Tech Stacks for Mobile App Development

By NIIT Editorial

Published on 20/01/2021

6 minutes

A mobile stack refers to the collection of technologies that software developers depend on for a particular project. From programming languages to SDKs and IDEs, it covers the end-to-end spectrum of objectives that the software is targeted to solve. An android stack will be different from an iOS stack, owing to the native features of the respective platforms. It is vital to not vacillate and make up your mind for it could have serious consequences for your project later on. Here are the top technological stacks as acknowledged by experts to bear handsome ROIs.

Tech Stack for iOS Application Development

We’ll commence our checklist with the programming languages that Apple has outlined to be befitting its devices.

Programming Language: Swift

Swift is a natural choice. It was developed by Apple Inc. and released in 2014 so developers could build, and deploy cross-compatible applications for everything from iOS-backed desktops, to smartphones including the Apple cloud. It is built on the foundations of Objective-C overcoming its performance shortcomings and security inadequacies. Mobile app developers attribute improved app performances to Swift’s dynamic libraries that are uploaded to the memory directly. Another reason that it is less susceptible to errors is because of its internal support to work with text strings and data.

Toolkit: Apple Xcode

This toolkit compliments everything about Swift and then some. Apps created with the Apple Xcode are compatible across iOS devices. It comes with internal documentation support, Git repositories, and a graphical editor. Being a free IDE, Apple Xcode is the only genuine, vendor-backed alternative to create native iOS apps.

System Development Toolkit

The iOS SDK comes inbuilt with APIs that allow apps developed on the platform to be connected to the operating system, thus lessening the task of developers to build one additionally. The SDK is pre-packaged with all the necessary digital components required to allow touchscreen operations between the app and the iOS device.

Tech Stack for Android Application Development

Now that we are clear with the top choices for iOS, let us explore the one for android applications:

Programming Language: Kotlin

Java was once declared as the official language for Android Operating system by Google. It comes with a diverse, open-source repository of tools and libraries for developer support. But lately, on 7 May 2019, when Google announced Kotlin to be its’ preferred choice of development the latter pegged Java off the pedestal. On the upside, Kotlin is lightweight with a clean code and an advanced compiler. It was built on the shortcomings of Java that proved an obstacle for API designs.

Toolkit: Android Studio

The Android Studio plays the same role for the native OS as does the Apple Xcode for its platform. It serves as an integrated development environment where you can engineer apps for all android supporting devices. The studio comes with structured code modules using which you can build projects and test each one out separately for debugging. It also offers build automation and changeable build configurations.

Then there are the Android Developer Tools (ADT) offer on-device bugging tools, coding support, and a graphical UI builder in addition to automation testing capabilities.

SDK

Software engineers must use the latest SDKs if they intend to make their apps compatible with the active version of the operating system. They can also add third-party add-ons.

Wrapping Up

Technology is a volatile space and change often happens faster than vendors can incorporate them into their business. Keeping an eye out on the ongoing shifts in the sector is a must for anyone who wants to innovate cutting edge products and services.