Xamarin, native iOS / Android and hybrid development tools

    Recently, many application developers tend to agree that Xamarin can be considered a native development tool. In fact, there is an opinion that "everything that can be done in an iOS application using Objective-C or Swift, and everything that can be done in an Android application using Java can also be done in C # using Xamarin."

    However, there are many pitfalls in the rivalry between the native platform and the Xamarin platform. So, let's compare Xamarin with native development tools and development of hybrid platforms (Ionic, PhoneGap / Cordova).

    Xamarin


    Technology stack: one stack, one code base (C #, .Net framework + native libraries)
    Code sharing: yes, up to 96% using Xamarin.Forms
    UI / UX (User Interface / User Expierence): UI can be fully configured for each platforms
    Performance: good, close to native
    Hardware capabilities: high. Xamrin uses platform-specific APIs and communicates with native
    TTM libraries (time to market): Xamarin.Forms TTM is fast due to limited configuration and advanced code exchange.

    Native


    Technology stack: different stacks for each platform
    Code sharing: no, different code bases
    UI / UX (User Interface / User Expierence): only platform-specific UI
    Performance: excellent
    Hardware capabilities: high. Native tools have full support for the OOTB
    TTM system (time to market): Xamarin, iOS and Xamarin.Android require more time as the amount of user code increases.

    Hybrid


    Technology stack: one stack, one code base (JavaScript, HTML5, CCS)
    Code sharing: yes, 100%
    UI / UX (User Interface / User Expierence): common UI for all platforms (limited configuration options)
    Performance: medium - low
    Hardware Capabilities: Medium. Opportunities can be accessed through third-party APIs and plugins, although there are some risks due to the poor quality and unreliability of most of these
    TTM tools (time to market): TTM for native Android or iOS applications may be the same as for Xamarin. Forms or hybrid tools. However, creating applications for multiple platforms may require you to either extend your time to market or increase the number of interested developers.
    Thanks to a single code base and minimal configuration, hybrid solutions enter the market faster. These tools are even used for prototyping conceptual projects.

    Is there an alternative to Xamarin today?


    Hybrid mobile development tools are growing pretty fast, but they still lack the performance and native capabilities that Xamarin offers. At the same time, costs remain comparable. If we consider two approaches (hybrid and Xamarin), then the most popular dilemma is Xamarin vs. Ionic and Xamarin vs. React. However, React Native is losing popularity due to a number of limitations in basic technologies (web technology stack).
    However, there is a mobile JavaScript-based development tool that surpasses hybrid solutions, at least in terms of UI. It's about NativeScript. This open-source cross-platform framework, supported by Telerik and using a single code base, allows you to implement a native UI and connect to native APIs for better use of mobile devices. Its main difference is that it uses XML markup, which is not compiled in the HTML web browser, but in the native equivalents of Android and iOS.
    This approach fills the gaps between native and hybrid development, and its methods are similar to what Xamarin does. The main difference between the two tools is the programming language. Therefore, a comparison of Xamarin and NativeScript should be the subject of more detailed research.
    At the same time, discussions of the strengths and weaknesses of Xamarin and native Android / iOS developments seem more complicated: both options prove that they are valuable in terms of quality and performance. Therefore, the choice usually depends on the type of application you want to create.

    Tips for Using Xamarin


    When comparing all the pros and cons, it is not difficult to conclude that these shortcomings can harm the development. Most business owners choose the Xamarin platform, as it reduces time-to-market and engineering costs by sharing the code and using a single technology stack.
    Based on the experience of our team, we can conclude that the best option for using Xamarin is the development of mobile applications for business. With a standard interface that covers 90% of projects, the logical core of the product can easily be shared across all platforms.

    Source: www.altexsoft.com/blog/mobile/the-good-and-the-bad-of-xamarin-mobile-development

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