To build a project using Gradle, a build script has to be set up. By convention, the build script is called build.gradle.
Project, Tasks, & Actions
A build.gradle file represents a project and contains task definitions. Each task definition contains a list of actions. An action is a block of code analagous to a Java method.
Language
Gradle build scripts are written in a DSL (Domain Specific Language) based on Groovy.
In-memory Representation
Gradle creates a Project object and the Task objects based on the build file. A Task object consists of a list of Action objects. The order of the Action objects represent the order in which they have to be executed.
Gradle favors convention over configuration by providing sensible default values for properties and settings.
Conventions can be overridden if required.
Benefits
As sensible default values are provided, it is much easier to get started with less configuration required.