Best Tools for Android Development
Android is one of the famous platform for mobile, there are around three billion apps on Google Play and increasing day by day. As the use of Android devices are growing up the need and users of apps growing as well.
The developers needs to stay productive and build high quality apps with less time, there are many tools in market to build application in simple and easy steps to complex coding with easy way. Let us explore the various tools for Android development and hopefully one or more will be your favorite. In below section we are going to explain some famous android development tools and their features in a brief way.
Android Studio: Key Android Build Tool
Yes, we can say It is one of the best tool between the list of android application development. An integrated environment for Android app development, develop and distribute officially by Google.
An easy way of writing codes, testing apps, build database applications or even non database application. The integration with other google , java and third party services is easy and simple as well.
Start from 2013, it made a splash one and only IDE for native Android apps. It is available free and supported by a vibrant Android development community.
IntelliJ IDEA
A Java IDE also support Android development. It was created by JetBrains. It's a good alternative to Android Studio , but mostly used for small and simple android applications. There are many good features with IntelliJIDEA such as smart code completion, instant code analysis, refactoring, and JetBrains plugins. Maven is the default support for app build control or build automation system (its very technical thing but i am sure most of programmer know this well). Almost forgot that this IDE has both freeware and paid versions
Gradle
This tool is an open-source build automation system. Since 2013 it was in market. The mix of Apache Maven and Apache Ant, a very good system and ideal for large and complex build and multiple or distributed projects.
With Gradle it is very easy to add third-party library with one line of code. Gradle is mainly used for Android software development using Java, but supported by other plugins as well.
Eclipse
A very famous tools before Android Studio for Android apps development. For a long time, Eclipse was the officially preferred IDE for all Android application.
Now there is no support from Google for Eclipse, still huge community of developers are using it to create Android and other java based application. Not only java based but other languages are supported as well, Programmer use it to build cross-platform system and application as well.
Firebase
Firebase provides various kind of services like data analytics, crash reporting, authentication and cloud messaging and many more. All are free of cost. the freemium services include real-time NoSQL database, file hosting, and website hosting but only static web sites.
AIDE
This Android IDE allows making an Android app on your Android device. This IDE is good for new developers. The developers using the AIDE that not only to write the code on your device like phone or tablet but run, test, and debug as well. It only support Java and C/C++. Due to this fixed kind of supported language, developer may choose other tools or IDE
RAD Studio
RAD Studio has a visual designer and code editor that helps you to write, compile, and deploy kind of hybrid applications using a single code base tool. It comes with support during an entire SDLC. An integrated environment where you can create apps for Android devices. It is not free but you may check the trial version and buy the full version
Below are some other tools which are helpful to build apps or support other SDLC activities such as debugging , Testing , deployment , integration.
Stetho
Stetho is another open-source library. It was developed by Facebook and designed for quick application debugging. A limited set of apps/web site development is available with Stetho. Get a website kind of experience by this application , access to a Chrome Developer Tools feature native to the desktop browser.
With the Chrome DevTools, you can easily view the hierarchy of an application, monitor network activity, manage an SQLite database, monitor shared SharedPreferences, and more.
LeakCanary
Provided by Square, a good tool for memory leak detection. After installation, it will automatically launch and bring your kind notice of every memory leak in your application. To rectify the problems, there is a built-in stack trace available.
Source Tree
Provide an easy and simple way to visualize all your changes, commits, branches. No need to write a single line of code. Its available for both Mac and Windows users.
yet another free tool that manage Git repositories using Git GUI.
Unity 3D
A wonderful tool for Creating mobile games or 3D kind of application. by integration of third party tools It support VR Games or related things as well. Unity will provide more tailored-to-game-development tools. real-time rendering, storytelling and many more features insist to build games with this tools although these are supported with Android Studio, Intelej.
GameMaker: Studio
Another most popular game engines by YOYO games that support of 2D game development, not only for Android but other platforms. By its powerful and simple drag and drop features, developer feel amaze about this tool. You may take a start with this tool if you have plan your career or project as a mobile game developer.
BlockCanary
It is a very supportive tool for your mobile application development. This handy performance monitoring library, identify when your application's user interface thread is blocking or find the lakes which cause the application slow. Just few steps of installation and configuration and lets make the life easy.
AVD Manager
A good tool to create Android Virtual Devices. Make easy of the developers to test the application on different devices without having the real devices as they can test same on virtual devices.
Vysor
Another Virtual devices or emulator for android apps. Vysor is a tool that brings Android to the desktop so you can display and interact with the device right from your PC. It can be run on different kind of operating systems. lets use your normal computer devices like keyboard, mouse to interact with the app, present it directly from your PC
There a various other tools as well for development , performance monitoring and other mobile apps related activities check out the other list for cross's platform android application development tools also.
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