A Java-centric re-write of the make(1) system in Java without the dependency on the shell. Part of the Apache project.
The difference between Ant and make(1) is approximately 30 years of SoftwareEngineering theory and practice. It uses "build.xml" files rather than MakeFiles, has a much wider range of built-in targets than make and is extensible using Java classes rather than sh(1) scripts.
http://ant.apache.org/