Xamarin For Cross-platform App Development
Your truth is often less accurate. The questions that should be asked before the development will be along the lines of – What type of application is being developed? Will it be for iOS, Android, both, or more forums? Will it be cartoon-heavy and/or graphics-hard, with a unique and sophisticated UI? What is the business concept behind it?
Depending on the project budget, specificity, and a host of other factors, moving to a mixed or close-to-native development can save a lot of resources and time without compromising on performance and appearance.
At the moment, biggies for multi-platform application development (but not limited to) platforms/frameworks such as Xamarin, React Native, Flutter, PhoneGap, and Cordova. Our focus on this blog will mainly be on Xamarin and it is both pros and cons for iOS app development and Android app development.
It has now emerged that the most popular framework for open-source cross-platform app development. One technology stack of Xamarin, C #, and .NET, with the ability to reuse up to 95% of code, facilitates the intricate creation of mobile apps for iOS, Android, and Windows OS (compared to native).
How Does Xamarin Work?
Xamarin comes with two commercial products: Xamarin. Android and Xamarin.iOS. Mono works on almost all possible platforms like Linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, and Unix.
For the Android platform, the Xamarin moderator meets under the Middle Language (IL). Which is Just-in-Time (JIT) collected in a traditional session when the program starts.
With the iOS platform, Xamarin Ahead-of-Time (AOT) moderator integrates Xamarin.iOS applications directly into the native ARM code.
In both Xamarin.Android and Xamarin.iOS frameworks, Xamarin applications use the duration that inevitably manages items such as garbage collection, basic field interop, memory allocation, etc.
Advantages of using Xamarin for mobile application development
Write once, use it everywhere
The main selling point of Xamarin and similar frameworks is the opportunity to create one-coded solutions for iOS and Android. Written with C # in the .NET framework, it can provide up to 95% reusable code with controls, user interaction, and native functionality.
Technical backing and support from Microsoft
The fact that Microsoft’s massive software development integrates Xamarin puts it above many competitors thanks to the ongoing guaranteed support for developers, functionality, and stability (especially in products like Test Cloud).
C# and .NET flexibility
The C # and .NET environment, as well as Microsoft’s “.NET for all” views allow you to easily switch between designing applications for different platforms for a single development team.
Native performance and UX
Because it is possible to access each native API, one can make full use of specific hardware and system-specific APIs. It is difficult to distinguish between the Indigenous app and the one made in Xamarin because there is no single one. Xamarin.Android and Xamarin.iOS libraries can manage non-native native APIs, while the Xamarin.Essentials library manages the rest.
Reduced time-to-market
Sharing the basics of code eliminates time spent restoring, rewriting, or translating code to work on different operating systems. This has the potential to reduce weeks, months, and possibly years, in SDLC.
Track activity and crashes
Visual Studio App Center allows you to track users’ activities, devices, app crashes, and much more. Therefore, QA becomes very liquid and ineffective. Thanks to .NET, one can manage, build, and test not only Xamarin projects but also native iOS, Android, and Windows apps, all in one place.
Rapid GUI prototyping
With Xamarin.Forms, one can access a cross-platform UI toolkit to create functional UI for any device. This can bring up to 95% of recycled code, increase development speed and reduce costs.
Maintenance
If new features, bug fixes, or updates are needed, changes to the source file are applied directly to all applications. Thus eliminating the need to update the source code individually.
Disadvantages of using Xamarin for mobile application development
Cost of license
As part of the NET platform, Xamarin is open source and free. While there is a free Public License option available, other features such as default check tools, multi-account support, and collaboration options are only available with a business registration option.
Limitations in platform-specific features
Some limitations will apply, no matter how close one may approach indigenous development. In Xamarin, for example, multi-touch performance and field-specific touch require specific workarounds.
Xamarin.Android
- Partial Java generics support
- Limited Java generation support
- Limited dynamic language support
Xamarin.iOS
- Runtime features disabled
- No remoting
- No dynamic code generation
- Limited generics support
Overhead of code
Xamarin can be very complex to facilitate a smooth integration. Since native apps do not require shared functionality, Xamarin-built applications are very heavy and can take up a lot of space. However, Microsoft is actively involved in resolving this, Xamarin.Forms and Xamarin.Essentials to be the largest providers.
Lag in API support
There may be a bottle when it comes to supporting the latest releases for Android and iOS as proper integration it will be required for the Xamarin. Android libraries and Xamarin.iOS and APIs.
Not recommended for graphics-heavy applications
The UI development of each forum needs to be done separately, whether Xamarin. The forms are used or not. Therefore, applications that make extensive use of images should be developed locally.
Conclusion
Xamarin is one of the most productive, comprehensive, and powerful frameworks for cross-platform app development, even considering its shortcomings and limitations.
One thing to consider is that the project budget, specific details, business mindset, etc., mentioned above, should guide the decision between using Xamarin or going to the venue. At Moon TechnoLabs, we have met Xamarin Mobile app developers who can make sure you choose the right option!