Native Vs Cross-Platform Application Development – How To Pick?

The world of mobile app development is vast and changing at a breakneck speed. Mobile apps have had a hugely positive impact on businesses all over the world, allowing them to grow enormously. This is why, since 2018, the worldwide mobile app market has grown at a CAGR of 18.4 percent. With the boom of mobile app development, numerous types of mobile app development platforms have sprung up all over the world. The development of native and cross-platform apps has piqued the interest of business owners all over the world. 

In fact, according to a recent Statista survey, 67 percent of app developers choose Native apps, while the rest favor cross-platform apps. Now you’re probably wondering which platform is better: native or cross-platform. 

As per the experienced mobile app development company in India, it can be said that both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. So, it’s best to gain a thorough understanding of the differences between native and cross-platform apps before making a final decision. As a result, we’ll go over many areas of Native and Cross-Platform app development in this article. Furthermore, we’ll examine the scenarios in which a CTO can employ one of the two app development frameworks.

Native Application Development

Native app development is concerned with creating apps for a specific platform, such as iOS, Android, or Windows. Native apps are created using platform-specific programming languages. Native Android apps, for example, can utilize Java or Kotlin, but native iOS apps use Swift and Objective-C.

The main advantage of native apps over cross-platform apps is that they can take advantage of all of the operating system’s functions as well as all of the device’s features—camera, GPS, contacts list, gravity sensor, gyroscope, and so on. Furthermore, all complicated functions, such as complex networking, memory management, and more, become easy for developers to use.

What is the most significant disadvantage? For each platform, you’ll require a distinct codebase, which takes time and money. When deciding between native and cross-platform development, it’s critical to understand the benefits and drawbacks of each framework. Let’s start with the advantages and disadvantages of native applications.

Pros Of Native Application DevelopmenT

  • HIGH PERFORMANCE: In terms of speed, responsiveness, and operating excellence, natively created apps are unrivaled. Because these platform-specific apps are written in core programming languages and APIs, this is achievable. Furthermore, they are able to fully utilize the device’s processing speed, resulting in a faster load time.
  • BROAD PERSONALITY: As previously said, the most significant advantage of native vs cross-platform is the former’s ability to use all of the platform’s features. As a result, faster execution and a better user experience are achieved. Native apps can also work without an internet connection, making them the best option for complicated mobile apps.
  • BEST UI/UX: Native technology is your best bet for creating apps with a robust and intuitive user experience with a consistent look and feel. Native mobile apps, which are created with native software development kits (SDKs) and are tailored to a specific operating system, provide a more natural flow to their customers.
  • STORE SUPPORT: Native apps are easier to publish in the app store because they follow the iOS and Android rules by default. Both Google and Apple favour native apps, which are the majority of what they offer in their app stores. Of course, being featured on an app store strengthens your brand and increases your downloads by a factor of ten.

CONS

  • Development time: Building an app that supports numerous devices takes longer (two or more completely separate apps need to be developed). The length of the test is also altered.
  • Costs of development: Separate development for each platform necessitates the involvement of more personnel, resulting in higher costs.
  • Maintenance and support: Finding and fixing issues, updating, and making cosmetic changes to a native application for both systems takes on average twice as much time and resources.

Cross-Platform Application Development

Cross-platform app creation gives you the freedom to create mobile apps using a universal language, allowing you to use a single programme across many platforms. Cross-platform apps have a single codebase and can operate on different platforms and devices at the same time. Typically, 70-95 percent of code may be reused between platforms, making development significantly faster and less expensive.

The main benefit of cross-platform development is code reuse, which simplifies the entire development process. Many businesses choose this technique because of its convenience and profitability, but it is not without problems. It can be tough to customise an app for multiple platforms at the same time.

Performance and UI/UX can be compromised at times, and hardware usage is limited. Most apps, on the other hand, do not require high performance or complicated capabilities, and would rather reach the market fast and cheaply.

PROS

  • Less expensive: Because there is only one squad, it is less expensive.
  • Faster development: Thanks to 70-95 percent code reuse, as well as a reduction in the time it takes to fix back-end bags.
  • Larger audience: You’ll be able to establish contact on many platforms at the same time and grow your user base in the quickest period possible.
  • Updates synchronisation: Updates synchronisation across all platforms and devices, and a defect in the shared codebase will be repaired only once.
  • Support and maintenance: You won’t have to do extra work when it comes to app support and maintenance.
  • Consistent brand identity: UI/UX consistency across platforms for a more consistent brand identity, which is difficult to achieve in distinct native apps.

