The `extension` is usually considered the wa that ...

# gradle

[jlleitschuh]

The extension is usually considered the wa that you configure the entire plugin. The configuration that you put on the extension can cause the plugin to create various different tasks that are outside the scope of what any normal user would need to configure.
Additionally, things configured on an extension might do things like cause multiple tasks to be created depending upon how it's configured.

The configuration of the tasks with code like:

tasks.withType<ShadowJar> {
   // Some config here
}

It's more about configuring the logic specific to one part of a plugin's task execution.

@eriwen any interest in chiming in here to add any additional information and/or a link to a Gradle doc that explains the differences better than I can?