Framework for developing applications for Android. The best Android frameworks for app development

1. Sencha Touch

Sencha Touch is the first HTML5 Mobile Web Application Framework. Sencha Touch retains the appearance of the application - native to iOS and Android devices. Sencha Touch allows you to easily create apps with massive multi-user interfaces and superior UX. Sencha Touch has the best technical support from the Sencha team and documentation of all details is available as support even for large enterprise software applications. The framework is easy to use and develop a mobile application. Sencha Touch is the framework that allows you to program for Android, iOS and BlackBerry without changing the appearance of the application. Sencha Touch can be used in collaboration with Phone Gap to make apps that have the exact look and feel of a native app, but are built using HTML/JavaScript.

2. Phone Gap

The Phone Gap framework is based on HTML 5, which allows mobile app developers to create native apps using JavaScript, CSS3 and HTML5. The best thing about Phone Gap is that it can be used in collaboration with other frameworks to support them with features that they don't have, but Phone Gap provides. In a short period of time, Phone Gap has become the most popular among most developers along with Sencha. This allows mobile app developers to create their own fully functional mobile apps and wrap them so that the app can be featured on the App Store, or Android Market.

3. JQuery Mobile

JQuery Mobile, Touch-optimized web framework for smartphones and tablets. It's a single user experience that remains consistent across all platforms. The code is very lightweight and hence is the preferred framework for mobile app development. The various themes created by the designers can be easily modified. Instead of writing different codes for different operating systems; JQuery allows you to write one simple code to create a fully functional, customized application on your website.

4. Titanium Appcelerator

Titanium promotes platform convergence in application development. Applications built on Titanium are natively integrated. The framework acts as a bridge between mobile applications and the API platform, resulting in an application that has better performance. The Titanium Appcelerator platform has been designed with a focus on helping web developers create mobile and tablet apps with ease. Over the past year, the platform has experienced tremendous growth in development, with new features and devices being added to the framework at a rapid pace.

Frameworks are characterized as comprehensive software development environments. They include many components whose main job is to help you create applications. Frameworks come with a number of toolkits, debuggers, compilers, code libraries, programming interfaces, and other components. Working together, they are all designed to make the job of application developers easier.

Frameworks are the backbone of app development, and using them makes the development process easier and more exciting. Without them, programmers will write every application they want from scratch. This will require a lot of coding so that the application can work on different platforms.

There are a number of frameworks that you can consider using. This article presents the best of them to help you make development simpler and easier.

This is one of the most popular frameworks for mobile application developers. It allows the developer to create the best progressive and natural web applications. This feature makes it easy to develop applications that will run on all platforms, including the latest mobile devices. Any developer who is interested in the commercial success of his application will definitely choose this framework.

This is a Zepto plugin for creating mobile applications. It depends on several external libraries such as Backbone.js and Flickable.JS for some of its functionality, but overall has its own look and feel. As a framework, it builds mobile apps in HTML 5 using Ratchet CSS UI components.

This is a good choice of framework because it is based on HTML5 and JavaScript. It is very flexible and can help the developer to create various mobile applications, simple or complex. The framework has some of the most high-performance UI widgets that will prove very useful in your development. Some widgets that you will get using Ext JS are forms, lists, toolbars and menus in particular. All these resources are available to help the developer create great apps for Android, iOS, iPhone and Windows.

This is also a Zepto plugin for mobile frameworks, which was developed primarily for WebKit-based browsers. It is customizable and extensible. The framework comes with a theme that can be customized using Compass or Sass, and very cool 3D transitions that can be adjusted using CSS3. You can also extend it with your own features to get the support you need to build your app.

This framework can help you create impressive mobile applications. It is ideal for creating cross-platform mobile application projects. The framework has a wide range of plugins that minimize the amount of time required to create an application. You only need this single framework, and the applications you build will be able to run on multiple devices, operating systems, and platforms. jQuery Mobile also comes with ThemeRoller, which is a unique feature that you won't find in other frameworks. It will help you create applications that are one of a kind.

A lightweight mobile framework that is based on HTML5 and CSS3. It is popular because of its good default styles that you can use as a starting point for mobile app development. The framework also comes with several JavaScript APIs to control your application. Lungo creates applications that can run on various platforms such as BlackBerry, iOS, Android and Firefox OS.

An excellent framework from the very reputable company Adobe. It is an ideal choice for creating hybrid mobile applications using JavaScript, CSS and HTML. The framework offers many software solutions for designers, such as InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and others. One of its strengths is its ability to create high-performance applications that can perform well on a variety of devices. Adobe PhoneGap has many plugins that will make it easier to create simple as well as complex mobile applications.

