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Here’s Why Switching To A Hybrid App Is A Great Idea

Hybrid App Is A Great Idea

It’s been nearly a decade since mobile applications surfaced over the technology world and their growth has been phenomenal. The access to the internet through mobile devices has surpassed all other means by a healthy margin. With an ever-increasing dependence on mobile applications, it becomes critical for mobile app developers to keep providing an amazing user experience. In a quest to do so, he needs to first choose the correct app development approach. Here’s where the developer takes a call between a Native app and a Hybrid app.

The choice between a Native app and a Hybrid app is one of the hottest topic of debates across the world these days. A majority of tech gurus pointed out the need of switching to hybrid apps foreseeing it as the future of mobile app development.

Let’s first understand the basic difference between a Native app and a Hybrid app

A Native app is developed purely around a particular OS. The UX and technical guidelines of that particular OS are followed religiously during the entire development process. Standard native development tools and kits like Android Studio, Eclipse, Objective C, Swift, Visual Studio etc. are used to develop a native app. The look and feel of all the native apps are similar as they are developed using the same guidelines.

A Hybrid app is essentially an app developed on the footprints of a company’s website. A single Hybrid app can be released across multiple operating systems and thus they are easier to develop. The developer’s need to manage only one version of the source code against multiple versions when developing a Native app. Web technologies like HTML, CSS, and Javascript are used while developing a Hybrid app.

There’s no thumb rule or written verdict that one should only develop a Hybrid app. However, there are a lot of reasons which suggest that Hybrid apps are better than Native apps.

1. No More App Store Limitations

Ask, any Native app developer and he will testify that releasing a Native app is a troublesome and time-consuming process. The entire code needs to be packed and sent to the store for approval which can take anywhere between a couple of days to a week as well. Adding more to the trouble, sometimes there’s a need to update the app multiple times in a day, which is not possible with app store limitations. It’s a very irritating scenario for the developers. Here’s where the Hybrid app comes to your rescue.

2. Smooth & Standard User Experience

Providing a standard user experience across all platforms is a must for any business. Lack of consistency in the look and feel across different devices and platforms hampers the brand image. A Hybrid app allows you to provide a smooth and consistent UX across all platforms. Moreover, a single update is enough to renew the app on all platforms.

3. Cost Effective

A Hybrid app will instantly become your favorite when you will realize how cost effective it is. A Native app requires a lot of engagement from the developer’s end, thereby increasing the time devoted by the developer. More time means more money spent. However, a Hybrid app utilizes a different set of libraries which are then linked with tools which drastically reduces the development time, which means less money spent.

4. Single Code, Multiple Uses

Most of the Native apps have an Android version and an iOS version which are developed using platform specific languages like Objective-C or Swift for iOS and Java in case of Android. On the other hand, a Hybrid app allows you to develop an app using the same language. Simply write the code once and deploy it across all your mobile platforms. Similarly, mobile app testing is also simplified because you don’t need to write unique test scripts for each app type. The entire QA process is benefited as it reduces the amount of QA infrastructure requirement.

5. Extensive Reach

The reach of any business is not always collective or gathered. It’s always scattered around. Since a Hybrid app can be downloaded from any store, it has a better reach to the scattered audience of the business. Hybrid apps have an upper hand over the native apps when it comes to reaching out to the audience quickly and effectively.

Looking at the recent advancements in technology and future projections, one can bet that Hybrid apps will pin down Native apps very quickly. The sublime benefits of a Hybrid app make the development process much easier and efficient. Having said that, Native still holds good for a few specific apps like gaming apps, intensive graphics apps, immersive 3D experience apps, etc. But taking a call on a holistic level, our bet is on Hybrid apps. Talk to our Mobile app development experts and know more on how you can get an exceptional mobile app of your own.

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Technology

Your Next App Should Ride On The 12-Factor App Methodology

12-Factor App Methodology

Often when the development of an app starts there is a particular approach towards development which is followed. The actions taken during the development process and the entire architecture revolves around this methodology. There are many  app methodology available for a developer to choose from. However, a new methodology has surfaced in order to develop apps that have a great structure and scalability. We are talking about the 12-Factor methodology and it will completely change the way your advancement towards the architecture of your next app.

