Development Tech stack for Cross-platform app
By: Ayo Oladele
Tags: Mobile App Development, Software Development, Project Management, Tech, Cross Platform

The various tech stacks in use for cross-platform app development are advantageous and can’t be waved aside. They are paramount to mobile development.

Today, every product owner or anyone out there can agree that there is a humongous number of apps that were futuristic or just ideas of fantasy some time ago. Alongside, the growth of technical feasibility, superior programming languages, modern development tools has helped us to achieve super mobile apps.

As a result of more technical feasibility, product owners need to know how the tech stacks present today have enabled applications to become maintainable, scalable, and committed to all the functional requirements or the business value they were created for. Thus, it will allow them to apply this knowledge in their respective projects.

However, there is an important pointer for the choice of any tech stack as it is highly dependent on the choice of the development approach. Likewise, the choice of an approach is also based on requirements, the needs of target users, team expertise, and capacity.

The most preferable approach is Native app development. However, for some apps, other approaches are more reasonable. Let’s take a closer look at the cross-platform approaches and the most popular applicable technologies.

Technology Stacks for Cross-Platform Development

There are several options of frameworks that can be used for cross-platform app development. We will take a look at the most relative ones such as:

Titanium

Titanium SDK, through the use of JavaScript, empowers developers to build cross-platform mobile applications that bridge native, hybrid, and web with a single code base. Firstly, as an open-source with thousands of API, Titanium is very instrumental in delivering rapt user experience faster if compared to the orthodox native platform.

Similarly, according to Wikipedia an estimated 10% of all mobile phones globally use an app developed with Titanium. Its community of developers contributes frequently to make it more enhanced to serve cross-platform development. Advantageously, independent developers, software vendors, and other partners can create modules for extending the Titanium SDK with mobile interface controls, leverage native platform APIs, and access 3rd party services.

Advantages of Titanium:

• It works across all platforms

• Availability of over 5,000 APIs

• Live reloading feature

• Available client-side marketplace modules and cloud-based services

• It has very large community support.

React Native

React Native is another widely used open-source app building tool, based on JavaScript. Originating in Facebook, React Native was developed to make apps that would run on multiple platforms such as Android, iOS, yet, the user interface is native on any OS. Some examples are the likes of mobile apps for Instagram, Facebook, and Skype.

As a plus, React Native has various tools for debugging and packaging that conserves app development time. It also has a highly functional approach as regards user interfaces with the ability for developers to see how the functions of source code work in real-time on their screens. As a result, this simplifies making a user interface and achieving a flawless user experience.

Advantages of React Native include:

• High performance and speed like native apps

• Compatible with 3rd-party plugins

• Live reloading feature

• Fluid and well responsive UI

• Good development environment

• Not prone to bugs

• Speedy debugging of code

Xamarin

Xamarin can be considered as one of the main and highly-rated tech used to build cross-platform apps. Notably, developers have the alternative of writing or rewriting the code in other languages such as C, C#, and .Net frameworks, making it a match and fit for products and technologies made by Microsoft.

Lastly, Xamarin also enhances a UI toolkit for cross-platforming that compiles codes, irrespective of the native interface.

Other Xamarin’s advantages include:

• Fewer bugs

• High performance

• Support for MVC and MVVM patterns of design

• The same user interface as native

• Automatic test by TestCloud

• Common app logic

• Self component store

• Large community support

Technology Stacks for Hybrid App Development

Alternative tech stacks for hybrid apps include Apache Cordova, Ionic, Sencha Touch. Our highlight will be on these technologies as they are the most prominent.

Apache Cordova

This technology was rebranded as PhoneGap after being owned by Adobe Systems in 2011. It is now known as an open-source software called Apache Cordova. Practically, it is a hybrid development framework for mobile applications, but it also works as a web-based framework.

Combining Apache Cordova with likewise technologies like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML are used for cross-platform app development. However, PhoneGap allows app developers to use numerous other libraries and frameworks, including Knockout.js, AngularJS, and jQuery.

Apache Cordova is compatible with IDEs that support any of the toolsets of iOS and Android like Xcode or Android Studio. Unfortunately, the resulting apps are slower when processing large data sets, and not a good fit for using third-party libraries for access to graphic, compared to native apps. Also, there are some native device APIs that are not yet supported by Apache Cordova.

Advantages of Apache Cordova:

•Effective for back-end

•Open to HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript developers

•Works on all platforms

Sencha Touch 2

Sencha Touch 2 is the most effective mobile development framework that combines the features of multiple technologies like ExtJS, JavaScript, and HTML. Moreover, it’s ideal for developing dynamic applications that can work on Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, and the rest.

Many developers recommend Sencha Touch 2 for very complex hybrid apps, especially with the need for an interactive UI. Additionally, it is compatible with many other popular IDEs directly or sometimes with the use of a plugin.

Advantages of Sencha Touch 2:

•Fast and responsive hardware acceleration

•Lots of widgets and easy to use APIs

•Effective data management

•Reliable security

•Works on multi-platforms

Ionic

Based on the AngularJS and Cordova, Ionic, like the others, is an open-source and a 100% free framework. It is characterized by the ability to enable hybrid apps to not only look but work like a native app. It is simple to learn and write, and it is well supported by a large developer community.

In reality, Ionic helps web developers in building, testing, and deploying cross-platform mobile apps pretty fast. Similarly, it combines JavaScript, CSS with HTML, and several plugins and extensions from third parties. However, there is a strong dependence on plugins for advanced features.

Advantages of Ionic are:

• Fast development and reusable code

• Supports robust development

• Availability of numerous plugins

Technology Stack for Rapid Mobile App Development (RMAD)

The next focus is on the Rapid Mobile App Development approach. It can be applied with several development platforms, examples are Alpha Software, MobileFrame, and MobileSmith. They all possess the no-code and low-code options.

Alpha Software

Alpha software enables the development and deployment of different mobile enterprise applications. Comparatively, it is one of the RMAD platforms that involve the use of low-code. Cross-platform apps built on Alpha work even when the user is not connected to the internet.

Advantages of Alpha Software:

•Secure

• Works online and offline

• Good backend data integration

• modern and responsive user interface

• Works on various platforms

MobileFrame

MobileFrame can be handy for developing, testing, and deploying cross-platform apps without coding. This RMAD platform allows the developer to make an enterprise mobile app and create the accompanying UI. Lastly, it can be used to develop both web and mobile applications.

Advantages of MobileFrame:

•Works on all platforms including web

• Code-free development

• Scalable server options

• Works online and offline

MobileSmith

MobileSmith enables the employment of coded modules known as AppBlocks. The AppBlocks are customizable and reusable for other new projects. Likewise, MobileSmith works well with iOS and Android OS.

Advantages of MobileSmith :

Little experience as a developer is need

Reusable components

Works cross-platform

Low cost of production

The Way Forward

There is always a need to improve user engagement and satisfaction as the mobile app market constantly expands, and as it further provides smart mobile solutions. It is a good insight for product owners to take advantage of the current mobile app development stacks and the rewards they offer.

The headway into creating a top-notch mobile app is to select the most complementing tech stack. It is equally important that an intelligent choice will influence the stability and usability of any app. After all said and done, from all the trending technologies you should pick a development stack that suits the aim and purpose of your project perfectly. As a result, this will give you dominance and a good market share.