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This guide covers building and running the Kafka project in different configurations.

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Build Configuration

Kafka uses Gradle with Kotlin DSL for build configuration. The project is configured with:
  • Compile SDK: 36
  • Min SDK: 24 (Android 7.0)
  • Target SDK: 34 (Android 14)
  • Java Version: 17
  • Kotlin: 2.3.0

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Build Types

Kafka supports multiple build types defined in app/build.gradle.kts:

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Debug Build

The debug build is optimized for development: 
debug {
    signingConfig = signingConfigs["debug"]
    versionNameSuffix = "-dev"
    applicationIdSuffix = ".debug"
}
  • Application ID: com.kafka.user.debug
  • Minification: Disabled
  • Debuggable: Yes
# Build debug APK
./gradlew assembleDebug

# Install and run debug build
./gradlew installDebug

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Release Build

The release build is optimized for production with code shrinking and obfuscation: 
release {
    signingConfig = signingConfigs["debug"]
    isShrinkResources = true
    isMinifyEnabled = true
    proguardFiles("proguard-rules.pro")
}

# Build release APK
./gradlew assembleRelease

# Build release bundle (for Play Store)
./gradlew bundleRelease
Release builds use R8 full mode for aggressive code shrinking. Build times will be significantly longer than debug builds.

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RC (Release Candidate) Build

For testing release builds before production: 
create("rc") {
    initWith(buildTypes["release"])
    signingConfig = signingConfigs["debug"]
    versionNameSuffix = "-rc"
    applicationIdSuffix = ".rc"
}
  • Application ID: com.kafka.user.rc
  • Minification: Enabled
  • Allows side-by-side installation with debug and release builds
./gradlew assembleRc

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Benchmark Build

Optimized for performance testing: 
create("benchmark") {
    initWith(buildTypes["release"])
    signingConfig = signingConfigs["debug"]
    matchingFallbacks += "release"
    proguardFiles("proguard-rules.pro")
}

./gradlew assembleBenchmark

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Running the App

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From Android Studio

1

Select Build Variant

  1. Click Build > Select Build Variant in the menu
  2. Choose your desired build variant (debug, release, rc, or benchmark)
  3. Select the appropriate variant for the app module
2

Run Configuration

  1. Ensure your device or emulator is connected
  2. Select the target device from the device dropdown
  3. Click the Run button (green play icon) or press Shift+F10

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From Command Line

# Install debug build and launch
./gradlew installDebug
adb shell am start -n com.kafka.user.debug/.MainActivity

# Or use the run task
./gradlew runDebug

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Build Output Location

Built APKs and bundles are located in: 
app/build/outputs/
├── apk/
│   ├── debug/
│   │   └── app-debug.apk
│   ├── release/
│   │   └── app-release.apk
│   ├── rc/
│   │   └── app-rc.apk
│   └── benchmark/
│       └── app-benchmark.apk
└── bundle/
    └── release/
        └── app-release.aab

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Gradle Tasks

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Common Tasks

# Clean build outputs
./gradlew clean

# Clean and rebuild
./gradlew clean assembleDebug

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Module-Specific Builds

Build specific modules: 
# Build a specific module
./gradlew :ui:homepage:assembleDebug

# Build all modules
./gradlew assembleDebug

# List all tasks for a module
./gradlew :app:tasks

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Compose Compiler Metrics

To generate Compose compiler metrics and reports: 
./gradlew assembleDebug -Ptivi.enableComposeCompilerReports=true
Reports will be generated in: 
build/compose_metrics/
├── <module>-composables.txt
├── <module>-classes.txt
└── <module>-module.json
Compose compiler reports help identify optimization opportunities in your Composable functions.

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Baseline Profiles

Kafka uses baseline profiles for improved app startup and runtime performance: 
# Generate baseline profile
./gradlew :baselineprofile:generateBaselineProfile

# Generate using connected device
./gradlew :baselineprofile:generateBaselineProfile -Pandroid.testInstrumentationRunnerArguments.androidx.benchmark.enabledRules=BaselineProfile
The baseline profile configuration uses a Pixel 6 API 31 managed device or any connected device.

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Optimization Settings

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ProGuard/R8 Rules

Release builds use R8 for code shrinking and obfuscation. Custom rules are defined in app/proguard-rules.pro. Key settings from gradle.properties: 
# Enable R8 full mode for aggressive optimization
android.enableR8.fullMode=true

# Optimize resources
android.enableResourceOptimizations=true

# Disable unused build features
android.defaults.buildfeatures.resvalues=false
android.defaults.buildfeatures.shaders=false

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Build Performance

Optimize build performance with these settings (already configured): 
# Gradle daemon settings
org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx6020m -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8
org.gradle.caching=true
org.gradle.parallel=true
org.gradle.configureondemand=true

# Kotlin incremental compilation
kapt.use.worker.api=true
kapt.incremental.apt=true

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CI/CD Build

The project includes a GitHub Actions workflow for automated builds. Reference: .github/workflows/build-release.yml Key CI steps:
1

Checkout Code

Both Kafka and Sarahang repositories are checked out
2

Setup JDK 17

Uses Temurin distribution with Gradle caching
3

Configure Secrets

  • Google Services JSON
  • Release keystore
  • API tokens from environment variables
4

Build Release

./gradlew assembleRelease

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Troubleshooting

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Build Failures

Ensure Sarahang is cloned in the parent directory:
cd ..
ls -la  # Should show both Kafka/ and Sarahang/
Increase Gradle memory allocation in gradle.properties:
org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx8192m -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8
Clean and rebuild:
./gradlew clean
./gradlew assembleDebug --refresh-dependencies
  • Enable parallel builds (already configured)
  • Use Gradle daemon (already configured)
  • Consider using configuration cache
  • Close other applications to free memory

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Next Steps

Testing

Learn about testing strategies

Contributing

Contribute to the project

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