Now, imagine this–you have the perfect idea for an app! But then what? In today’s competitive market, having a brilliant idea is only the first step toward success. To translate it into a great product, you have to think about design, marketing, strategy, and development. However, the most important of all is choosing the right technology to reinforce and expand your idea. You agree with me, don’t you? So check out the best tech stack to launch your mobile app.
The right technology stack will not only improve your app’s performance but also reduce your overall expenses in the long run. Sounds great, right?
But before we get into choosing the best tech stack for your app development, let’s find out what exactly a tech stack is, and why picking the right one is so important.
So follow up!
Nowadays, we are all familiar with mobile apps, right? Well, these apps are run by a combination of programming languages and other tools that are collectively responsible for our app experience. This combination of various tools and technologies is known as a tech stack.
But I am sure you are aware of that! Just trying to build my point here.
Moving on, in other words, a tech stack is a set of technologies and systems that you can use to create and maintain your app or project.
Now, you must be wondering– why is it called a tech stack? Well, that’s because every tech stack has some core elements that are layered over each other to form a– you guessed it– stack!
In the next section, we will be discussing the various core elements of a technology stack. Hopefully, you got a grip of the definition of the tech stack that I tried to provide here, didn’t you? So let’s jump into the core elements of a solid tech stack to provide more value to the above information.
I am sure you don’t want to miss this!
A modern-day tech stack consists of some fairly universal core elements. They can be divided into three categories: So, a tech stack can be divided into three sections:
Well, now that we’ve got a clear idea about what a tech stack is made of, let’s get into the interesting part, shall we?
Join me as we go and explore the different types of mobile apps out there!
Now, before we discuss the best tech stack for your mobile application development, let’s take a quick dive into the different types of mobile applications out there. This will smoothen the tech stack discussion that will follow soon.
So here we go!
Source: Magenest
A native app is a software program written in a particular programming language for a specific mobile platform. It could be for iOS or Android.
The best thing about native app development is that they utilize every bit of the device’s own existing features. Because of this, they don’t need any external APIs. This allows for more streamlined software updates and smoother application functioning.
You’re with me on this, right?
However, native apps have their own disadvantages: they’re quite expensive to build!
Source: I Knowledge factory
Cross-platform apps are programmed to run well on a variety of mobile platforms—both iOS and Android. Cross-platform applications are more cost-effective and quicker to build. Sounds great, right?
What’s more, since they adapt to most devices, cross-platform applications are accessible to a larger audience.
But one disadvantage of cross-platform apps is that they may not run as smoothly on every device as a native app.
Source: OS system
As the name suggests, hybrid apps are a mix between an application and a website. These are the most affordable and easy to build or maintain. They basically use a one-code-fits-all approach.
Hybrid apps run on a wide variety of platforms. However, the downside is that they tend to have poor user interfaces and do not give a smooth in-app experience.
Now that we have a fair idea about tech stacks and the types of apps that use them, you must be wondering how to choose the correct one for your app.
Well, you’ve come to the right place!
But before picking the perfect tech stack, you must take the following factors into consideration:
Before selecting your tech stack, you must think hard about what you want your app to do. Once you have figured out the aim of your app, you can then go for whichever technology development you see fit. So far so good, right?
Now, you want your mobile app to grow, of course! But, it’s essential for you to decide how you want your app to scale in the future. Are you getting my point?
Your tech stack choice will depend upon this. For example, if you want fast growth, you might want to go for a technology stack that is pliable and agile.
“Data leak” is a modern-day horror story! You absolutely don’t want that, do you? You don’t want your customers to lose valuable data through your app. So, it’s important to look into the kind of security you want your app to provide. Some programming software provide more protection than others. Choose yours carefully and wisely.
Simply speaking, everything depends on how big you want to go! For example, if you want to first create a simple version of your app (yes, the MVP), you do not need a complex tech stack. You can quickly achieve your goals by using simple tools. In fact, this is a smart move for a beginner.
You can test your product idea in the market by creating a minimum viable product (MVP) and getting valuable customer feedback.
Learn more about minimum viable products here.
On the other hand, if you want the scope of your app to be much bigger, you will need a more advanced tech stack.
So, you now have a clear idea about what you want your app to do. The last question remains: what’s the best technology stack for your app development?
Well, in this section we’ll be discussing just that!
Let’s explore the various options available to us so that you can choose the best fit for your app!
Objective-C and Swift are the two programming languages used for native iOS apps. Objective-C has long been a standard programming language for iOS coders and is simple to learn.
Swift is a new descendant of Objective-C. Lately, it has become quite popular because of the following reasons:
Major brands like WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Uber use Swift-C for their application development. I’d say that speaks volumes about the utility of Swift, wouldn’t you?
Java and Kotlin are the two most popular programming languages for Android apps. I’m sure you’ve heard about Java! It’s been a fixture in the coding world since the late 90s. A lot of programmers still use Java because of its ability to adapt to many platforms at once.
Kotlin is a multiplatform coding language and the cherry on top is that it is an open-source language! In terms of syntax, Kotlin is simpler than its predecessor. This makes the code cleaner and easier to maintain.
In fact, Google recommends Kotlin as a programming language for Android. The only downside is that you’d not find Kotlin programmers as easily as you’d find Java coders.
The top three tech stacks for cross-platform applications are React Native, Xamarin, and Flutter.
React Native is based on a JavaScript framework. Through React Native, you can make apps that link with native APIs to give you the look and feel of a native app. React Native apps are thought to be more robust and stable than those built on other frameworks.
Many popular apps have been built on React Native. Some well-known examples are Facebook, Instagram, Wix, and Skype.
Xamarin allows you to share the bulk of your code across multiple platforms. Xamarin is widely regarded as the greatest framework for designing mobile apps, and it’s the most similar to native code. Pinterest, Olo, and Insightly are some of the apps that have been built on Xamarin.
Flutter is the most widely used framework by programmers worldwide, according to a 2021 poll.
Source: Statista
It’s a tool powered by Google and is meant for a wide variety of platforms such as Android, iOS, Windows, etc. Flutter is fast and dependable and is a prime example of the “write once, run anywhere” framework.
Also, I’m sure you’ve heard of Google ads and Groupon! These well-known apps are built using the Flutter framework.
Source: SphereGen
Cordova and Ionic are the top two technology stacks used to develop hybrid apps.
Cordova is a framework that works with HTML5 and JavaScript. With Cordova, you only have to develop the source code once, and then you can use it for a variety of operating systems.
Furthermore, Cordova provides app templates with pre-developed codebases, reducing development time. Cordova also allows apps to access inbuilt device features like speakers, cameras, etc. Sounds great, right?
According to a programmer at Consultec-TI, Cordova allows developers to construct many multi-language apps without needing additional developers. “It is very useful because it allows for the centralization of the code; it is written only once and it is executed on all platforms,” she said.
Some Cordova tech stack examples are Adobe, Canva, and Yono SBI. I’m sure you’ve heard about them!
Ionic has the unique ability to make hybrid apps function like native apps. It’s based on the Angular framework that’s shared by the entire community.
This allows the Ionic to address issues like poor mobile app performance. McDonald’s and Sworkit are some popular apps built using the Ionic Framework.
You must be spoiled for choices after reading this article! Since every project has a unique set of goals and requirements, there is no one-code-fits-all solution. Therefore, you must evaluate the aim and scope of your project.
Sounds overwhelming, right?
But worry not! Because we at TheCodeWork are here to do the hard work for you! In the meantime, if you’d like to know more about technology stacks or tech stack examples, feel free to check out our list of tech stacks that we are absolutely in love with!
