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by admin ,May 3, 2024
Android apps are one of the best ways to take your business to the next level. If we consider the numbers, 70% of smartphones use Android operating system, which means business can reach a wider audience. For developers, developing an android app is not an easy task and they can get all the help they receive. This is where android libraries come in, they are powerful pre-built code modules that streamline development and enhance your app’s functionality.
In this blog, we will provide a list of the best android libraries to use to help developers to streamline their work. We will explain more about their functions and how they work. We understand that not everyone reading this is a developer, so we’ll explain technical details in a way that’s easy to understand.
We will also show you how these libraries can help you achieve your business goals. Like quicker development cycles, lower maintenance costs, and more engaging experiences for your customers. In other words, we’ll provide you with clear explanations of how these libraries can benefit your business beyond their technical features.
Android libraries are blocks of pre-written code that you can use to build your Android app. They’re like Lego bricks for app development, each with a specific function like networking, image loading, or user interface elements. These libraries save developers time and effort by providing pre-built solutions for common app features. They also help maintain code quality and consistency. Because experienced developers maintain them, you can trust they’re efficient and reliable. In short, Android libraries allow businesses to make high-quality apps faster and with fewer resources.
In this blog, we have provided 25 android libraries that are widely used by most developers. To make this easy to understand, we divided them into groups of their functions like UI or networking.
Android Libraries for Networking
Retrofit is a networking library that works with Android applications. It’s popular because it makes it simple to gather information from web servers. It has a type-safe API and automatically converts JSON data into Java objects. Retrofit also comes with useful features like interceptors, which are headers used for authentication or logging requests. It’s easy to integrate with other libraries like Gson, which helps to parse JSON.
This is an HTTP client library developed by Square that is used as the foundation for many other networking android libraries like Retrofit. OkHttp provides a powerful and flexible API for making HTTP requests and handling responses. It offers features like connection pooling, timeouts, and interceptors for customizing network behavior. While OkHttp is a lower-level library compared to Retrofit, it can be useful for developers who need more fine-grained control over their network interactions. This plug is not only useful for android, with plugin like Dio, you can use them for flutter, and you can learn more about that from our flutter app development guide.
It’s a lightweight HTTP inspector library for Android developed by Airbnb. Chuck allows you to easily inspect your app’s network requests and responses directly on your Android device. It provides a user-friendly interface for viewing request and response details, headers, and bodies. Chuck can be a valuable tool for debugging network-related issues in your Android development process. With some of the useful libraries like this, you can reduce Android app development cost easily.
Gson is a popular JSON parsing library from Google. Gson provides a simple and efficient way to convert Java objects to JSON and vice versa. It can be used with networking libraries like Retrofit to automatically parse JSON data received from web servers into Java objects. Gson is a mature and well-supported library that is a great choice for working with JSON data in your Android applications.
| Library | Description | Business Benefit |
| Retrofit | Simplifies API calls with a clean and type-safe interface. | Faster development: Reduced code for API interactions, leading to quicker app development cycles. |
| OkHttp | Powerful HTTP client for building custom networking behavior. | Greater control: Fine-tune network requests and responses, allowing for more complex integrations and optimizations. |
| Chuck | Lightweight library for inspecting network requests and responses on your device. | Improved debugging: Faster identification and resolution of network issues, leading to smoother app development and launch. |
| Gson | Popular library for converting between Java objects and JSON data. | Simplified data handling: Efficiently parse and serialize data exchanged with APIs, reducing development complexity. |
Glide is a library that loads images quickly and efficiently. It’s straightforward to use and allows developers to load images from various sources, like URLs, local files, and content providers. Glide contains features like automatic caching, image resizing, and placeholder images that show up while the actual image loads. It’s an excellent choice for developers who want to improve their app’s performance and user experience by loading images efficiently.
This is a custom ImageView subclass developed by the Glide team that simplifies using Glide for image loading and animation. It provides built-in support for crossfades, error handling, and placeholder images. GlideDrawableImageView can help improve the developer experience and reduce boilerplate code when working with Glide for image management.
Lottie is a library from Airbnb that allows you to add animations to your Android applications. It uses JSON files to create animations, which designers and developers can work on together. Lottie animations are lightweight and efficient, making them an excellent choice for adding interactivity and polish to your app. This type of UI library is useful for Real estate app development to showcase visual aspect of the properties.
This is another popular image loading library for Android. Like Glide, Picasso offers features like automatic image loading, caching, and transformation. While Glide may be a more feature-rich option, Picasso is known for its simplicity and ease of use. Developers can choose the library that best suits their needs and preferences.
Finding views in your Android layouts is made easier with the help of this view binding framework. Traditionally, developers would use the findViewById method to find views in their code. However, this can lead to repetitive code and make it difficult to maintain your layouts. ButterKnife eliminates the need for findViewById by generating boilerplate code for finding views at compile time.
