Everything you need to know about Swift for app development is here!
Swift has changed the course of the iOS app development industry. It is a highly intuitive programming language for Apple operating systems like iOS, macOS, and watchOS.
The language has opened new doors to entrepreneurs to make their idea work which was impossible for a long time. Earlier iOS app development used to be time-consuming, difficult and the frequency of app crash was higher.
Before Swift, iOS app development was mostly done with Objective-C, a subset language of C with added object-oriented features to it but app development using Objective-C was tough.
Statistics About Swift that you must know!
According to Wikipedia, Swift was introduced at Apple's 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). It underwent an upgrade to version 1.2 during 2014 and a more major upgrade to Swift 2 at WWDC 2015.
- Swift has been awarded the 8th place as the most famous programming language in the year 2019.
- Programmers love Swift. Swift is 4th when it comes to languages loved by programmers.
- Swift pays well compared to other app development languages. Swift developer gets an average of $54-57k per annum.
- TIOBE and PYPL index cements the fact that Fame and usage of Swift language is rising year by year.
Major Features of Swift
There are a lot of methods to evaluate a programming language and two main features are - Syntax and Capabilities.
1. Syntax
Syntax refers to the set of rules and regulations that underline the order and inter-dependencies of words in a programming language.
Swift was originally part of objective C but now there are a number of difference which has increased over the years, in regard to the method invocation methods, conditions, cycles, the declaration of constants, classes, and enumerations.
To conclude, the structure is significantly simpler than that of Objective-C. It has the capability of providing out-of-the-box user experience and thus takes your business to the next level.
2. Capabilities
Objective C is the integration of open-source dynamic libraries these contain the ready solutions for routine tasks and allow decreasing the size of applications, saving space in the memory of user devices.
Why choose Swift for App Development?
Swift by Apple is a ground-breaking programming language for iOS, watch OS, and, OS X, which can help develop apps that run flawlessly.
Swift ensures secure and safe coding. As, it easily eliminates all risky code classes and, ensures to create a protected environment to create a stable solution.
Let’s take a look at a few key points of Swift for App Development:
- Fast and secure
- Objective-C interoperability
- Interactive and collaborative playgrounds
- Leverages the power of the open-source
- The cutting-edge error handling model
- New, updated and reliable syntax features
Top 10 reasons to choose Swift for App Development
Owing to the concise yet expressive syntax Swift helps in developing iOS apps easily. The advantages of using Swift for app development do not end there.
Have a look at the top reasons why most of the mobile app development companies choose Swift for app development and India and all over the world use Swift.
1. Easy to code
Programming languages used in app development demands high and complex command lines for intricate solutions. Swift, on the other hand, is concise and can reduce LOC making programming more efficient and faster.
Since fewer lines of codes are required for complex tasks, code reusability is high and thus a lot of time is saved since developers can remember which part of certain code can be used without any change in another part or even project.
2. Maintenance
Objective-C formerly used for iOS app development extensively had one big problem. The ability of the language to evolve was a tough task since it was a subset of language C and can only evolve after the language C.
Owing to the same reason iOS app developers had to maintain two files to improve build time and efficiency. On the other hand, Swift combines the Objective-C header (.h) and implementation files (.m) to a single code file (.swift.).
Another biggest flaw of Objective –C was that we have to synchronize method names and comment between files manually.
In this situation, Swift programmers can utilize this time to create app logic and improve the quality of their code, etc.
3. Linux development
Swift has the ability to create a cross-platform application iOS/OS and Linux. The biggest opportunity is to use it in the Linux environment where Object C is not available.
4. Data management
Another area where Swift wins is its ability to manage data at a faster pace. Swift uses LLVM for optimized native codes and operating platforms. Developers get the opportunity to rewrite several groups as structures.
As a result, the tasks take less time than Objective C.
5. Highly interactive
One of the biggest benefits that Swift for app development offers to any mobility service provider is that it can work in an interactive environment and the developers can see the output while coding. It means that any error in coding can be seen and rectified in the coding stage itself.
If you have any loops in the code that you are writing, you can see it in the timeline panel where variables are being calculated.
6. Lightning speed
Swift has one of the fastest algorithm calculation metrics and the operations for the language is much faster.
Swift enables developers to use generics and high-order functions and as a result, codes are clean and re-usable and thereby save a lot of time.
7. Open-source
In 2015, Swift has been declared as an open-source, which changed the face of the language to a great extent. After the declaration, Apple allowed swift to be used for various purposes.
Since Swift is open-source, it’s always easy to upgrade the codes, track the bugs, and create the email list.
Apple also receives feedback from the community and has been making changes accordingly. Swift also supports Linux based platforms making the platform diverse.
Hence, making Swift the preferred choice for iPhone application developers.
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8. Better safety
Thanks to its enhanced typing system and error handling capabilities, an error that happens in Swift programming is much less compared to that of Objective-c. It’s evident that safety was the prime concern in developing such a robust language.
Owing to the short feedback loops and the error tracking capability developers will be able to see the errors in their coding instantly.
9. No Clogging of memory
Swift is light! Thanks to its dynamic library support. Since static memory is absent in Swift, there won’t be an issue of memory clogging up.
And also, dynamic libraries tend to have only one copy and thus, the footprint can also be considerably reduced.
10. Playground features
Playground enables coders to test a new algorithm without having to create an entire app. For this iOS has added inline code execution to help coders develop a mass of code or algorithm while receiving feedback along the way.
The feedback can improve the speed at which code can be written with the help of data visualizations. Playgrounds and Swift together suggest Apple’s efforts to make the development process easier and more approachable for any mobile app development company.
The latest update - Swift 5.1.4
Apple continually tries to advance Swift and other iOS development languages for that matter, to make them more efficient and useful.
After the success of Swift 5.1, Apple launched Swift 5.1.4 on January 31, 2020. This latest version of Swift brings in module stability and improves Swift with more advanced features.
The version 5.1.4 of Swift is much more stable in terms of modules when compared to its previous version.
While ABI (application binary interface) compatibility is responsible for taking care of the compatibility of an app during the runtime, the module stability enables compatibility with dynamic libraries during the time of compilation.
There are so many other updations in the Swift 5.1.4 version like
- Opaque result types,
- Function builders,
- Property wrappers, and many more.
With this, Swift 5.1.4 comes with the major improvement in member wise initializes for structs, one of the most regularly used features of Swift. This version also allows you to use a third-party framework with any compiler version rather than only being compatible with the Swift version it was built on.
Conclusion
Swift is relatively a new programming language and takes a lot of useful components from Objective-C while also bringing a whole new host of features, allowing developers to write safer, more reliable code. It has quickly become the leading programming language for creating engaging, user-friendly mobile apps.
Swift is relatively a new programming language. But the kind of momentum it has gained in this short span of time is unimaginable. iOS developers and those who wish to learn Swift language must understand one thing.
