what technologies are used to build mobile apps

The missing link between a brilliant idea and a successful mobile application could be the app technology stack that you chose. In this guide, I'll share the dissimilar types of mobile stacks and how to cull the right one for your app.

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What is mobile evolution stack

The term mobile development stack or mobile stack refers to a combination of programming languages, platforms, frameworks, tools, UX/UI software, and other technologies required to develop a functional mobile app.

The mobile stack can exist categorized into these components:

Frontend - technologies that are used to develop the interface that interacts with end-users.
Back-end - Tools and software needed to create the underlying processing on the server.
Development - A consolidated platform that provides the necessary libraries and interfaces to build the app.
Supporting - Diverse tools and technologies that improve the security, flexibility, and performance of the app.

Your options of technologies for mobile stack depends on the platform that the app is targeting.

Android engineering science stack

If you're building a mobile app for Android, here'due south the core app engineering to use.

Programming Languages

Java - Coffee is arguably the most popular language for edifice Android app. Thanks to its usage by major companies, the language is well-supported and has groovy scalability. You'll have a wide choice of tools and libraries to choose from, plus they're mostly open-source.
Kotlin - Since its launch in 2011, Kotlin has become a favorite amid app developers and, more so, declared the second official Android development language by Google. You'll go a cleaner code with Kotlin, and it saves roughly 30% off code space compared to Jave. Too, Kotlin is 100% uniform with JVM, which ways y'all can still use Java frameworks for developing the app.

Android app evolution tools

Android Studio - It is the official development platform for Google'southward Android app. Android Studio is congenital upon Jetbrain's applied science, and it provides an intuitive interface for developers to build Android apps.

UI framework

Jetpack Compose - This modern UI toolkit allows developers to draw the UI elements, and it will do the hard work of rendering it dynamically. Currently, it is nonetheless not production-ready but a programmer version is bachelor.
Android UI - Android provides pre-built templates that are handy for developers to build user interfaces quickly.

Technology stack for iOS apps

Here'southward the mobile stacks list if you're building an app for iOS.

Programming languages

Objective-C - It's the original language used to build the iOS app, and Apple is however providing support for it. Nevertheless, edifice an app with Objective-C isn't easy, and developers are prone to make mistakes with it.
Swift - Swift is a relatively newer linguistic communication introduced in 2014, and developers are favoring information technology over Objective-C. Thanks to its safer syntax, fewer mistakes are committed and apps are developed in much less time. It's likewise easier to detect developers good in Swift equally it's easier to larn and chief.

iOS mobile development tools

Xcode - XCode is the official development tool by Apple, and it'due south your go-to platform whether you're using Swift or Objective-C. Information technology has all the features needed to build a native iOS mobile app, including a visual interface builder.
AppCode - Developed by a third party, AppCode is an open up-source alternative to XCode. While it enables iOS mobile app development, AppCode lacks the features of XCode and to an extent, is still dependent on the latter.

UI Frameworks

UIKit - UIKit is the bones framework for edifice graphical components in the iOS app. It contains templates defining the UI elements which class the building blocks of the app.
SwiftUI - SwiftUI is a newer framework that offers a more efficient manner of designing UI elements in iOS apps. However, it just works for IOS13 and above, and there are limited resources as it was just launched in 2019.

Cross-platform engineering stack

If you're building an app that targets both iOS and Android, this mobile stack volition save y'all from having different codebases.

Programming tools

React Native (JS) - React Native is arguably the superlative favorite amongst developers for developing a cross-platform app. It is based on JavaScript and offers key building blocks that work on both platforms.
Flutter (Dart) - Flutter is Google'due south answer to a cross-platform development tool. It features a 'hot reload' that prevents wasted time on emulators and simulators while its expressive widget promises native functioning.
Xamarin (C#) - Developers expert in C# will find Xamarin a natural pick for edifice cross-platform apps. Codes written in C# are cross-compiled to native programs for Android and iOS.

Cross-platform apps are popular equally information technology reduces fourth dimension to market while keeping development cost depression. However, the downside of doing so is that you're limited to functionalities allowed past the toolkit. Some device-specific features are not accessible with cantankerous-platform evolution.

Backend technology stack

The back cease, which handles business organisation logic, authentications, data direction, and processes crucial to the app, requires a different technology set up.

Backend engineering science stack includes the pick of hosting provider, database, programming languages, and frameworks.

mobile app technology stack consultation

How to choose the mobile technology stack

It'southward impossible to suggest a prefix set of app technology for all projects. Every app is unique and has its ain requirements. The aforementioned applies to your startup and the team that'south coding the app.

Instead of blindly copying the tech stack used by other apps, you'll want to start by asking important questions.

