Gradle plugin for creating fat/uber JARs, transforming files, relocating packages, and optimizing with R8/ProGuard. The Gradle counterpart to Maven Shade Plugin.
Star History
Momentum
+106
STARS · LAST 30 DAYS
4
PER DAY
#32
MOST-STARRED Kotlin
| Window | 7 days | 30 days | 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars gained | +28 | +106 | +360 |
| Per day | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Forks gained | +2 | +9 | +21 |
shadow gained 106 stars in the last 30 days, about 4 a day, and now has 4.2K. It is about 14 years old and has averaged roughly 303 stars a year. It ranks #32 among Kotlin repositories and #1,246 across all languages on GitHubRepo.
Trending Record
5
DAYS ON TRENDING
#769
BEST RANK
Sep 24, 2026
FIRST APPEARANCE
Active
STATUS TODAY
shadow has maintained a continuous presence across global trending indexes, peaking at #769. Below is the 30-day activity profile:
💡 Overview
shadow is an open-source project written in Kotlin: Gradle plugin for creating fat/uber JARs, transforming files, relocating packages, and optimizing with R8/ProGuard. The Gradle counterpart to Maven Shade Plugin.
Engineered for speed, consistency, and developer ease, it solves common hurdles in fat-jar, fatjar, gradle. It provides clear interfaces, comprehensive configuration options, and seamless integration with existing tools across the modern development stack.
⚡ Key Features
Optimized execution pipeline written in Kotlin for predictable speed.
Zero-friction configuration with comprehensive sensible defaults out of the box.
Cross-platform runtime support across Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.
Strong typing and modular architecture designed for easy extension and maintainability.
Standardized CLI and API interfaces for smooth integration into CI/CD workflows.
Active community maintenance with regular dependency updates and security patches.
📥 Installation
$ git clone https://github.com/GradleUp/shadow.git
cd shadow⚙ System Requirements
Platforms
- • macOS
- • Linux
- • Windows
Runtime & Dependencies
JDK 17+, Kotlin compiler >= 1.9
Architecture
x86_64, ARM64 (Apple Silicon & Graviton)
🧠 How It Works
shadow coordinates its core functionality through a modular Kotlin pipeline. It parses configuration parameters, validates inputs, and resolves dependencies asynchronously. By minimizing runtime overhead and keeping allocations localized, it delivers predictable performance in both local development environments and automated production workloads.
🎯 Production Use Cases
Production System Integration
Embed shadow into Kotlin backend services to handle core application logic.
CI/CD Automated Pipelines
Run automated validation, builds, and integration suites during deployments.
Developer Tooling & Workflows
Accelerate developer onboarding with pre-configured project utilities.
Open Source Extension
Fork and customize internal modules under the repository's open Apache-2.0 license.
🚀 Getting Started
Install shadow using your package manager: `git clone https://github.com/GradleUp/shadow.git`
Initialize your project workspace or configuration file for shadow.
Import shadow into your codebase or invoke it directly from your terminal.
Execute your test suite or run `shadow --help` to verify successful setup.
👍 Strengths
⚠️ Considerations
⇄ Alternatives & Direct Competitors
👥 Who Should Use This
Developers and engineering teams building with Kotlin, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads.
🏆 Nearby in the Rankings
GradleUp/shadow is currently ranked #1,246 by stars across every repository tracked on GitHubRepo. These are adjacent projects:
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1,241 | adaltas/node-csv | JavaScript | ★ 4.3K | Compare ↗ |
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| #1,245 | codeceptjs/CodeceptJS | JavaScript | ★ 4.2K | Compare ↗ |
| #1,246 | GradleUp/shadow This Project | Kotlin | ★ 4.2K | |
| #1,247 | DependencyTrack/dependency-track | Java | ★ 4.2K | Compare ↗ |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does shadow do? +
Gradle plugin for creating fat/uber JARs, transforming files, relocating packages, and optimizing with R8/ProGuard. The Gradle counterpart to Maven Shade Plugin.
What language is shadow written in? +
The primary language is Kotlin. Topics include: fat-jar, fatjar, gradle, gradle-plugin, groovy.
Is shadow actively maintained? +
Yes, the last recorded push was on Sep 27, 2026 with 15 open issues being tracked.
How many stars does shadow have? +
shadow has 4,240 stars and 426 forks on GitHub.
How does shadow rank among GitHub repositories? +
With 4,240 stars, GradleUp/shadow is ranked #1,246 globally across all repositories tracked on GitHubRepo and #32 among Kotlin projects.
What license is shadow distributed under? +
The repository reports a Apache-2.0 license. Always verify the repository LICENSE file for legal terms.