With this robust logging framework for Android, you can log messages in your app in an organized and reliable manner. Log levels may be personalized, logs can be tagged, and logs can be sent to remote logging services with Timber. It offers a more adaptable and user-friendly substitute for the conventional Android logging system.
You can manage navigation in your Android application with help of this collection of Google libraries. To provide a dependable and user-friendly navigation experience, it offers components like Navigation UI, NavController, and NavHostFragment. You may streamline your app’s navigation logic and enhance the user experience in general by utilizing the Navigation Architecture Component.
| Library | Description | Business Benefit |
| Glide | Efficient image loading and caching for smoother UI performance. | Improved User Experience: Faster loading times and a more responsive app. |
| GlideDrawableImageView | Custom ImageView subclass for handling animated GIFs and drawable resources. | Engaging User Interface: Enables visually appealing animations within your app. |
| Lottie | Parses Adobe After Effects animations for integration into your app. | Unique User Experience: Delivers high-quality animations for a standout app. |
| Picasso | Another popular library for image loading with features like caching and transformations. | Improved Performance: Efficient image management for a smooth user experience. |
| ButterKnife | Simplifies view binding for faster development and cleaner code. | Increased Developer Productivity: Reduces boilerplate code and improves development speed. |
| Timber | Powerful logging library for debugging and monitoring app behavior. | Faster Problem Resolution: Easier identification and fixing of bugs, leading to a more stable app. |
| Navigation Architecture Component | Provides a structured approach for in-app navigation. | Improved App Maintainability: Easier to manage complex navigation flows within your app. |
Dagger 2 is a library that helps manage dependencies between objects in Android. It removes the responsibility of creating objects from other objects, which makes the code easier to maintain, test, and reduces boilerplate code. Dagger 2 is a powerful library that can manage complex dependency hierarchies in large Android projects.
As an alternative to Dagger 2, this is a lightweight dependency injection framework for Kotlin. Koin is renowned for being straightforward and user-friendly. For controlling the lifetime of objects, it offers capabilities like property injection, automated dependency injection, and scoping. For developers who would rather handle dependency injection in their Kotlin applications in a more straightforward and condensed manner, Koin can be a viable option.
| Dagger 2 | Powerful framework for managing dependencies throughout your app. | Improved Code Maintainability: Clear separation of concerns and easier testing. Reduced Development Costs: Less time spent on manual dependency management. |
| Koin | Lightweight and user-friendly library for dependency injection. | Faster Development: Simpler setup and easier to learn compared to Dagger 2. Increased Developer Productivity: Developers can focus on core app functionalities. |
Room is an object mapping library from Google that simplifies working with SQLite databases in Android. Room provides an abstraction layer over SQLite, allowing developers to interact with the database using plain Java objects. This eliminates the need for writing raw SQL queries and makes it easier to manage database schema changes. Room is a lightweight and easy-to-use solution for database persistence in Android apps.
| Room | Simplifies working with SQLite databases in Android apps. | Offline Functionality: Enables data persistence for use even without an internet connection. Improved App Performance: Faster data access compared to traditional SQLite methods. Reduced Development Time: Abstractions minimize boilerplate code for database interactions. |
Square developed a library called LeakCanary to assist developers in finding memory leaks in their Android apps. It is crucial to identify memory leaks as soon as possible since they might result in crashes and poor performance in your application. A user-friendly library called LeakCanary makes it simple to incorporate memory leak monitoring into your application.
This is a Kotlin project-specific companion library to the original LeakCanary. While offering the same memory leak detection capabilities, it smoothly incorporates Kotlin’s features and syntax. LeakCanary for Kotlin is a tool that developers may use to find memory leaks and increase the general stability of their Kotlin programs. These libraries help you detect memory leaks in your app, which is important for security-focused applications like blockchain wallets. Learn more about how blockchain can create secure fintech and banking applications with their robust security.
For unit testing in Android programming, this is a mocking framework. Making fake objects that mimic real-world object behavior is possible using Mockito. Isolating the code, you are testing from its dependencies is beneficial for unit testing. When writing unit tests for your Android applications, Mockito may assist you in becoming more focused and thorough.
Google has developed an automated testing framework exclusively for evaluating Android user interfaces. With Espresso, you can create tests that respond to buttons, text fields, and other UI components in your application. By doing this, you can make sure that the user interface (UI) of your app functions as intended and that your UI tests hold up well across various Android devices and versions.
| Library | Description | Business Benefit |
| LeakCanary & LeakCanary for Kotlin | Detect memory leaks in your app. | Improved App Stability: Prevents memory leaks that can lead to crashes and performance issues. Reduced Maintenance Costs: Easier to identify and fix memory leaks before they impact users. |
| Mockito | Creates mock objects for unit testing, simulating dependencies. | Faster Unit Tests: Mocks help isolate and test specific parts of your code more efficiently. Improved Code Quality: Promotes writing cleaner and more testable code. |
| Espresso | Automated testing framework for Android UI interactions. | Reduced Testing Time: Automates repetitive UI testing tasks. Improved App Quality: Ensures a more reliable and user-friendly app experience. |
With the help of this reactive programming toolkit, you can manage asynchronous data streams in a declarative manner. Operators for transforming, filtering, and combining data streams are provided by RxJava. Your code may become easier to understand, maintain, and more succinct as a result. RxJava may be a useful tool for developers who wish to create asynchronous code in a more functional manner, while having a little learning curve.