The framework was first used by Twitter to help them create their mobile app prototype and was later released as a free project. The framework provides a set of user interfaces and JavaScript plugins that help in creating simple mobile applications. Ratchet also provides reusable HTML classes.

A good framework to use if you want to create HTML5 applications quickly and easily. It is, of course, best to consider when creating complex applications, as it has all the necessary solutions to make the development process much easier. It comes with great features to choose from, which include plugins and industry-leading tools. It is best used when creating and monetizing games. The framework offers support or third-party plugins that can significantly reduce the amount of time required to create high-quality applications.

Another great framework that runs on HTML5 and CSS3. It provides animations, APIs and components that are compatible with current browsers and mobile platforms. The framework offers support for Cordova and PhoneGap. With this support, you can create your application and then deliver it to the respective platform's app store. It also offers a selection of themes for iOS, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Android, Tizen and other platforms, so apps will always feel like they belong in their native environment.

Frameworks form the basis of your future application, so choosing the right one to use must be carefully evaluated. One thing you should note is that frameworks vary and you will need time to learn their different APIs in order to make the best choice for the application you are building. The great attribute of these frameworks is that they are capable of handling a wide range of problems that may arise while developing mobile applications, making your job much easier.

A hybrid application combines elements of both native and web applications. Native app development is done for a specific platform and installed on a digital device. When creating mobile applications, HTML5 provides several alternatives that have their own dynamics and functionality.

This structure is also useful for styling the internal and external appearance of the application, when the application is ready it will run using HTML, JavaScript and CSS.

So why are hybrid apps so popular? This is due to the ease and simplicity of developers writing applications, and the possibility of their further operation on any platform.

Creating hybrid mobile applications

Below is a group of HTML5 Frameworks for ease of programming and design:

Sencha Touch is a leading MVC JavaScript Framework for creating cross-platform mobile applications that facilitates the process of developing web applications using HTML5 and javascript. This platform includes a wide range of products that work right off the bat. Sencha Touch uses hardware acceleration techniques to provide high performance user interface components for mobile devices.

With over 50 built-in UI components and theme browsing for all major mobile platforms, Sencha Touch provides everything you need to create impressive apps that run on iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and more. Adaptive layout, smooth animation and smooth scrolling allow developers to create applications that respond to user actions almost instantly, similar to native technologies.

The framework includes a reliable data package that can receive data from any backend data source. An advanced chart package allows you to visualize data on mobile devices. Native-looking themes for every major platform allow you to create hybrid and web apps that match the look and feel of your target platforms.

1. Ionic

Free and open source, Ionic offers a library of mobile-optimized HTML, CSS and JS components and tools for creating interactive native and progressive web applications. Ionic, which comes with a set of exclusive features, can be called a pioneer in the field of hybrid mobile app development.

Clear, simple and functional, the Ionic platform was designed to work and display beautifully on all modern mobile devices and platforms. With mobile-ready components and a stunning base theme that adapts to every platform.

Telerik Kendo UI is an extension of the HTML5 Framework, acting as one of the best platforms for developers who want to create cross-platform mobile applications. These Frameworks rely heavily on JQuery and include a number of JQuery-based widgets. JavaScript Framework is also available in this open Framework and this is its distinguishing feature.

Fans of Angular (Angular is an open source framework) and bootstrap (Bootstrap is a free set of tools for creating websites and web applications) can use the mobile Angular UI, and they also get the opportunity to add both Bootstrap 3 and the Angular platform to create HTML5. The core Bootstrap 3 extension is very similar to Angular; however, it does not depend on JS, Bootstrap or JQuery. Mobile Angular UI uses overthrow.js and fastclick.js to deliver a mobile experience for all those who use it.

Intel XDK for comes with a complete set of tools used to develop, test and emulate, debug and publish cross-platform HTML5 hybrid applications. This is also an open source framework supported by Intel Corporation. Themes provided by this Framework support Android, Windows, Blackberry, etc.

Onsen UI is a relatively new Framework; however, it provides a challenge to existing heavy platforms, especially for Ionic. It is an open source platform provided under the Apache license. For most of its user interface components, Angular directives and top-level frameworks are used.

M Project, a mobile HTML5 JavaScript Framework, is used to build cross-mobile web applications installed on Backbone.js. Easily integrates with PhoneGap to help in app creation is one of its main features. This simple Framework is used for rapid application development.

Essentially an open source HTML mobile app, Jo easily integrates with PhoneGap and Cordova for app development. Can freely use Open Source Framework, can also help change the appearance of the application using CSS.

There are so many frameworks and libraries around... And how to choose promising and necessary ones for your project?

The team has put together for you TOP best frameworks for Front-end development in 2018.

We are sure that this article will become your guiding star and will not let you drown in a sea of ​​frameworks. Go!

