If you need a mobile application, first it is very important to decide for which platform to create it. But what if you need to cover several at once? Developing for each separately is long, arduous… and expensive. This approach is only justified in certain cases. However, there is another way out - to create a cross-platform application that will cover everything. Frameworks for mobile application development will help to do this. Let's see what they are, and which is better to settle on.
Firstly, let's start with what a framework is in general. The framework is a software platform for a specific programming language, which consists of various libraries and tools and helps to significantly speed up and simplify the development process. Even so the frameworks available for mobile development also differ from each other: some provide for the ability to create only native applications (for a specific platform, such as iOS or Android), while others are adapted for cross-platform development.
Cross-platform frameworks make it possible to develop an application that runs and functions as desired both in a web browser and on any of the platforms: Android, iOS, Windows. The fact is that the set of tools and libraries of these frameworks is universal and can be used for each of the platforms.
We have already talked about the fact that frameworks for development are very useful, but let's once again dwell on the advantages of cross-platform frameworks to dispel any doubt:
First of all, it is the ability to create cross-platform or hybrid applications. Thus, once written code will work wherever you run it, which means that your application will be usable for your entire target audience, regardless of their devices.
Secondly, working with the code is simplified significantly: in order to make any modifications, you need a minimum number of actions, because they need to be made only once, and not changed across each platform individually several times.
Thirdly, it's time saving. Your product enters the market faster due to the fact that you develop only one application for all segments. It takes remarkably less time to develop cross-platform applications than to create a native product for each of the systems.
Fourthly, cross-platform development saves you money. By creating one application instead of several, you pay for one application instead of multiple, which makes cross-platform applications much more profitable for business, and the return on investment increases dramatically.
Now that we have figured out what cross-platform frameworks are and identified the benefits that their use brings to business, it's time to get better acquainted with the frameworks themselves. Let's look at the most popular options, their features and advantages.
At the moment, if React Native is not the most popular framework for creating mobile applications, then it definitely is one of them. As you have already understood, this framework is suitable for developing web applications, as well as for applications for iOS and Android. The main programming language for this framework is JavaScript. It is noteworthy that the source code is open here, which is one of the reasons why this framework is so loved by developers. Let's take a look at the advantages of React Native:
This application development framework is also open source, which is very convenient for developers. It was created by Google and is intended specifically for cross-platform development. The main programming language is Dart andcompatible systems include iOS and Android. Regarding the advantages of Flutter, they include:
The framework for the mobile development Cordova is currently owned by Adobe. With the help of the API, applications created with this framework are allowed access to native functions, which makes them convenient on any operating system. When combined with hybrid elements, development becomes highly effective. The main programming languages are HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The advantages of Cordova are also noteworthy :
Another cross-platform framework for application development, which has undergone many changes. As a result, all these transformations led the framework to providing developers with a wide range of technologies - VU.js, Angular, React. The slogan of this framework reads: "One code. Any platform." And it really is. Among the advantages of Ionic:
This cross-platform framework, unlike all previous ones, uses the C# programming language. Thanks to this, it is especially compatible with any platform and allows you to create a sense of having a native application on each of them. The framework allows you to create applications for iOS, Android and Windows, and among its advantages it is worth noting the following:
This framework for cross-platform development of mobile applications has existed for a long time. It is also open source and uses JavaScript and TypeScript as its main languages. Among its advantages, we note:
This is another open cross-platform framework that provides for the ability to create not only mobile or web applications, but also desktop applications. The main technologies that this framework works with are Java and Kotlin. Let's take a look at the advantages of Codename One:
Last but definitely not least isthe cross-platform RubyMotion framework, which is also open source, allows you to create applications for iOS, Android and OS X, all while using the Ruby language as the main programming language. The advantages as follows:
There are quite a number of cross-platform frameworks, and all of them are unlikely to fit into one article of appropriate length, so we have considered only the most popular of them. As you can see, each framework has its own features and advantages, which makes each of them useful in certain situations.
Different applications with different purposes and functions do not have to be implemented using the same tool. So, it is not necessary to choose one framework for every occasion. Based on the features and needs of your application, we will select the best option that will help you implement your project faster and most efficiently.
If you are a novice programmer, we recommend choosing a framework based on the programming languages you know, because each of them is in demand.
If you are a business owner and are interested in how to implement your project, we recommend making your choice based on the features of the project itself. Some languages do better with some functions, but worse in others. This means the main language should be taken into account when choosing a framework. Also, the capabilities of the frameworks themselves are slightly different, so the choice should be made based on the specific project and your capabilities.
If you have any questions, write to us and we will be happy to answer them. If you are interested in developing an application with Wezom, leave a request on our website, or contact us using any other convenient channel, our manager will call you back and advise. Having learned the details about your project, we will be able to name the approximate cost and timing of its development. We always select the optimal technologies that allow us to create tools that most effectively solve the problems of our customers.
The choice of framework depends on your project. First of all, you need to decide on the functionality you want to implement in your application, as well as what features you need to focus on. After that, it is worth studying which programming language (and therefore which framework) best handles the tasks. For example, some frameworks will be able to provide high performance with not too diverse a functionality, while others will please with an abundance of functions, but at the same time the application will run somewhat slower. The choice depends solely on your goals.
In order not to explore the features of each language and framework on your own, we advise you to leave the solution to specialists to whom you are going to entrust the development of your application. The development company will be able to best determine the technologies with which it will be possible to implement your application in the most sensible possible way.
Each programming language, as well as the framework, has its own features and advantages for why it may be selected. We recommend starting from the functionality of your application, as well as pondering key aspects. You should also be warned that if much emphasis is placed on one aspect, something else generally has to be sacrificed. For example, you will have to choose between a unique or diverse user interface design and download speed.
In order not to get lost in a cascade of languages, libraries and other tools, we recommend entrusting this decision to specialists. We at Wezom always select technologies based on the client's needs. To get advice, leave a request on the website, and our manager will call you back at the earliest convenient time for you.
A cross-platform framework is a kind of tool, or environment, that presents various opportunities for development. Thanks to frameworks, you can create applications much faster and more conveniently using sets of libraries and other tools that expand capabilities and allow you to create a wide variety of elements and functionality. The specificity of cross-platform frameworks is that they help to create applications that can be run on various devices and platforms. This helps to significantly save time and money on development, avoiding the need to create multiple native applications.
The choice of framework depends on your project. First of all, you need to decide on the functionality you want to implement with your application, as well as what features you need to focus on. After that, it is worth studying which programming language (and therefore which framework) best handles the tasks. For example, some frameworks will be able to provide high performance with not a diverse functionality, while others will please with an abundance of functions, but at the same time the application will run somewhat slower. The choice depends solely on your goals. In order not to get lost in the features of each language and framework on your own, we advise you to leave this issue to specialists,to whom you are going to entrust the development of your application. The development company will be able to accurately determine the technologies with which it will be possible to implement your application in the best possible way.
The programming language, as well as the framework, has its own features and advantages for which it will be used. We recommend starting from the functionality of your application, as well as taking into account key aspects. You should also be warned that if much emphasis is placed on one aspect, another will have to be sacrificed. For example, you will have to choose between a unique or diverse user interface design and download speed. In order not to get lost in a cascade of languages, libraries and other tools, we recommend entrusting this to specialists. We at Wezom always select technologies based on the client's needs. To get advice, leave a request on the website, and our manager will call you back at the nearest time convenient for you.