Android Development: Languages, Tools, and Frameworks

Programming Languages

Primary Languages:

  • Kotlin - Official preferred language for Android development since 2019, fully interoperable with Java
  • Java - Traditional Android development language, still widely used in legacy codebases

Additional Languages:

  • C/C++ - For performance-critical components via Android NDK (Native Development Kit)
  • XML - For layout designs, resources, and manifest configuration
  • Gradle (Groovy/Kotlin DSL) - Build configuration scripting

Cross-Platform Alternatives:

  • Dart - For Flutter framework
  • JavaScript/TypeScript - For React Native
  • C# - For Xamarin/.NET MAUI

    Core Development Tools

    IDE (Integrated Development Environment):

  • Android Studio - Official IDE, based on IntelliJ IDEA (essential)
  • IntelliJ IDEA - Alternative with Android plugin
  • Visual Studio Code - For Flutter/React Native development

Build Tools:

  • Gradle - Official build automation system
  • Android Gradle Plugin (AGP) - Bridges Android SDK with Gradle

SDK and Command-Line Tools:

  • Android SDK - Software Development Kit with APIs and libraries
  • Android Debug Bridge (ADB) - Command-line tool for device communication
  • SDK Manager - Manages SDK packages and tools
  • AVD Manager - Android Virtual Device management

Version Control:

  • Git - Industry standard
  • GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket - Code hosting platforms

    Testing Tools

    Unit Testing:

  • JUnit - Standard Java testing framework
  • Mockito - Mocking framework
  • MockK - Kotlin-specific mocking library
  • Robolectric - Unit tests that run on JVM

UI Testing:

  • Espresso - Google’s UI testing framework
  • UI Automator - Cross-app UI testing
  • Compose Testing - For Jetpack Compose UIs

Additional Testing:

  • Firebase Test Lab - Cloud-based testing on real devices
  • Appium - Cross-platform mobile automation
  • Detox - For React Native
  • JaCoCo - Code coverage

    Essential Frameworks and Libraries

    UI Frameworks:

  • Jetpack Compose - Modern declarative UI toolkit (official, recommended)
  • XML Layouts with View system - Traditional UI approach
  • Material Design Components - Google’s design system implementation

Architecture Components (Android Jetpack):

  • ViewModel - UI-related data holder
  • LiveData - Observable data holder
  • Room - SQLite abstraction layer
  • Navigation Component - In-app navigation
  • WorkManager - Background task scheduling
  • DataStore - Modern data storage (replaces SharedPreferences)
  • Paging - Gradual data loading
  • Lifecycle - Lifecycle-aware components
  • Hilt - Dependency injection (built on Dagger)

Networking:

  • Retrofit - Type-safe HTTP client
  • OkHttp - HTTP client
  • Ktor - Kotlin-first networking
  • Gson/Moshi/Kotlinx Serialization - JSON parsing

Dependency Injection:

  • Hilt - Recommended by Google
  • Dagger 2 - Powerful DI framework
  • Koin - Kotlin-focused, lightweight DI

Asynchronous Programming:

  • Kotlin Coroutines - Modern async programming
  • RxJava - Reactive programming
  • Flow - Kotlin’s reactive streams

Image Loading:

  • Coil - Kotlin-first image loading
  • Glide - Fast and efficient
  • Picasso - Square’s image library

Database:

  • Room - Official ORM
  • SQLite - Built-in database
  • Realm - Mobile database alternative
  • ObjectBox - NoSQL database

    Cross-Platform Frameworks

  • Flutter - Google’s UI toolkit using Dart
  • React Native - Facebook’s framework using JavaScript/TypeScript
  • Xamarin/.NET MAUI - Microsoft’s framework using C#
  • Ionic - Web technologies (HTML, CSS, JS)
  • Cordova/PhoneGap - Web-based hybrid apps
  • NativeScript - JavaScript/TypeScript native apps

    Firebase Services

  • Firebase Authentication - User authentication
  • Cloud Firestore - NoSQL cloud database
  • Realtime Database - Real-time data sync
  • Cloud Storage - File storage
  • Cloud Messaging (FCM) - Push notifications
  • Crashlytics - Crash reporting
  • Analytics - User analytics
  • Remote Config - Feature flags and configuration
  • Performance Monitoring - App performance insights

    Additional Libraries and Tools

    Analytics and Monitoring:

  • Google Analytics - User tracking
  • Sentry - Error tracking
  • Instabug - Bug reporting and feedback

Payment Integration:

  • Google Play Billing - In-app purchases
  • Stripe - Payment processing
  • PayPal SDK - PayPal integration

Maps and Location:

  • Google Maps SDK - Map integration
  • Mapbox - Alternative mapping
  • Location Services - GPS and location APIs

Media:

  • ExoPlayer - Media playback
  • CameraX - Camera functionality
  • Media3 - Modern media APIs

Security:

  • ProGuard/R8 - Code shrinking and obfuscation
  • Android Keystore - Secure credential storage
  • SafetyNet/Play Integrity API - Device verification

Code Quality:

  • Lint - Static code analysis (built into Android Studio)
  • Detekt - Kotlin static analysis
  • Ktlint - Kotlin linter
  • SonarQube - Code quality platform

CI/CD:

  • GitHub Actions - Automation workflows
  • GitLab CI - GitLab’s CI/CD
  • Jenkins - Automation server
  • Bitrise - Mobile-focused CI/CD
  • CircleCI - Cloud CI/CD platform
  • Fastlane - Automation tool for deployment

    Design and Prototyping Tools

  • Figma - UI/UX design and collaboration
  • Adobe XD - Design and prototyping
  • Sketch - macOS design tool
  • Material Design Guidelines - Design principles

Testing the Application

| Command | Purpose | | —————————————— | —————————- | | ./gradlew test | Run all unit tests | | ./gradlew test --tests "*HomeViewModel*" | Run HomeViewModel tests | | ./gradlew testDebug | Run debug variant tests only | | ./gradlew clean test | Clean and run fresh tests | or run directly in Android Studio.