Android build tools

Android build tools in Android App Development

Build tools are programs that automate the creation of executable applications from source code(eg. .apk for android app). Building incorporates compiling,linking and packaging the code into a usable or executable form.

 

Basically build automation is the act of scripting or automating a wide variety of tasks that software developers do in their day-to-day activities like:

1. compiling source code into binary code.
2. Packaging that binary code.
3. Running tests.
4. Deployment to production systems.

Android development is one of the most lucrative fields of software development. Currently, 75.16% of all mobile users worldwide use an Android device. It’s also very likely that Google’s Android operating system will continue retaining its market position in the future as well.

In this collection, you can find 12 key tools and resources you need to know if you want to build professional mobile applications on the Android platform.

1. ANDROID STUDIO

Android Studio is the official IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Android development, created by Google. You can use it to build Android apps on Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems. Android Studio supports all programming languages you can use for Android development: Java, C/C++, and Kotlin.

2. AVD MANAGER

AVD Manager is a built-in tool for Android Studio. AVD stands for Android Virtual Device. It makes it possible to create virtual Android devices for testing purposes. An AVD is a configuration that describes the characteristics of a virtual device such as hardware profile, storage area, appearance, system image, and other attributes.

3. ANDROID JETPACK

Android Jetpack is a collection of Android components and tools created by Google. You can use them for managing typical Android development tasks.

4. IntelliJ IDEA

IntelliJ IDEA is a Java IDE with built-in Android support, created by JetBrains. Although Android Studio is the official Android IDE, IntelliJ IDEA is also an excellent choice for simpler Android applications. Especially, since Android Studio itself is built on top of IntelliJ IDEA. You can find a detailed Android development guide in IntelliJ IDEA’s documentation.

5. AIDE

AIDE stands for Android IDE and it allows you to build Android applications right on your Android phone or tablet. It provides a very convenient way for Android development. You can’t only write the code on your device but also run, test, and debug the app in the same environment. You can download AIDE from the Google Play store.

6. B4A

B4A (Basic for Android) is an Android IDE that allows you to develop Android apps using the BASIC programming language. Although BASIC is not the typical choice for Android development, it’s much easier to get started with. BASIC was designed with beginners in mind, so it’s close to the regular English language.

7. UNITY 3D

Unity 3D is a cross-platform game engine and IDE you can use for creating graphic-intensive mobile games. Although you can also build Android games with Android Studio and IntelliJ IDEA, Unity 3D has been specifically designed for game development, so it comes with multiple game-specific features.

8. FIREBASE

Firebase is a comprehensive mobile and web app development platform by Google. It provides you with tools for managing and monitoring your mobile and web applications. It doesn’t only work with Android but also supports iOS, web, and Unity3D applications. Firebase consists of several individual products that share data and insight with each other.

9. STETHO

Stetho is an open-source debug bridge for Android apps, developed by Facebook. It allows you to connect your app to Google Chrome and debug it using Chrome Developer Tools. After integrating your Android app with Stetho, you can access the debugging UI by navigating to the chrome: inspect URL.

10. LEAKCANARY

LeakCanary is a memory leak detection library for Android and Java, available on GitHub for free. It has been built by the developer team of the Square credit card processing company.

11. ANDROID ARCHITECTURE BLUEPRINTS

Android Architecture Blueprints is a collection of architectural patterns and tools you can use for Android app development. It’s published by the Google Samples GitHub account maintained by the Google Developers team. Mobile app development is not solely about coding. Before you start programming, you also need to design the architecture of your application.

12. ANDROID DEVELOPERS

Android Developers are the official source of Android development. You can find loads of Android resources here, completely for free. The materials have been created by Google, so you don’t have to worry about quality. The site is quite comprehensive, so it’s not always easy to find what you’re looking for.