In today’s DevOps era, software engineers, build and release managers, DevOps practitioners, and Java developers should learn Apache Ant to strengthen their understanding of foundational build automation concepts. While modern tools like Maven and Gradle dominate new projects, Ant remains essential for maintaining and modernizing legacy enterprise applications that still rely on XML-based build systems. Professionals working with CI/CD pipelines or managing hybrid environments can benefit from Ant’s flexibility in scripting custom build tasks and integrating with tools like Jenkins. Learning Ant also helps developers appreciate the evolution of build automation and understand the underlying processes behind automated compilation, packaging, and deployment. For DevOps teams responsible for older systems or cross-platform Java projects, mastering Ant provides a critical skill for ensuring stability, backward compatibility, and seamless integration within diverse development ecosystems.