The Android platform has been the most trending mobile operating system this year. The Google I/O 2018 event bought many innovative features in the new systems. This has created hype in the development community and discussions initiated regarding the efficient way to integrate the features of the device in their applications. This discussion has narrowed it down to the use of programming language when developing Android applications.
The programming language is an important part of Android app development. The programming language is the base of any mobile application where the features and all the important entities are developed using the programming language. The Android platform has Java as their primary development language but it was also shared by Kotlin soon enough. But as the technology evolved there came a few other development languages that were able to develop Android applications. Here is a brief view of the development languages of Android app development.
Java
The complete Android OS is based on Java which makes Java a popular development language by default. The Java was a popular development language before the introduction of the Android operating system which was the reason the developers at Google adopted Java as their basic development language. Even though being the primary language for Android app development, Java is an object-oriented language which can support multiple API and runs smoothly on all platforms. The Android app development can be accomplished using Java language with the help of Android studio or Eclipse IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Java is not only capable to develop Android applications as it can be used to develop other software on various platforms.
Kotlin
The Kotlin is comparatively a new development language which got the attention of Android back in 2017. The development heads at Android accepted this new language and its potential for the betterment of Android app development. As being a new development language the Kotlin was much advanced than Java which enabled it to develop an application with fewer codes comparing to Java. The new versions of Android Studio IDE also started supporting Kotlin lint codes which enable the IDE to compile Kotlin codes. This enables the developers to use both Kotlin and Java to develop one application.
JavaScript (HTML5 + CSS3)
The fact that HTML, CSS, and JavaScript could develop an Android application is surprising. This has allowed many web developers to try their luck in Android app development. There are many frameworks such as Apache Cordova, PhoneGap, React Native, etc. The command line of such framework runs of Node JS which enables the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript codes to be used in the Android App Development. The codes developed with such a framework are also compiled in other IDE for iPhone app development. Hence these frameworks can be used to develop both Android and iPhone applications.
Here are the best development languages used to develop Android applications. If you plan to be an Android app developer then here are the three options that can help you to develop quality Android applications. The Android app development sector is growing and it requires skilled developers who can pioneer new solutions that could redefine the Android app development sector that we know.