14 Programming Languages for Mobile App Development
These are the questions you need to ask yourself to find out where your time, effort and resources are best provided. At the end of the day, make sure you can go to market as quickly as possible with the best app possible.
Programming language for mobile application development
Are you thinking about learning how to code for mobile app development? The first thing you need to do is figure out what programming language to learn.
Years ago, there were only two ways to create a mobile app — one for iOS and one for Android.
But today, there is a wide range of languages, frameworks, SDKs and tools that you can use to create an application.
this guide to help you understand the most popular programming languages and frameworks for mobile application development. You can use this information to decide which language to learn and invest in for your app.
The information below is intended for those of you who want to code. This guide contains everything you need to know about programming languages for application development, from low-level to high-level coding, hybrid applications and local development. Let’s go inside.
Types of mobile applications
Before we move on, In general, mobile app developers can design an app in one of three categories:
Native Applications — Coded in a language that is supported locally by the operating system of the specific device. (Example: Native iOS app versus Native Android app).
Hybrid applications — cross-platform development. Applications that can run on multiple platforms are coded in a single language.
Progressive Web Applications (PWA) — A lightweight application that works on the URL of a device’s web browser. It looks and feels like a mobile app, but it is not distributed locally on the device.
The most common thing you hear when discussing mobile app development is the difference between native and hybrid apps. This has been a great discussion for developers for some time.
As briefly mentioned above, native applications are built for a specific operating system. So if you want to develop an app for iOS and Android, you need to build it specifically for iOS and specifically for Android.
Among others there are advantages to this method. As we continue through this guide we will take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of these application development methods.
Programming languages for iOS applications
Apple created the iOS platform. If you develop the iOS app, it will work on Apple devices like iPhones and iPods. Apps built using the iOS programming language can be made available for users to download on the Apple App Store.
You must have an Apple Developer Account to create and launch the iOS app. You also need the Xcode IDE installed on the Mac computer (you can not properly build and debug on a Windows computer).
Xcode comes with everything you need to create apps for all Apple devices. This development toolkit includes code editor, simulators, debugger and SDK.
There are two native programming languages for iOS development — Objective-C and Swift.
Below is a closer look at each of these Apple programming languages.
Objective-c
Objective-C is Apple’s first programming language to support mobile applications on its platform. It is an OO (object-oriented) language that uses syntax from C and OO elements of SmallTalk.
The language is not very developer-friendly. One drawback is that the syntax feels prank and the square brackets are hard to debug.
Swift
Swift was introduced in 2014 as the Apple programming language. It will finally be available for development in Xcode next year.
This language quickly became the preferred choice of developers when creating the iOS app. Objective-C usage has declined since the advent of the Swift. For any modern applications built into Apple, Swift is heavily promoted.
Compared to Objective-C, Swift is easy and compact. Any Apple developer who already knows how to build with Objective-C should have no problems switching to Swift.
Programming languages for Android application development
Android is an open source software development platform run by Google. While Google has its own mobile devices for phones and tablets, other manufacturers, such as Samsung and Huawei, also produce phones and tablets powered by the Android OS.
To build an Android application, you need to get an Android development toolkit that includes debuggers, emulators and the required SDK. Android Studio is the best integrated development environment (IDE) for Android application improvement, Other options are available, but Android Studio is definitely the most popular.
Android IDEs can generally run on any OS, including Windows, Mac and Linux.
Let’s take a closer look at two Android programming languages, Java and Kotlin.
Java
Since Android was officially launched in 2008, Java has been the default development language for writing Android applications. This object-oriented language was first recreated in 1995.
Despite its fair share of Java, it is still the most popular language for Android development.
Most of the other Android languages are considered a version of Java or a taste of Java.
Kotlin
Google has announced that it will begin supporting the Kotlin programming language in 2017. It is an alternative language to traditional Java for Android development. As a new language, it is very popular.
Kotlin and Java can interact, meaning they can use the same information. All your Java libraries can be accessed with Kotlin. From an implementation point of view, the Kotlin language is compatible with the Java bytecode. Overall, it is considered a neater and cleaner version of Java.
Native development programming languages
As I said earlier, all native application programming languages have their benefits. Whether you are using Objective-C or Swift for Apple or any other flavor of Java (such as Cotlin) for Java or Android, these are the pros and cons.
Native Programming Pros:
- More control over the device
- Low-level coding for the latest technology added to the device
- Fast access to the latest and greatest features through your language
- Faster on the bottom line of execution
Native Programming Cons:
- Development is slow
- A very expensive development method
- Takes the most skilled and specialized app developers to build for iOS and Android
- High barrier to entry
- Although native programming languages give you more control over your application, they are harder to learn and take longer to develop. Unless you are building a highly specialized app, you do not have to go the local route.
