Android and Bazel

This page contains resources that help you use Bazel with Android projects. It links to a tutorial, build rules, and other information specific to building Android projects with Bazel.

Getting started

The following resources will help you work with Bazel on Android projects:

• Tutorial: Building an Android app. This tutorial is a good place to start learning about Bazel commands and concepts, and how to build Android apps with Bazel.
• Codelab: Building Android Apps with Bazel. This codelab explains how to build Android apps with Bazel.

Features

Bazel has Android rules for building and testing Android apps, integrating with the SDK/NDK, and creating emulator images. There are also Bazel plugins for Android Studio and IntelliJ.

• Android rules. The Build Encyclopedia describes the rules for building and testing Android apps with Bazel.
• Integration with Android Studio. Bazel is compatible with Android Studio using the Android Studio with Bazel plugin.
• mobile-install for Android. Bazel’s mobile-install feature provides automated build-and-deploy functionality for building and testing Android apps directly on Android devices and emulators.
• Android instrumentation testing on emulators and devices.
• Android NDK integration. Bazel supports compiling to native code through direct NDK integration and the C++ rules.
• Android build performance. This page provides information on optimizing build performance for Android apps.

Further reading

• Integrating with dependencies from Google Maven and Maven Central with rules_jvm_external.
• Learn How Android Builds Work in Bazel.