What Is The Best Technology Stack Fit For Your Mobile App
Ever had Pineapple pizza? Pineapples and Pizza, what could go wrong?! The idea sounds good but that’s not what you end up with. This is what happens when you find yourself with the wrong technology stack for your mobile app development. Your app wouldn’t be the app you wanted it to be but something else.
Imagine tech stacks as the ingredients and the app as the main dish. If your ingredients are right and synergize well together, you will not cook your desired dish.
Tech stacks are extremely crucial as they are the first step people make mistakes with, and that costs them money and time.
In this blog, I am going to tell you every minute detail about a tech stack that you must know before jumping on the mobile app bandwagon. We will go through how you can select a relevant tech stack to begin your mobile app development process and build an app that performs like you want it to be.
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What is Tech Stack?
Technology stack is literally the choice of software services like programming languages, tools, frameworks, APIs, databases, and more, which are required to develop a mobile app. What makes these choices a stack is a way they synergize together for a better end result.
It consists of four domains that build the anatomy of your mobile app, which are:
Front-end Development
It deals with the user interface and the navigation of the mobile app. The interface must be developed and designed to work well everywhere, irrespective of various platforms, device screen sizes, and resolutions.
Back-end Development
It takes care of the app’s user experience and handles all the backstage business logic, functionality, data storage, performance, and security. The backend development involves the web servers, database, programming languages, frameworks, microservices, and many other things.
Mobile App Development Platform
Mobile app development platforms allow you to create, test, optimize, debug, deploy, and maintain mobile applications. Generally, third-party MADPs are used, such as mBaaS, front-end development tools, and administration APIs. They are available in various formats, including web, native, hybrid, cross-platform development, and on-premise and cloud-based service options.
Additional Requirements
Additional tools and technology requirements need to be fulfilled to make your app secure, robust, and reliable.
Why It Is Crucial to Select a Promising Tech Stack
A tech stack can make or break your app’s future as it is dependent on it for almost every aspect. The tech stack is the backbone behind the development and security of the app, which you can’t gamble with because an app would be a failure if it is not secured or cannot perform the critical function.
A good technology stack will make your app robust, scalable, and future-proof.
As mentioned before, a wrong tech stack selection will delay the development process and cost you a bunch of extra money that could be used otherwise.
You may run into several problems if you use the wrong mobile app technology stacks but don’t you worry, I am listing all the top tech stacks and how they can help make your app exactly how you want it to be.
Most Popular Tech Stacks for Mobile App Development
You must be aware that generally, we build apps for two operating systems: Android and iOS. Android is owned by Google, and maximum devices run on Android worldwide, but a considerable number of devices run Apple’s iOS. Both OS have their pros and cons, which we will discuss in another blog.
Native
The making process of native apps for android and iOS devices are totally different, and you cannot make an iOS app to get working on an android phone. That’s why we call it a native app. They are native to just one operating system.
Now let’s discuss both the Operating Systems and their tech stacks:
iOS
iOS is exclusive to Apple devices and generally, and it is usually developed using tools like XCode, AppCode.
1️⃣ Objective-C:
For years, Objective-C has been the primary iOS coding language, and it is still widely used in various projects. Objective-C is ideal for working on a massive legacy project that already has code written in this language. It’s even well-trained, making it easy to find developers who are familiar with it. It offers excellent C++ compatibility, enables accessible private APIs, and has an incredibly expressive coding syntax.
2️⃣ Swift:
Swift is significantly newer than Objective-C, but experts have dubbed it “the future of mobile application programming”. Swift is far more powerful and functional than Objective-C if you’re developing iOS and want the most powerful technology available. It’s also faster, more error-resistant, has simpler syntax (which improves code readability), and has a large community to turn to for help. Swift also lives true to its name by being significantly faster than the competitors, resulting in significant cost savings over time.
Android
Android is exclusive to almost all devices other than Apple devices and is developed using tools like Android Studio and more.
1️⃣ Kotlin:
Kotlin is a programming language for those who want to programme in a more current and speedier method. It’s totally compatible with Java, so you may use both languages simultaneously without any problems. The disadvantage of this approach is that it lacks the capabilities of other programming languages such as Swift or Objective C++.
2️⃣ Java:
Java is a more popular alternative that gives more support options but isn’t quite as fast as the others on this list due to its slower execution time. If your organization already has developers who have worked with Java before, they will be able to adapt the best within these limits; if not, there are lots of courses available online to teach you how to code in Java from the beginning.
3️⃣ C#:
C# is similar to Java in many ways, making it a good choice for developing Android apps. However, it offers a much simpler and cleaner syntax than Java, making coding much more straightforward. The integration of Xamarin has significantly enhanced adaptability and functionality.
Hybrid
Hybrid development tools use standard web tools and technology, including HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. These are web apps wrapped in a native container. These applications might have full access to the functionalities of the mobile device by using plugins.
A hybrid application performs well and is comparable to iOS apps (Native Apps). It is also cheap as you only need to create one project for Android and iOS and pay for an Android/iOS developer and your web developer.