But first, a little theory:

Framework is a platform that provides developers with a framework for writing applications. It contains predefined and implemented classes or functions. Also, for specific tasks, you can add your own code to what is already contained in the framework.

The main advantages of frameworks:

Profitability

Most f. - are free and open source for use. Since this significantly speeds up the creation of the application, it accordingly reduces the price of the web application itself.

Performance

F. significantly improves productivity, and all because it optimizes the process as much as possible. Because it's easier to use f. with optimization and well-structured templates than writing hundreds of lines of code.

Safety

Trending JavaScript frameworks boast not only the support of a large community on GitHub, but also an iron-clad security system.

So, let's look at the TOP 10 frameworks and libraries for Front-end Dev that are relevant in 2018:

An excellent JavaScript framework released in 2013 by Instagram and Facebook. Using it, you can easily create complex and large-scale dynamic applications. Most often used to build user interfaces. This framework has more than 89 thousand stars on GitHub.

Pros:

React's motto: “Learn once, write everywhere”

Free and Open Source

Can use already written code

Supports virtual DOM functionality

Minuses:

Virtual DOM algorithm is inaccurate and slow

Requires complex asynchronous programming when communicating with the server

AngularJS is a framework for developing web applications from Google. Well suited for dynamic web applications, using HTML for static web pages. An indispensable framework not only for software developers, but also for designers. AngularJS, Angular 2 and Angular 4 are firmly established among the popular frameworks.

Pros:

Open source

Saving code snippets for later use

Developers experience fewer errors because data binding is built on top of Angular elements

Various MVC elements supported

Works well in an Agile environment

Lots of test tools

Minuses:

Difficult for beginners

Vue is simpler in terms of architecture

The Angular API is huge and there are many concepts to understand

It is also used to create user interfaces. Designed from the ground up for greater applicability. Consists of an accessible core library that focuses only on the presentation layer, and an ecosystem of supporting libraries that helps manage the complexity of large single page applications. On GitHub, this project has received more than 84 thousand stars.

Pros:

Does not require any default compilers,

Transformation from a library to a framework during use

Managing Advanced Single Page Applications

Excellent balance between readability, maintainability of the code and the writing of the code itself

Minuses:

Runtime errors in templates

The component approach in React is more flexible

One of the most popular MVC JavaScript frameworks. It appeared in 2011 as open source. It can be used to create scalable single-page web applications quite easily and provides two-way data binding. Does top-notch server-side DOM rendering work. Supported by Discourse, Groupon, LinkedIn, Vine

Pros:

Easy to set up

Deploys large user interfaces

Two-way data binding

Minuses:

Rigid project structure

There is no standard set of UI elements

This is not a full-fledged framework, it is a library, albeit the oldest and most popular. jQuery and JavaScript have a long and strong relationship. And with an MIT license, this library gives application developers the ability to write shorter code, thereby reducing workload. It supports DOM manipulation and, in tandem with CSS, can be useful for solving any problem.

Pros:

Widely used due to fast processing

It behaves the same in all browsers

Great for beginners for simple applications

Minuses:

Many functions that make working with the DOM easier are already implemented natively

It allows you to create lightweight and fast applications. Modern, simple, fast and non-blocking. GoDaddy and Paypal are just a few of the big names that use Node.js. Ideal for I/O related and data streaming applications.

Pros:

Simple and fast

Such software can run on multiple hosts

Enabling fast servers

Minuses:

Not for end-to-end operations

There is nothing to do without tests in Node.js

We have a grandiose full-stack platform. It has all the features any developer needs for front-end rendering, back-end development, and database management.

Pros:

Full-Stack platform

Creating full-featured applications

Reactive programming

Fast data processing

Low barrier to entry

Minuses:

Complex interface for beginners

Just a perfect match for JavaScript. This is a real JavaScript framework.

Great for creating web applications and responsive websites. Comes with CSS grid, breakpoints, API and browser style normalization features.

Pros:

Based on JavaScript and CSS

Adaptive image for a variety of monitors

Can be integrated into any design

Compatible with any browsers

Minuses:

Insufficient implementation of certain functions, including standard ones

A platform for creating mobile and desktop cross-platform applications in JavaScript (HTML+CSS to boot). This is a cloud platform for building/distributing software and everything you want for creating functionally rich applications. A nice assortment of cool tools and functions.

Pros:

Easy to use and learn

IN high performance structure

For desktop and mobile cross-platform software

Minuses:

Titanium SDK is updated later than operating system SDKs

Lack of InterfaceBuilder

Insufficient implementation of certain functions, including standard ones

This platform can easily be called a next-generation framework for mobile and web applications.

The best thing about Aurelia is that it is modular and contains quite a few independent small libraries. Thus, you can create your own framework and implement it into the platform.