CONS

  • Slow speed: Due to the additional abstraction layer and rendering process, the speed is slower.
  • Lower performance: Relying on frameworks and plugins rather than full platform integration has certain limitations, while newer products can provide results that are almost native.
  • Limited functionality – No access to device capabilities and all native APIs are frequently unavailable without Internet access.
  • Access to new features is delayed: Because, unlike native programmes, you must wait for your programming tool to develop compatibility with them.
  • For more complicated products, native code is still required.
  • Limited UI/UX: Limited UI/UX without the benefit of having native UX components included.
  • Limited Third-party library support: Third-party library support is limited.
  • Inability to new implementation: Inability to implement new, especially complex features due to a lack of flexibility.
  • Interactions with app stores take time: Complex interactions with app stores take longer, and each update must also be approved before it can be installed.

Your choice has a significant impact on the app’s cost, timeliness, and user response. Before making a decision, think about all that has been said so far. Here are some more suggestions if you’re still puzzled.

Choose Native Application When:

Your service is entirely mobile, or you intend to make your app a stand-alone business. You work for a large corporation with a limitless budget.

  • The app is a game with complex controls and graphics.
  • Your specialty has a lot of competitors, so a tiny edge in performance is a big plus.
  • Most of the phone’s resources and services will be used by the app (like GPS, camera).
  • You require the greatest amount of functionality and intricacy.
  • It is necessary to have the maximum level of reactivity.
  • You have long-term plans for a lot of scalability.
  • The app must be able to work without being connected to the internet.
  • The app will only be available on one platform (iOS only or Android only).
  • This is a business application that handles a large amount of corporate and user data.

Choose Cross-Platform Application Development When:

  • You require a low-cost app for two platforms.
  • Your startup has to create an MVP as soon as possible.
  • The app isn’t crucial to your company’s success.
  • You want to test an idea rapidly and get into the market.
  • There are no complex parts or reasoning in this game.
  • You do not require the highest level of responsiveness.
  • You don’t make use of the device’s features.

Both native and cross-platform software development have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. As a result, before settling on an app development framework, it’s all about the exact business necessity. Before settling on an app development framework, IT business owners should figure out exactly what they want. And the decision should be made with both current and future considerations in mind.

So, who do you think will win in this war of cross-platform vs. native development? Well, we think this is entirely dependent on the situation, as each one has its own set of rules. If you want a dependable software with amazing performance, no budget or time constraints, and a user base limited to Android or iOS, selecting native development over cross-platform development is like hitting the goal. Cross-platform apps, on the other hand, are the ideal bet if you want to design apps that target a larger user base and are developed in the most cost- and time-effective manner.

Conclusion

Do you find it difficult to choose the suitable technology for your app? Let’s get rid of your concerns and put your faith in Appening, a mobile application development company in India. We understand that each company has its own set of needs for dealing with its problems. This is why we provide services to our clients in a variety of technologies, including native and cross-platform, in order to create the ideal mobile application for their business.

Your perfect guide to Web Architecture

Web architecture determines how software logic is divided between a server and a client, as well as how these two components communicate with each other. Depending on the needs of your website or a web app, you choose the web architecture that would work best for it (you can turn to this article to learn more).

The ways web architecture types work are quite different and depend on a client model and requests a client sends/receives to/from a server. Still, the most popular architecture is SPA (single-page app), which work like this:

With web applications, you have the server versus the customer side. Basically, there are two projects running simultaneously:

  • The code which lives in the program and reacts to client input
  • The code which lives on the server and reacts to HTTP asks

Web Application Architecture Example

Picture by means of Wikipedia

When composing an application, it is up to the web designer to choose what the code on the server ought to do in connection to what the code on the program ought to do. With server-side code, dialects include:

  • Ruby on Rails
  • PHP
  • C#
  • Java
  • Python
  • Javascript

Actually, any code that can react to HTTP asks for has the capacity to keep running on a server. Here are a couple of different properties of server-side code:

Is never observed by the client (aside from inside an uncommon glitch)
Stores information, for example, client profiles, tweets, pages, and so forth…
Makes the page the client asked

With customer side code, dialects utilized include:

  • CSS
  • Javascript
  • HTML

These are then parsed by the client’s program. Besides, the customer side code can be seen and altered by the client. Also, it needs to impart just through HTTP asks for and can’t peruse records off of a server specifically. Moreover, it responds to client input.

