes everything needed to code…
2025 · s0mbra.com · its alternatives →
18
Nix Snapshotter – Native understanding of Nix packages for containerd▲145
Hello! This is Edgar and Robbie and we built nix-snapshotter. nix-snapshotter brings native understanding of Nix packages to containerd. We built this because Nix is a great fit for making efficient containers. They don't need an OS because Nix captures all dependencies exactly. However, the current process of creating Nix images is subpar because one needs to transform Nix packages into a format that container runtimes understand. Using nix-snapshotter, instead of downloading image layers, packages come directly from the Nix store. Packages can be fetched from a binary cache or built on the…
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
19
myCompiler▲122
Run your favourite programming languages online
2019 · mycompiler.io · its alternatives →
20
Mystral Native – Run JavaScript games natively with WebGPU (no browser)▲50
Hi HN, I've been building Mystral Native — a lightweight native runtime that lets you write games in JavaScript/TypeScript using standard Web APIs (WebGPU, Canvas 2D, Web Audio, fetch) and run them as standalone desktop apps. Think "Electron for games" but without Chromium. Or a JS runtime like Node, Deno, or Bun but optimized for WebGPU (and bundling a window / event system using SDL3). Why: I originally started by starting a new game engine in WebGPU, and I loved the iteration loop of writing Typescript & instantly seeing the changes in the browser with hot reloading. After…
Jan 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
21
Standalone Jdk.compiler, Java Compiler Framework and Tree API▲69
With this standalone compiler, you can rely on all Java 11 javac features to be available, even when using newer Java versions. Specifically, this allows you to: - compile code even if your Java environment isn't a full JDK (Java JRE, for example!) - target Java 1.7 for compilation without any warnings or restrictions. - use the Compiler Tree API without resorting to --add-opens trickery that may eventually fail in newer Java releases - build a modified compiler with additional features or custom tweaks I made this after finding that the otherwise superb "jsweet" Java-to-JavaScript…
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
22
Felgo▲92
Develop native apps for iOS & Android faster
2019 · felgo.com · its alternatives →
23
Building better base images▲38
This project addresses the inefficiencies of traditional Dockerfile-based container builds where each customization layer creates storage bloat through duplicate dependencies from repeated apt-get install commands, network inefficiency from redundant package downloads across different images, and slow iteration cycles requiring full rebuilds of all previous steps. Our solution enables building minimal base images from scratch using debootstrap that precisely include only required components in the initial build, while allowing creation of specialized variants (Java, Kafka, etc.) from these…
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
24
Runabout▲90
Instantly reproduce scenarios in your code
2023 · plugins.jetbrains.com · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →