Choosing the Right Technology Stack for Android Application Development

Choosing the right technology stack for Android development is more detrimental than you think.

A well-selected technology stack can hugely improve Android app performance.

However, with the abundant amount of tech stacks available, how can Android mobile app developers choose wisely?

Especially if you have many factors to consider, an example is how will the tech stack affect your Android app development cost.

Thankfully, we will cover a step-by-step guideline in this article so you can select the right tech stack and speed up Android development.

Let’s get into it.

Why Choosing the Right Tech Stack Is Important?

The right tech stack is essential to build an Android app that is maintainable and scalable.

The tech stack you choose will determine the capabilities, customization levels, and resources for Android app development.

Here is why choosing the right tech stack should be the first step in every Android app development:

• Speed Up Android Development. By choosing the suitable tech stack, you won’t fall into the risk of changing your entire stack which will only delay your time-to-market. Plus, with faster delivery time, you can significantly reduce Android app development cost.
• Improve Android Performance. Some tech stacks are lightweight by design, which can significantly boost your Android performance, deliver a swift user journey, and ultimately increase your conversion rate.
• Scale Your Progress. Always consider both horizontal and vertical scalability to prevent unforeseen challenges.
• Save Resources. By defining your tech stack, it will be easier to hire Android mobile app developers that fit your requirements.
• Enhance Security. Reliable technologies will protect customer data from cyberattacks.

Checklist to Choose the Right Tech Stack

Now that you know how tech stacks the success of your project, here are a couple of factors to look out for when you are in the selection phase:

The Objective of the App

Every process starts with a goal or an objective, so you can decide the next action steps to take.

So, to decide the technology stacks you will choose, here are some questions to get started:

• What does the application do?
• How will it solve users’ problems?
• Why should users go with your application instead of others?

For instance, if you are thinking of improving Android app performance, utilizing a lightweight and simple framework like React will be your best choice.

Likewise, if you are building an app with higher complexity in terms of features and integrations, you will require a more robust tech stack.

The type of the app, such as games, social media, augmented reality (AR), or artificial intelligence (AI) will also determine the specific tech solution you’ll need to include.

User Experience

An android app is built for the users.

Therefore, how much traction you receive from the users will determine the trajectory of your Android app, such as:

• The traffic it gets
• The rate of conversion-to-sales
• Its longevity on the Play Store
• Etc

It’s undeniable that user experience should be the centerpiece of your Android app.

Some key aspects to take into account when choosing a tech stack for excellent UI/UX are:

• The flexibility to create a sleek design with high accessibility
• How the tech stack will affect the Android app performance
• Etc

Resources

The tech stack you choose will also impact the resources you will need, such as the budget, manpower, and more.

For instance, some tech stacks are complex, therefore requiring more time and people to implement. This can potentially increase your Android development cost as well.

Plus, not every Android app developer has expertise in a range of tech stacks. Specific tech stacks, especially the more difficult ones, are usually mastered by few developers.

However, this is not to discourage you. Building an Android app with state-in-the-art functionality can give you a competitive edge to dominate the market. Make sure to plan out your timeline wisely.

Or, you can also outsource the whole process with a company that will plan the human, technology, and time resources for you, such as Intelivita.

In any case, the best tip is to bet on technologies that can save your resources, such as Cloud Technologies (MongoDB Atlas or AWS).

Plus, if you are integrating different services, opt for a tech stack that can ensure seamless synchronization.

Scalability

As your user base scales, your Android app will need to scale its functionalities and capabilities too.

This way, you can accommodate more traffic and expand your market share.

Scalability should be a priority in mind. Overlooking the scalability factor can affect the sustainability of your entire project.

For instance, if along the way you find that the tech stack does not meet your scalability needs, you will need to start the whole production cycle from the beginning.

And yet, time is money. The more time you spend working on a project, the more money will go to hiring, conducting trials and errors to different tools, and such.

This is where database, query, and hosting provider come in as the solution.

Applications that handle high performance loads will need modern databases such as NoSQL or MongoDB.

Additionally, a well-defined framework design like Model-View-Controller can make it easier to scale your Android app in the future due to its versatility.

Security and Privacy

Many companies tend to underestimate the importance of security in Android app development.

In reality, security risk can damage the livelihood of your business overnight.

It can damage business reputation and result in financial loss.

Especially if you are building a data-heavy app – such as a video chat, messaging, or a medical software app – the legal obligation is to implement security measures for the protection of privacy.

Android App Development Trends: The Most Popular Tech Stacks

For your reference, here are the top 5 most used Android app development tech stacks:

• Java: Until today, Java remains as the pioneer of Android app development. It is easy-to-use, and plenty of Android app developers are well-versed in it. It is also powerful and versatile, allowing you to add dynamicity to your Android app.
• Android SDK (Software Development Kit): Android SDK is a collection of frameworks and tools for Android app development; consisting of UI/UX elements, networking, data storage, and more.
• Android Studio: A code editor which also comes with a debugger and an array of tools for building and testing Android apps.
• Android framework: A set of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that empower the core functionality of Android apps. Its library includes classes for view management, event handling, and touch handling.
• Kotlin: Used by 60% of professional Android developers, Kotlin is a modern, statistically-typed programming language for multi-platform development (Android, iOS, backend, and web applications).

Conclusion

Android app development should be handled with much care, all the way to the phase when you’re choosing the tech stack.

Choosing a tech stack does not simply involve selection and elimination.

It requires in-depth research of your business, the app you’re going to build, and how the tech stack can help you achieve your goals.

In case you don’t know where to start, our consultation service is always open for you.

Book a meeting with Intelivita, and we’ll help you choose the right tech stack.