Web Application Architecture is Important for Supporting Future Growth

The motivation behind why it is basic to have great web application architecture is on the grounds that it is the outline for supporting future development which may originate from expanded interest, future interoperability, and improved dependability prerequisites. Through question situated programming, the authoritative structure of web application architecture characterizes accurately how an application will work. A few highlights include:

Conveying industrious information through HTTP, which can be comprehended by customer side code and the other way around

Ensuring asks for containing substantial information
Offers confirmation for clients
Points of confinement what clients can see dependent on authorizations
Makes refreshes and erases records

Kinds of web application architecture

Despite the model, all web application segments dependably work all the while and make a vital web application. Contingent upon how the application rationale is circulated among the customer and server sides, there can be different kinds of web application architecture.

Inheritance HTML web application

As per the specific first and fundamental web application architecture, a server, comprising of web page development rationale and business rationale connects with a customer by conveying a total HTML page. To see a refresh, the client needs to completely reload the page or, as such, to have the customer send a demand for an HTML page to the server and load its whole code indeed.

Gadget web application

In this compose, the web page development rationale is supplanted by web administrations, and each page on the customer has separate elements called gadgets. By sending AJAX questions to web administrations, gadgets can get pieces of information in HTML or JSON and show them without reloading the whole page.

Single-page web application architecture

This is the most present-day web application architecture, where you download a solitary page just once. On the customer side, this page has a JavaScript layer that can openly speak with web benefits on the server and, utilizing the information from web administrations, make ongoing updates to itself.

End

Web application architecture composes and part models have been developing together with the web itself. While the inheritance structure and a fundamental segment show showed up in the seasons of Web 1.0, present-day web application architecture composes and adaptable segment models are more typical for Web 2.0 and 3.0 times.

The decision of a model and architecture can decide how responsive, powerful, secure and quick your web application will be. So before propelling the improvement venture, investigate your business needs and assess every single conceivable alternative.

 

Node.js versus Java – A Battle for developer

Hypothetically, it’s conceivable to abstain from settling on that decision.

Be that as it may, in a certifiable situation, picking Node.js for your web application bodes well.
It’s simply quicker and more adaptable than Java, with regards to web applications. It likewise offers top execution. The development of Node.js among the business mammoths shows its flexibility as well. Node.js is significantly more than an application system – it’s additionally utilized incorporate information programming, fast application modernization activities, and IoT arrangements

But on the other hand, Java is an Object-Oriented, universally useful programming dialect and class-based. Developers can utilize the main – “compose once, run anywhere” with Java. It was initially created by James Gosling at Sun Microsystem.

Java is being delivered as JDK (Java Development Kit), which incorporates different parts which are required to run a java program, in any case, not every one of the segments of JDK is compulsory to run Java.

The most recent rendition is Java 10, discharged on March 2018.

Node JS allows developers to execute their code on the server side. It provides a faster way to write scripts which are scalable and light. Developers can write real-time applications, and at the same time, it provides scope for mobile application development.
One can easily utilize Node JS for the front end as well as for back-end development as it allows the use of the same JavaScript. Node JS uses an event-based model to address scalability, and allow rich JavaScript libraries for JavaScript modules which helps in simplify the coding.

Node JS is a runtime library and condition which is cross-stage and utilized for making running JavaScript applications outside the program. It is a free and open source and used for making server-side JS applications. Quite a bit of Java’s punctuation is gotten from C++, or, in other words, based and Object-Oriented.

Simply take a gander at the three factors that impact developers the most:

Ease of use

This is one of the primary explanations for the enormous prominence that NodeJS web advancement has collected in a brief span, it’s universal. It has essentially cut down the long-held boundary between customer side and server-side advancement, making the entire methodology short and straightforward. The developers would now be able to compose a solitary code base for both program and server that conveys much preferable speed over in the ordinary worldview.

Java, then again, can be utilized just on the server-side and subsequently, is a long ways behind NodeJS in this portion.