For case, is the toolkit a relatively new product? If you lot're using SwiftUI, yous're going to exist limited to iOS13 or later. It shouldn't exist your choice if you're going to target older versions of iOS.

Chances are, you're going to piece of work with a squad of developers. Your selection of tech stack must also reflect the expertise of your team. It volition be pointless to choose tools that your team is not skillful with.

Questions like how vast is the ecosystem of the tools and if it could hands integrate with other 3rd political party tools must also be considered. Ideally, you lot'll desire a flexible tech stack that does not limit you to working with a narrow range of modules.

Here are more factors to consider when choosing a mobile tech stack.

Mobile app'southward goal

What you're trying to achieve with the app will determine the choice of technologies. If you're trying to reach both iOS and Android users in the shortest fourth dimension and performance isn't critical, you'll desire to go for cross-platform tech stacks.

Apps like Facebook Ads Director is built with React Native.

All the same, if yous're building apps that require device-specific APIs like HealthKit, Samsung Health, or ARKit, you'll need to write native lawmaking in ReactNative app to work with native kits or utilize 3rd party framework. Simply we tin't rely on it 100% to develop the app with native toolkits.

Scalability

While you'll be focusing on delivering the primary features in the early stage, you'll want to plan for scalability when the app grows. This means choosing a tech stack that isn't restrictive when it's fourth dimension for growth.

You'll need to focus on technologies that support a stable organization architecture when users and traffic increases. Your option of server, hosting provider, database, and even programming languages can mean hitting a bottleneck or seamless functioning when you aggrandize the app.

Security

Security is crucial regardless of which platforms y'all're edifice the app on. You tin can't afford to be conceited as malicious attackers could dispense the slightest vulnerabilities.

Thankfully, every pop mobile app engineering science is built-in with the necessary security features. The problem is choosing one that is properly-documented and with a bacteria, cleaner framework. It's too a skilful practise to select a toolkit that doesn't require writing lengthy codes.

Complexity

Complexity has a different meaning for developers. Just considering an app has many UI elements, it doesn't hateful it'southward complex. Instead, complexity reflects how the app interacts with the underlying mobile features and communication with the backend.

If you're building an app that requires data caching or receives information from the phone'southward sensors and photographic camera, you'll need to opt for native mobile stacks. Native app technology allows you to access features specific to the device, which isn't possible if you're building in a cross-platform surroundings.

However, if the app is as unproblematic as displaying data that it receives from the backend, you'll take a improve reward of using a cantankerous-platform solution. Instagram, which serves as an image and video-sharing social media, is built with React Native.

While it's possible to build a complex app with cantankerous-platform tools, you lot'll demand native development to consummate the modules involving the phone'south hardware.

Development Timeline

On Google Playstore, an average of 113,000 apps were released per month in 2020. That shows how competitive the industry is, and it's of import to cull mobile development technologies that accommodate the development timeline.

If you're building an MVP, yous'll need tools to get the app ready in weeks and not months. Nevertheless, the total version of the app may be developed with tools that allow for more features but with a longer timeline.

Mobile development stack at Uptech

At Uptech, we're inclined to use mobile stacks based on open technologies and supported by a good ecosystem. Our choice of app technology allows our developers to validate ideas in the market with an MVP quickly.

Nosotros're using mobile stacks that likewise allow improvements and expansion of the app in the hereafter. Scalability aside, we're able to easily maintain or develop products using similar technologies as we're using popular mobile stacks.

Larn more about Uptech's tech stack here.

FAQs About Mobile App Technology Stack

1. What is applied science stack?

Technology stack is a drove of software tools, programming languages, frameworks, APIs, and components that are required to develop a fully functional software.

2. What is the app stack used for?

The mobile app engineering science is pivotal in ensuring the success of the design, development and maintenance process. Therefore, information technology'southward essential to choose the right app applied science as the wrong choice tin can lead to the premature demise of the app in the market.

3. What is the best platform for mobile app development?

There isn't a 'best' platform to develop a mobile app. Instead, you'll demand to consider factors similar back up, skill sets, features, users demographic, and time-to-market.

4. How to choose the best engineering stack for mobile apps?

Information technology all comes downwardly to your app'southward purpose, scalability, security, complexity, and the timeline that'south accorded to the app.

Summary

Never take choosing mobile development stack lightly as it could hateful the success or failure of your app. Spare some fourth dimension to consider the various factors involved, and y'all'll be spared the pitfall of choosing the wrong one.

Else, drib me a bulletin, and I'll be happy to guide you in doing then.

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Source: https://www.uptech.team/blog/mobile-app-technology-stack