Difference between Native and cross platform mobile applications development with Code Examples - devshafique/Native-Android-Development-Blogs GitHub Wiki

Native mobile application development and cross-platform mobile application development are two different approaches to creating mobile apps. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of which approach to use depends on the specific needs of the project.

Native mobile application development refers to the process of creating mobile apps that are specifically designed to run on a specific platform, such as iOS or Android. These apps are built using the programming languages and software development kits (SDKs) provided by the platform, such as Swift and Objective-C for iOS, and Java and Kotlin for Android.

One of the main advantages of native mobile application development is that the apps can take full advantage of the features and capabilities of the platform they are built for. This means that they can provide the best performance and user experience for the specific platform. Additionally, native apps can access all the hardware and software features of the device, such as the camera, GPS, and accelerometer.

However, one of the main disadvantages of native mobile application development is that it can be time-consuming and costly to develop apps for multiple platforms. For example, if a company wants to create an app for both iOS and Android, they will need to hire separate teams of developers for each platform, and develop and maintain separate codebases.

Cross-platform mobile application development, on the other hand, is the process of creating mobile apps that can run on multiple platforms, such as iOS, Android, and Windows. These apps are typically built using cross-platform development frameworks, such as React Native, Xamarin, and Flutter.

One of the main advantages of cross-platform mobile application development is that it can save time and money by allowing developers to use a single codebase to create apps for multiple platforms. Additionally, cross-platform development frameworks often provide a common set of tools and APIs that can be used to access device features, such as the camera and GPS.

However, one of the main disadvantages of cross-platform mobile application development is that the apps may not be able to take full advantage of the features and capabilities of the specific platform they are running on. Additionally, the performance of cross-platform apps may not be as good as native apps, and they may not look or feel as polished as native apps.

Native mobile application development refers to the process of creating mobile apps that are specifically designed to run on a specific platform, such as iOS or Android. For example, here is an example of a simple "Hello World" app written in Swift for iOS:

import UIKit

class ViewController: UIViewController {

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        // Do any additional setup after loading the view.
    }

    @IBAction func showMessage(sender: UIButton) {
        let alertController = UIAlertController(title: "Welcome to iOS", message: "Hello World!", preferredStyle: UIAlertController.Style.alert)
        alertController.addAction(UIAlertAction(title: "OK", style: UIAlertAction.Style.default, handler: nil))
        present(alertController, animated: true, completion: nil)
    }
}

Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google that is used to create mobile apps for devices such as smartphones and tablets. Here is an example of a simple "Hello World" app written in Java for Android:

import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.TextView;

public class MainActivity extends Activity {

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

        TextView textView = new TextView(this);
        textView.setText("Welcome to Android!");

        setContentView(textView);
    }
}

Cross-platform mobile application development, on the other hand, is the process of creating mobile apps that can run on multiple platforms, such as iOS, Android, and Windows. Here is an example of a simple "Hello World" app written in React Native:

import React from 'react';
import { View, Text, Button } from 'react-native';

export default class App extends React.Component {
  render() {
    return (
      <View>
        <Text>Hello World!</Text>
        <Button
          onPress={() => {
            alert('Welcome to React Native');
          }}
          title="Show Message"
        />
      </View>
    );
  }
}

Flutter is a cross-platform mobile application development framework that can be used to create apps for both iOS and Android. Here is an example of a simple "Hello World" app written in Flutter:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      title: 'Hello World',
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(
          title: Text('Hello World'),
        ),
        body: Center(
          child: Text('Welcome to Flutter'),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Xamarin is a cross-platform mobile application development framework that can be used to create apps for both iOS and Android using C#. Here is an example of a simple "Hello World" app written in Xamarin.Forms:

using Xamarin.Forms;

namespace HelloWorld
{
    public class App : Application
    {
        public App()
        {
            MainPage = new ContentPage
            {
                Content = new Label
                {
                    Text = "Welcome to Xamarin!",
                    VerticalOptions = LayoutOptions.CenterAndExpand,
                    HorizontalOptions = LayoutOptions.CenterAndExpand,
                }
            };
        }
    }
}

As we can see from this example, both native and cross-platform mobile application development have their own way of doing things. Native mobile application development requires developers to use specific programming languages and SDKs for each platform, while cross-platform mobile application development allows developers to use a single codebase and framework to create apps for multiple platforms.

In conclusion, both native and cross-platform mobile application development have their own advantages and disadvantages. The choice of which approach to use depends on the specific needs of the project, such as the target platform, budget, and the requirement of user experience. Native mobile application development is best suited for projects that require the best performance and user experience for a specific platform, while cross-platform mobile application development is best suited for projects that need to support multiple platforms with a single codebase.