However, developing a hybrid software takes longer than other solutions because two development teams must collaborate on both the front end and back end of the project, increasing lead times by 50%. Furthermore, they do not enable capabilities such as modifying appearance or incorporating native functionality into your programmes, such as camera access. This can be overcome, but it will cost developers more money to do so.
1️⃣ Cordova/PhoneGap:
Cordova/PhoneGap is a JavaScript-based library that’s been used widely for years. It allows developers to package their web app into an Android/iOS application that can be uploaded onto either store and downloaded by users. PhoneGap supports various frameworks for building their UI, including jQuery, Knockout.js, and AngularJS.
2️⃣ Ionic:
Ionic is an open-source UI toolkit for creating mobile apps, desktop apps, and progressive web apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The most notable thing is the massive supporting community and making hybrid apps have a native look. It offers more built-in features like animations and a variety of UI components.
Cross-Platform
When developing cross-platform mobile apps, the goal of most firms is for them to work well across a variety of operating systems. Cross-platform provides a more seamless experience than hybrid apps do, and the user can use these apps on any device. These apps use HTML/CSS for styling, JavaScript as a programming language, and CSS or jQuery animations instead of hardware-specific graphics rendering.
You won’t need two different developers working together, so you’ll be able to save money there while also having the added bonus of being entirely customizable with your designs as it doesn’t require UI Kits or third-party plugins/libraries.
But the performance rates for these applications are slower than Native Apps because they rely on multiple technologies, leading to a less responsive experience. iOS devices don’t allow you to access your camera and other sensors or add native functionality into their development process through code.
1️⃣ React Native:
React native is a one-of-a-kind JavaScript library that uses TypeScript to mimic the appearance and feel of native apps. Many of the same building elements are used in most Android and iOS solutions, but they are grouped together using JavaScript and React. The end result is a platform-agnostic toolkit that performs close to natively, has excellent responsiveness and live reloading, and is platform-agnostic. Another advantage of React Native is its extensive ecosystem and supportive developer community.
2️⃣ Flutter:
Flutter is one of the most recent user interface kits on the market, allowing you to create visually appealing software for the web, desktop systems, and mobile platforms using a single codebase. It offers a range of built-in tools and widgets, and a quick reload functionality that allows developers to see code changes in real-time. It was first provided by Google. When necessary, Flutter will enable developers to reuse existing Swift, Objective-C, or Java code. Flutter is praised by both business owners and developers for its quick time-to-market capabilities and smooth, near-native performance.
3️⃣ Xamarin:
Xamarin allows developers to share up to 96 percent of their code with others. By employing the C++ language on a subset of Microsoft’s.NET framework, this technology is also more commonly used when developing Native Apps rather than Hybrid Apps. Although it offers powerful features, many users say that it performs slower than React Native since it relies on Java rather than JavaScript. However, some users may not notice these issues depending on their needs and what they intend to do with the app.
Points to Consider Before Selecting a Tech Stack for Your Mobile App
Type of the Project
You must consider the performance, degree of customization, user experience, network circumstances, and app platforms when selecting a mobile development technology stack for your mobile application. It enables you to determine which tech stack contains the right mix of tools, libraries, frameworks, and programming languages to get the job done. In most circumstances, you should go with a native platform.
Validation of Your App Idea
When it comes to validating the app idea that will captivate your potential customers and keep you one step ahead of your competitors, whether a startup or a large corporation, a cross-platform approach is a way to go. For example, React native is a fantastic choice since it is cost-effective and allows you to reuse code across platforms, resulting in broad platform coverage and quick app delivery.
Time to Market the App
Jumping to the trend and publishing your app at the right time is crucial, as everybody wants their app to go viral. But that can only be done when you have your app made quickly. In such a scenario, consider using a framework or programming language with many prebuilt solutions. Everyday development activities like social media integration, authentication, and so on will be sped up with these.
Goal Behind Your Mobile App Development
It’s important to remember why you’re creating your app in the first place. What do you hope to achieve with your app? Different tech stacks are required for different sets of functionalities and needs. If you want your app to be quick, responsive, fluid, and capable of performing device-specific tasks, you’ll need to carefully choose a tech stack that can help you reach these goals.
Compatibility
Your mobile apps should be compatible with your business model and the target audience.
Your tech stack should be future-friendly so that the mobile app made using it remains compatible in the future when updating your app with new features according to the competition and business needs.
Security Level
Different apps have various risks to contend with. Sometimes it happens that a tech stack is not properly architected. Usually, financial and banking institutions or social media apps fall prey to hacking. They are the most vulnerable to hacking, making it critical to select a tech stack that assures robust security while addressing any flaws.
Conclusion
In this rapidly developing world with technological advancements, it can feel like your mobile app development projects are being left behind. Mistakes can’t be ignored as they don’t come cheap, and we need to be in line with the latest tech that makes our apps future-ready, and with no compromises. Have a clear vision of how and what you want from your app, the problem it will aid, and how it will generate revenue.
That’s where a reliable software and mobile app development company like Cliffex can be a huge help. We have the expertise and experience to match your expectations and provide you with helpful advice and guidance throughout the entire process.