is an agile dynamic language for the Java Platform with many features that inspired languages like Python, Ruby and Smalltalk, making them available to Java developers using a Java-like syntax.
works cleanly with all existing Java objects and libraries and compiles straight to Java bytecode!
!etoile_foncee.gif!is ideally designed for the following purposes :

• Developing web applications in a quick, concise and fun way. The [*Grails|http://grails.codehaus.org]* demonstrates Groovy's capability in this area.
  * Bringing the power  of a scripting language to the JVM with seamless integration with the Java Platform
  * Writing concise, meaningful, test cases using Groovy's JUnit integration.
  * Prototyping and producing real industrial strength applications
  * Writing shell scripts easily

can be used as a dynamically or staticly typed language and can either be compiled or interpreted

introduces powerful additional features to the JVM such as:

• Language conceptual enhancements
  • Support for closures - re-usable blocks of code
  • Native syntax for lists and maps
  • Support the Gof Builder pattern via the notion of builders
  • Syntax level regex operators and escape sequences
  • Native JavaBean support
  • Operator overloading  to simplify working with datatypes Collections and Maps
  • Polymorphic iteration and autoboxing
  • Extension of Java Standard Library through the GDK
  • TBD
• In addition, provides useful standard features to enhance developer productivity such as:
  • Groovy Markup for XML, DOM, ...
  • Groovy Path expression language
  • Groovlets for implementing Servlets easily in simple Groovy scripts
  • Ant Scripting
  • Groovy Categories allow you to add methods to classes with the "use" keyword
  • Groovy Template Engines which are pluggable, simple to use, integrate GPath and compile to bytecode
  • Groovy SQL for making SQL more Groovy
• And providing great user defined modules
  • Grails
  • Gram
  • COM Scripting
  • GroovySWT
  • GSP
  • GSQL
  • Process
  • XMLRPC