Programming languages for hybrid applications
Hybrid applications were once developed, but written with a programming language that works for multiple platforms.
In general, the same development works for both iOS and Android. Although some hybrid languages extend their functionality to other platforms such as PWAs (progressive web applications). Those of you who are happy to move into a more web-friendly environment.
When you build a hybrid application, you are usually dealing with a JavaScript based language, framework or toolkit.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these options below.
Xamarin and C #
Developed by Microsoft, C # (pronounced C Sharp) is another object-oriented programming language. Microsoft eventually acquired the Xamarin Framework, which allowed application frameworks to be programmed using C # against other frameworks.
Alternatives to S-Systems and other low-code types such as Connie include an SDK that can be used with more than one language.
Using IDE for hybrid development, the C # code was cross-compiled to run locally on iOS and Android devices.
JavaScript languages
The most popular hybrid languages use JavaScript frameworks. It is a general-purpose programming language for multiple uses.
- Respond locally
- Accelerator
- Cardova / PhoneGap
- These are just some of the top options. Google also has some niche builders called Dart and Flutter.
React local and accelerator
Both Reactive Native and Accelerator use JavaScript to communicate with pre-built functionality that is local to their framework. It allows you to modify the UI, collect data and retrieve data so that you can display it to the user.
In general, this means that you rely heavily on JavaScript to convert native components. There are benefits to programming an app in this way.
Respond Local and Accelerator Pros:
- Using Java to change something locally
- Access local functionality directly from JavaScript
Local and Accelerator Cons:
- Do not press on things like HTML5 or CSS, these are technologies that are commonly used by those developing in JavaScript to freely modify their own user interface.
- The barrier to entry to learn this programming technique is at the medium level.
Cardova / PhoneGap
The Cordova / PhoneGap and Ionic type frameworks are actually built on top of the Apache Cordova programming language. Hybrid applications that use this language are built by porting the web experience into a local experience.
What does this mean?
This method allows you to build as you did for the website. So if you’re a web developer, you’re right here at home. It uses JavaScript, HTML and CSS. That web environment is ported locally to iOS and Android.
Pros:
- Low barrier to entry
- Anyone with a web development background can easily start programming this way
- The curve is easy to learn
Cons:
- Giving the frame rate a little
- If you are developing a game or augmented reality (AR) app, this solution may not be the best language for you. Both require a high frame rate.
MBaaS (mobile backend as a service)
All hybrid frameworks and native languages all have one thing in common to create mobile applications — they all need to be built from scratch and all are missing a major component.
Anyone who has developed a mobile app in the past will understand that the app is a part of the whole environment and the whole solution. You also need a huge mobile backend for a service called MBaaS.
What do you need MBaaS for? Here are some examples:
- Host your data
- Host user profiles
- Compile analytics
- Send push notifications
- The list goes on. All of these are servers living in the cloud that you need to develop to support your application. Except if you are building a basic application like Calculator, you for the most part need some sort of client verification, information base, CMS, and so on
Buildfire JS
This is where Buildfire JS comes into play.
The Buildfire JS Framework lets you build just like you do on the Cordova Hybrid Platform. You can use web technology like JavaScript, HTML and CSS. But this framework does not force you to build everything from scratch.
Authentication and push notifications are built on top of an existing platform. The platform includes all the basic functions required for most applications, such as user logins, password reset functionality, access to databases, access to CMS platforms, and more.
With Buildfire JS, you only need to build something specific to your specific application.
Build analytics servers, databases, push notification servers, API gateways and more are part of the massive MBaaS provided by Firefire.
All of these are bundled in an open-source environment, allowing people to constantly add new features to the platform. You can integrate those features into your app without having to worry about security issues or licensing.
Having said all that and once you have developed your app with Buildfire, there is a backend control panel that allows you to run your app on the air without the hassle of publishing and updating.
Since your app is built on the platform with MBaaS, you do not have to worry about new policies, terms, compliance issues, features and much more on iOS and Android. Buildfire makes sure your application is compliant.
Final ideas
What is the best programming language for mobile application development?
There is no right or wrong answer as to which programming language you should learn or which framework you should invest in. All the options listed in this guide are good and valid options. They each have benefits. There are also additional languages for server-side programmings, such as Python.
You need to find what works best for you, your business, and your goals.
What kind of application are you building? What does the application need? Where do you want to put more effort? Do you want to improve it one or more times?
These are the questions you need to ask yourself to find out where your time, effort, and resources are best provided. At the end of the day, make sure you can go to the market as quickly as possible with the best app possible.
need any assistance from the team for your app development contact with the Mobile and Web app development Company. FUGENX Technologies.