Pros:

Extensive set of libraries

Creating your own framework within the platform

Minuses:

The set of libraries requires additions and improvements

Objective-C, Swift or JavaScript?

I'll be honest, your humble servant loves many of the apple company's products... but not Objective-C. I made several attempts to make friends with him, but the relationship somehow did not develop. Well, I don’t like him, that’s all. Release Swift, one might say, has corrected the situation, but it is still in the stage of active development and polishing. I don’t really want to use it in real projects.

After thinking about the pros and cons of all available iOS development technologies, I decided to stick with my favorite JavaScript. If there is no vital need for native Objective-C features, and you have experience developing in JavaScript, then why not start conquering mobile platforms with it? Moreover, one-off projects often arise in this area (without further support), and for the sake of them there is simply no point in seriously studying Objective-C.

A practical example: I once had to do a project to develop an application for a corporate online store. The task is in fact one-time: “we make life easier for customers and send the application to free floating.” In such cases, you want to solve the problem quickly with minimal costs. Has long established itself as a “silver bullet” in this field PhoneGap. It generates the skeleton of a future application and equates creating a mobile application to creating a standard website. So it turns out that if you have average knowledge of HTML/CSS/JS, it’s quite possible to put together a decent application.

The PhoneGap platform provides everything you need to create applications, but leaves the design details to our discretion. Roughly speaking, it’s not going to be so easy to simply assemble an application with an interface close to its native design. This cannot be achieved without the use of additional technologies.

Bootstrap for mobile platforms

Modern web developers have heard a lot about the power and clunkiness of the Bootstrap framework. It allows you to work wonders and create prototypes of modern web applications in minutes. Framework7 is a kind of Bootstrap, but aimed at mobile platforms. As befits a good framework, F7 contains all kinds of widgets and components that allow you to create an application that is as similar as possible to the native one.

Initially, F7 specialized exclusively in the iOS platform. The standard theme was focused on iOS 7 and, compared to its competitors, stood out for its interface performance. Most recently, developers announced support for Material design from Google, thereby adding Android to the list of supported platforms.

The project developers tried to put things in order under the hood and leave only the really necessary things. As a result, familiar things like the built-in jQuery library in F7 cannot be found. A lightweight version is available instead Dom7, which has most of the necessary capabilities.

So, let's summarize. F7 is a JS/CSS framework with all the necessary UI elements, made in a native style for the mobile platform. To be honest, similar frameworks have already appeared on GitHib, but F7 stands out for its high performance and the implementation of many native UX features. For example, such things as familiar to iOS users as Pull to refresh, Swipe, back bar, and many others are available out of the box and do not require additional programming.

The F7's strengths don't end there. I won’t go into details, but will just share my impressions a little.

I'll start with the most important attribute of a quality project for me - documentation. There is no point in waiting for books to appear on such hasty things - while they are being written, the framework will probably be updated and the text will lose relevance. The only hope in such projects is documentation. The more detailed it is, the better. In F7 this is completely fine. It seemed to me that most of the project was documented, and where there was not enough text, the developers provided code examples.

I've already mentioned the amazing performance. It is achieved primarily through a strict diet and the use of current modern JavaScript capabilities. As for replacing jQuery with Dom7, there is no need to worry. The main methods in it are implemented in exactly the same way. The names of methods of the same type and the order of parameters are completely preserved. Therefore, it will not be difficult to get used to it.

The official website of the project presents various graphs confirming the performance of the F7, but in such matters I trust my perception more. After developing the first real project, I checked the interface response time myself. On the latest iPhone models (5, 5S, 6) it is beyond praise. Everything works quite naturally and habitually.

Among other pleasant benefits for myself, I noted the use of language Less to describe styles. When developing web applications, you have to deal with this technology all the time, so it’s damn nice that the acquired skills can be safely used on mobile platforms.

Let's try it in practice

Technologies change each other regularly, but one thing remains unchanged: the best way to get to know them is through practice. To demonstrate how F7 works, I decided to write a useful application that will definitely be useful to all our readers - a news reader from the website of a favorite magazine. Since in the current implementation our site does not have a full-fledged API for receiving materials, we will use the good old protocol.

Creating a reader using the HTML/CSS/JS/F7/PhoneGap stack is not too difficult, since a fairly functional plugin has already been created for working with RSS. Otherwise, the work will come down to writing several dozen lines of rotten HTML. It's pretty boring, so I took the liberty of adding a little rock 'n' roll. The example will remain the same, but we will write it in MVC style. As a result, we will get a kind of microframework with an eye to the future. In other words, we will create a universal framework for the subsequent development of highly extensible applications.

Summarizing the thoughts listed above, we get approximately the following action plan.

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