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With so many options on the market, it's safe to say that choosing the best programming language for Android app development can be tricky.
This is especially the case if it's your first development journey.
Picking the wrong one, and your business's app may not work seamlessly, driving potential customers away.
So, which one is the perfect choice for your app project? Let's explore all the available options in this article!
Here are some of the best programming languages to make your mobile app development process easier:
Over the years, Java has been one of the most used languages to create Android apps.
Not only because it is well-documented and supported with various tools, but also due to its cross-platform capability.
You can build an app using Java and run its code in any operating system that has the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) in it.
In other words, it will be easy to port your Android app into other platforms in the future.
Java is also known as the go-to language for developing enterprise apps because of its reliable security.
JVM's security system can minimise the execution of malicious code. This type of threat is commonly associated with data theft and device takeover.
Despite the advantages, however, Java apps can take a lot of resources to run. So, it's important to optimise your app thoroughly to maintain top performance.
Also, Java is a verbose programming language with unnatural syntax, so it is not the easiest to learn.
If you want a more efficient cross-platform Android app programming language than Java, Kotlin is one of the best alternatives.
Like Java, Kotlin apps can run on operating systems with JVM.
On top of that, you can convert Java to Kotlin in Android Studio, Android's official integrated development environment (IDE).
This means that coding from scratch is unnecessary if you already build a prototype using Java.
However, not all of Java's wide selection of libraries and frameworks work perfectly when converted to Kotlin, so you have to proceed with caution.
In terms of benefits, Kotlin's language is more concise than Java, and it usually performs way better, too.
Take its null safety feature for example, which lets you prevent app crashes by identifying whether your code executes a variable with a null value.
Dart is another excellent cross-platform Android development programming language.
It is known for its English-like syntax, allowing new developers to learn this programming language faster than some other options.
More importantly, Dart offers high performance for cross-platform apps, resulting in faster loading speed and smooth animations.
Cross-platform apps tend to be slower than apps built exclusively for one operating system, such as Android.
Another advantage of using Dart is the access to Flutter, Google's cross-platform framework.
This framework offers useful features, including hot reload that lets you see changes in real time when coding.
Dart's only drawback is its file size. Due to that reason, you have to take extra steps when optimising your app's file size.
If you want to create complex Android apps and games, C++ is the best programming language to go with.
C++ is the most lightweight programming language since it is compiled into machine code before execution.
This results in minimal overhead, unlike Java that has to be processed by the JVM.
However, C++ is not a native Android programming language. To be able to use it in Android app projects, you have to use the Android native development kit (NDK).
It should be noted that C++ is challenging to learn compared to the other languages mentioned earlier.
On top of that, C++ is verbose, meaning that using it requires more lines of code than average. Therefore, coding with C++ is more time-consuming.
Like C++, developing with C# also requires the use of the Android NDK.
The two programming languages also share the same characteristics, such as quick code execution. With that in mind, C# is a great choice for building complex apps.
The difference is that C# can also be used in Xamarin, the Android framework supported by Microsoft Visual Studio.
While Visual Studio is not optimised for developing Android apps, it offers powerful debugging tools that can cut production time.
All Android app programming languages have their strengths and weaknesses.
Java, for example, is highly secure and supported by many third-party tools. However, it is not the most efficient in terms of syntax and performance.
Dart, on the other hand, is fast and intuitive but eats storage space.
In short, the best choice of programming language depends on your project's needs.
Not sure which language to use? Contact Intelivita today and consult with our Android development experts!
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