Libraries in any technology stack play a vital role in the overall development, design, testing and other processes. Libraries aid developers in getting more work done in an efficient and timely manner without having to waste time on boilerplate codes. There are different Android app libraries for other aspects of the Android development process. Since Android is open-source and community-driven, many ready-made solutions can be integrated into your Android app for various purposes.
How to Select Android App Libraries for your Project?
Remember a few considerations when deciding on the libraries you want to pick for your Android app development. This will help you make an informed decision –
Library Popularity
Look at the library’s stats such as ratings, comments, downloads, issues raised and other important metrics. Also, check the date of the most recent comment; that will help you understand how frequently the library is being used.
Properly Structured Code
The library needs to have properly structured code and follow Android coding best practices so it is easier to understand, code and debug if any problems or glitches arise.
Library License
You must read the library licensing rules thoroughly and ensure you aren’t breaching any, as that could negatively impact your overall Android app ratings and performance.
Transparency
Make sure you select open-source Android libraries and inspect their performance and quality of code. The code should be accessible, and if there are unnecessary restrictions, then it’s better to steer clear of such libraries.
Popular Android App Libraries to use
There are several Android app libraries in the market. However, choosing the best Android app libraries from an extensive list is like finding a needle in a haystack. Hence, you should hire Android developer who has a knack for identifying the right Android libraries as per your project requirements and utilizing them efficiently. If you still want a glimpse of the most popular Android app libraries, we have a list of the ones you definitely shouldn’t miss out on –
ANR Watchdog
Library Type: Performance Tracking
ANR in ANR Watchdog stands for ‘Application Not Responding’, and the library detects ANR status. Android apps currently cannot file and report ANR errors, so if your app isn’t on the Google Play Store, you will have to pull the traces.txt file from the repository and set up a ‘watchdog’ timer to alert the developer when the UI thread stops responding.
ACRA
Library Type: Crash Reporting Library
ACRA, also known as Automated Crash Reporting for Android, is a free library that allows developers to resolve manual error reporting. With ACRA, you can extract all the Android error logs that Google provides but also with additional customizable options. Once you set up this library, these logs will be fetched automatically without user input. So, when your app crashes on users’ phones, ACRA would automatically send a crash report to the server.
Dagger 2
Library Type: Dependency Injection
Dagger 2 is an entirely static, compile-time dependency injection framework that works for Android and Java. Its predecessor, Dragger 1, was developed by Square and is now managed by Google. The more recent versions of Dagger include support for Android, like auto-generating subcomponents by using a new code generator.
Glide
Library Type: Image Processing
Glide is a popular Android library for image loading. With Glide, you can add animation while your app caches and loads screens and data, and it also helps retrieve, decode and display images, video calls and GIFs. Glide has a flexible API that enables developers to use any network stack.
CAMview
Library Type: Scanning Libraries
CAMview is ZXing based Android Camera Access library with a built-in QR code scanner. It has a wide range of valuable components that you can add to your layout files which can give Android app developers easy and quick access to the device camera’s live preview video feed, handle live data from any camera and so on.
Stetho
Library Type: Debugger
Stetho is a famous debugging bridge for Android apps which developers can use via a module to access features of Chrome Developer Tools that are generally only limited to Chrome desktop browser instead of Database inspection, Network inspection and JavaScript console.
HoloGraph Library
Library Type: Data Visualization
It’s a new Android visual library that is quickly gaining massive popularity. It is ideal for integrating beautifully designed graphs and charts to represent your Android app data. You can present your data in LineGraph, BarGraph, PieGraph and other forms of visualization.
Android Volley
Library Type: Network Communication
Android Volley is an HTTP library built for Android apps to improve networking efficiency. It is the best in RPC-type operations that are used to populate any UI, like getting a page of structured search results. You don’t need to write boilerplate codes when you use Android Volley. This library keeps all responses in memory when parsing. Hence it isn’t best suited for huge download or streaming activities.
Espresso
Library Type: Testing Library
Espresso is a testing library in the ‘Android Testing Library list’. It is a library that allows developers to develop UI test cases. Using this library, you can construct tests for checking if a particular TextView can be compared to another text. It automatically synchronizes test actions with the view of your app. Developers must manually add the dependencies to their app module to fully use this testing library.
Coroutines Cache
Library Type: Caching Library
This popular and loved caching library for Android apps is based on Kotlin. It is a reactive caching library that converts caching requirements to basic functions. When a request is made to Coroutines Cache, it determines if the request needs to be retrieved or bid should be executed. After this, based on CachePolicy, it makes a decision.
Final Words
These are the top Android app libraries to power your Android apps in 2022. Of course, many other tools could prove very useful, but these libraries have proven their worth in the Android developer community. Make sure to hire dedicated developers with proven experience and expertise in using such Android libraries to truly create a highly performant, secure and robust Android application.
Author Bio
Ronak Patel is a CEO and Founder of Aglowid IT Solutions, an ever-emerging Top Web and Mobile Development company with a motto of turning clients into successful businesses. He believes that Client’s success is company’s success and so that he always makes sure that Aglowid helps their client’s business to reach to its true potential with the help of his best team with the standard development process he set up for the company.