Cut Native App Development Time by Reusing Code and Skills
Tags: Nativescript, Mobile App Development, Mobile Apps, Angular, Native App Development

Cut Native App Development Time by Reusing Code and Skills

Native mobile apps perform better than hybrid or web apps. NativeScript makes it easy to write native apps quickly by reusing skills and code you already have.

As consumers spend more of their time on their mobile devices, mobile applications are increasingly their preferred way to interact with the world around them. Most customers are mobile-savvy, and they can tell when an app is running just a bit too slowly or is missing a feature that other apps seem to have. For a business to capture their attention and delight them, a high-performing app is critical.

The difficulty with mobile apps is, of course, that it’s tough to get right. Traditional web-based hybrid solutions don’t perform as well and lack access to the native UI, but the prospect of hiring and managing dedicated teams for multiple mobile platforms is onerous. Add to that the fact that a standard native approach can’t take advantage of the talented web development team and the strong website you already have in place, requiring you to start from scratch.

For a long time, the burden of true native development meant that most businesses couldn’t afford to implement it, and those that did implement it did so at great cost. NativeScript, a cross-platform framework for building native mobile apps, was built from the ground up to overcome these barriers and make it easier for businesses to embrace native mobile development. Whether you’re an experienced mobile company looking to become more efficient or just starting your mobile journey, you can use the code and skills you already have to get a huge head start.

Reuse Existing Code and Jump Start Development

One of the nice things about NativeScript is that you don’t have to abandon your past technology investments — instead you can leverage them to speed your time to market.

NativeScript code is cross-platform, but it’s ambidextrous—it can be used by itself, or placed directly alongside your existing native code. There’s no need to rewrite your apps, and businesses looking to start reaping the benefits of cross-platform code can start incorporating it immediately. While you may one day want your whole app to be in NativeScript, that will never be a requirement — you won’t have to remove any of your existing code unless you want to.

Your websites also have a friend in NativeScript, as it utilizes JavaScript. That means you can retain much of the value from your carefully developed logic and battle-tested code, and that your current roster of web developers will be able to get up to speed quickly. This can speed time to market dramatically.

Develop a Mobile App in Weeks, not Months

One company already taking advantage of this potential for rapid native development is MeWatt, which provides actionable recommendations and alerts for both businesses and consumers to control their carbon footprint. Plug an appliance into a MeWatt device, and a wide range of information is presented back to you through a website — or, critically, a mobile app.

Lino Tadros, MeWatt CEO and President, knew he needed a native experience for his company’s app — with potentially hundreds of thousands of devices reporting to the cloud every few seconds, there couldn’t be any performance hiccups. MeWatt considered other options for developing the app, including Xamarin, but the ability to piggyback off the JavaScript their web portal was already built on made NativeScript the clear choice.

“There is nothing wrong with a two-month development window when you’re making a new app. So when you hear a two-week development time frame in this day and age, most people think that’s an imaginary number,” explained Tadros. “NativeScript enabled us to reuse 60% of the code from our web portal and put out the iOS app in just two weeks. And it only took one additional week to get the app out on Android as well.”

Support You Can Count On

We pride ourselves on the support we provide our customers and partners, from mid-sized businesses to Angular developers to large enterprises. While NativeScript is open source, it’s backed by Progress as well as a growing developer community. When MeWatt needed help, they were able to get answers on Slack within minutes, helping ensure a smooth and speedy development process.

Learn More

To learn more, you can read about how NativeScript can work for you, or check out MeWatt’s full story.

This content originally appeared on the Progress blog. Looking for more great stories about technology and building tomorrow’s business apps? Check out the blog for more.