Support

Java has been around for quite a while and thusly has the best arrangement of structures, IDEs, and libraries accessible t, alongside a vast and develop a network of designers. Since Node.JS is generally an amateur, it will set aside a long opportunity to achieve such dependence and cleverness. Indeed, the language is extending quick and guaranteeing more extensive reception, however, Java application advancement isn’t out of date and keeps on developing. In this way, it may take a while, if by any means, to fill the wide hole.

Execution

Looking at the execution of two unique dialects doesn’t generally uncover anything important. The way that every dialect is based on an alternate design makes them proficient at a few errands and along these lines, wasteful at others. That is the motivation behind why when we utilize certain Benchmark to think about the execution, we are unavoidably one-sided towards any one dialect. To keep ourselves from such defective proportion of execution, we will simply investigate one center idea that remaining parts at the focal point of each Node.JS banter non-blocking mode.

At the point when contrasted and the vast majority of alternate dialects for speed, NodeJS effectively turns out on the best, essentially because of its nonconcurrent non-blocking mode-that empowers it to all the while serving an extensive number of customers/strings.

In any case, as you may have seen at this point, Java truly isn’t obsolete! It was refreshed a while back to adjust to a comparable design and it can serve numerous strings all the while substantially quicker than Node.JS. In this way, with regards to sheer speed, Java beats NodeJS all alone turf.

That still isn’t the whole picture. Java will offer better execution if and just if the strings are overseen appropriately, which requires extraordinary capability that just a couple of Java engineers have. On the other hand, Node.JS handles everything consequently, radically chopping down the multifaceted nature.

Everything considered, no language can be named as superior to other. It simply relies on the application you mean to make and the dialect you are moving from.

How to integrate Maven Project from Bitbucket to Continuous Integration Jenkins

First, let’s understand what Continuous integration is. It’s a process which allows you to identify errors in the starting. All development work is integrated as early as possible and artifacts are created and tested automatically.

Now, what is Bitbucket?

Bitbucket is the most commonly used tool for version control system, the whole team can add and commit the test scripts that are developed locally and push the changes to the bit.

How is Jenkins used?

Jenkins is a widely used open source tool to perform continuous integration and build automation. It monitors the execution of the steps and allows to stop the process if one of the steps fails.

Jenkins can pull the source code from Bitbucket server by selecting the option of source code management and specify the SSH key and can find the source code of your project.

Now we will take you through the process step by step.

  1. To setup Jenkins, first of all, you have to download Jenkins.war file from the link- https://jenkins.io and copy that file to your c drive.
  2. Open a command prompt and execute —
    1. java –jar c:/ jenkins.war
  3. When the installation is complete the browser will be launched. If it doesn’t, open a browser- To browse http://localhost:8080
  4. To unlock Jenkins page, paste this password into the Administrator password field and click Continue.
  5. When Jenkins is up and running you can click on Manage Jenkins.
  6. After that click on Manage Plugins.
  7. Move to Available tab
  8. Search for Maven Integration plugin and Bit Integration by clicking on the checkbox.
    Maven Integration plugin will allow you to add a maven project and Bit Integration plugin will allow you to pull source code from the repository.
  9. Then click install without start and wait for the installation, then click on restart.
  10. Comeback to Manage Jenkins page.
  11. Click on Global Tool Configuration.
  12. Click on JDK Installations.
  13. Now add the JDK path.
  14. Click on Add Git and add the Git path.
  15. Click on Maven installations and add the Maven path.
  16. Click on save. The configuration is done. Now you just need to create a Maven project.
  17. To create a new Project, you have to Move to Jenkins dashboard and click on Create New Job.
  18. Just provide any Name for Project and select Maven Project for creating a maven project and then click on Ok.
  19. Select Git in Source Code Management and enter your repository clone SSH/HTTPS URL and add a valid username and password in credentials.
  20. Scroll Down to Build under this in Goal and Options. Enter clean install or as you need.
  21. Click on Save.
  22. Now you can click on Build and whenever you click on build, Jenkins will pull the latest commit source code from Bitbucket and generating a build. Also, it will generate a test report of that execution.Hope you got some insight on how to  integrate Maven Project from Bitbucket to Continues integration Jenkins and found our tips useful. Suggestions are always welcome and appreciated.