This is a Facebook debugging library that gives your Android apps a web-based inspector. With Stetho, you may use a web browser to observe your app’s layout hierarchy, examine its network activity, and interact with its SQLite database. This is a helpful tool you can use when developing your app to debug it.
Built on top of OkHttp, this contemporary image loading framework for Android works well with Kotlin routines. Features like placeholder images, caching, and automated image loading are provided by Coil. Given its reputation for dependability, speed, and user-friendliness, it is a serious competitor for image loading requirements in contemporary Android development.
Google has released an Android library that backports to earlier Android versions the current Java Date and Time API (java.time). When working with dates and times, the java.time API is more user-friendly and consistent than the outdated java.util.Date API. ThreeTenABP enhances the readability and maintainability of code by enabling developers to leverage the java.time API on devices running earlier versions of Android.
Strong ties to the Java framework of Android could have been made with this Kotlin module. With the help of Anko, developers may write clearer and more concise Kotlin code by adding extensions for other Android core components. Anko provides a more Kotlin-friendly approach to express typical activities related to Android development.
Square has developed an updated JSON library for Kotlin. Moshi is a type-safe JSON parsing solution made especially for Kotlin that is comparable to Gson. Working with JSON data in Kotlin applications is made more reliable and developer-friendly by utilizing properties inherent to Kotlin, such as immutability and null safety.
This component of the Android architecture aids in managing the UI data lifecycle of your application. ViewModel stores user interface (UI) related data that endures configuration changes, including screen rotation or activity replay. This makes it easier to retain UI state across various lifecycle events and helps prevent data loss.
| Library | Description | Business Benefit |
| RxJava | Framework for asynchronous and reactive programming. | Improved Code Maintainability: Cleaner handling of complex asynchronous operations. Increased Developer Productivity: Simplifies writing code for handling multiple events. |
| Stetho | Debugging library providing browser inspection of your app on Android devices. | Faster Debugging: Easier identification and resolution of bugs during development. Reduced Development Time: Saves time spent on manual logging and debugging. |
| ThreeTenABP (ThreeTen Backport) | Backports modern Java date and time API features to older Android versions. | Consistent Codebase: Ensures consistent date and time handling across different Android versions. Reduced Development Complexity: Avoids the need for custom date/time handling for older versions. |
| Anko | Kotlin DSL for writing cleaner and more concise Android code. | Improved Code Readability: Reduces boilerplate code and makes code easier to understand. Faster Development: Allows developers to write code more efficiently. |
| Moshi | Simple and efficient JSON data serialization and deserialization library. | Faster Development: Faster processing of JSON data compared to traditional methods. Improved Code Maintainability: Cleaner separation of concerns for data handling. |
| ViewModel | Architecture component for managing UI data lifecycle. | Improved Code Testability: ViewModels help decouple UI logic from lifecycle events. Reduced Development Complexity: Simplifies managing data changes and updates for the UI. |
The future of mobile development is bright, and Android libraries are leading the way in innovation. When it comes to selecting the best libraries for your Android app development, it’s important to rely on the expertise of your development team. Understanding the capabilities of these tools and how they impact the development process can help you, as a business owner, make informed decisions about resource allocation and project timelines. By creating a collaborative environment where developers have access to the best tools, businesses can unlock the full potential of Android app development and achieve remarkable success.
As a leading Android app development company in India with decade of experience in the field, we offer something better than others. Our skilled app developers understand the unique requirement of your project and utilize all the relevant technologies, tools and libraries to build a perfect solution. We can help you build an android app that will outshine the competition. Consult with us today.
FAQs
The best libraries for your app depend on your specific needs and functionalities. Consider factors like the app’s features, development team expertise, and desired outcomes (e.g., performance, UI, memory management). Research each library and explore its documentation to see if it aligns with your project requirements.
For a beautiful and interactive UI, consider libraries like Glide and GlideDrawableImageView for smooth image loading and animations. Lottie allows you to integrate lightweight animations from Adobe After Effects. ButterKnife simplifies finding views in your layouts, and Timber provides clean logging for debugging UI issues.
Many libraries offer pre-built functionalities, eliminating the need to code everything from scratch. Retrofit simplifies API calls, while ButterKnife reduces boilerplate code for finding UI elements. This translates to faster development and potentially lower costs.
While these libraries offer numerous benefits, there can be a learning curve involved, especially for beginners. Some libraries like Dagger 2 have a steeper learning curve compared to others. However, the abundance of online resources, tutorials, and community support can help overcome these challenges.
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