First things first! What is the 12-Factor app methodology?

In simple terms, 12-Factor app methodology is a methodology for building software-as-a-service apps that has a clear connect with the basic operating system. It enables continuous deployment with maximum pace increasing the scalability significantly. It provides independency to the app over programming languages and backend services. The 12-Factor App Methodology was derived from Heroku (a Sales Force Paas platform).

Why do we need the 12-Factor app methodology?

If you don’t have a process and good platform, even the greatest of the codes is bound to tumble down. The complexity increases furthermore if you have diverse programming environments. The 12-Factor app methodology helps you to apply some constraints so that you can easily track, use and share applications.

The 12 factors

1. Codebase – One codebase tracked in revision control, many deploys

The first and the foremost factor is your codebase. Maintain all your code in one single repository. Just put it on Github right at the beginning only. Once you grow up substantially, you may have a distributed system with multiple apps talking to each other. At this point you can treat them as separate apps with their own code repositories However, it should still be in source control. The critical point to note here is that your application must be tracked with revision control, and that it sits in a central repository that is accessible to your developers.

2. Dependencies – Explicitly declare and isolate dependencies

All the environments within which your code runs has some dependencies. It may be a database, or an image processing library, or a command-line tool. At no given point in time your application must assume that all of these things will be in place on a given machine. Back the dependencies into your software system. Anything your applications rely on to run should be controlled and managed to minimize conflicts. Most languages and frameworks provide a natural way to do this. You list out all the versions of all the libraries you want to have in one place, and when the code is deployed, a command is run that downloads all the correct versions and stack them in place.

3. Configuration – Store configuration in the environment

Configuration should never be hardcoded. The reason behind this is because it relates to services, API keys, and database credentials. Not hard coding your application eliminates the risk of both production errors and production data leaks. You must rely on environment variables to handle this sensitive information rather than hardcoding the configuration.

4. Backing Services – Treat backing services as attached resources

A backing service is one that requires a network connection to run. This is a very popular example found in modern application development. The 12-Factor App methodology advises developers that the changes or modifications should occur without making any changes in the code. This factor is best handled by calling each backing service through an API, with credentials stored in a configuration file that lives in your runtime environment.

5. Build, release, run — Strictly separate build and run stages

Build, release, and run stages should be treated as completely different from one another. Automation and tooling will help to make this principle simpler.
This can be accomplished by using existing tools to fully automate your build. The idea here is that the build stage does a lot of heavy lifting, and developers manage it.

6. Processes — Execute the app as one or more stateless processes

It’s likely you will have your application running on many servers, because that makes it more fault tolerant, and because you can support more traffic. As a rule, you want each of those instances of running code to be stateless. In other words, the state of your system is completely defined by your databases and shared storage, and not by each individual running application instance. Stateless applications are designed to degrade gracefully. That means if a dependency fails, the app itself does not become a failure.

7. Port binding – Export services via port binding

All application services should be accessible via a URL. It happens automatically for web applications. This enables 12-Factor Apps to be fully self-contained, avoiding the need to rely on various methods of runtime injection in order to create web facing services.

8. Concurrency – Scale out via the process model

It basically means that when you scale up your applications or deploy applications to the cloud, the process must be very simple. It means you create new instances of the same app concurrently. Each process should be able to scale, restart, or clone itself when needed. This approach will improve the sustainability and scalability of your application as a whole.

9. Disposability – Maximize robustness with fast startup and graceful shutdown

Whenever you app starts or shuts down, the process must be very swift. Let’s say if the system shuts down automatically with an error, so it should clean up all the resources which it was using so that it can gracefully shut down. It should not maintain any state or take any data and burn in itself.

10. Dev/prod Parity – Keep development, staging, and production as similar as possible

It’s crucial to strike consistency in any process. This factor is solely based on consistency. When your environments are similar, testing and developing gets much simpler.
With this approach, fewer bugs will find their way into your production environment, since your test cases can be applied on production-level data.

11. Logs – Treat logs as event streams

Log files keep track of a variety of things, from the basic to the critical aspects. Logging is important for debugging and checking up on the general health of your application. At the same time, your application shouldn’t concern itself with the storage of this information. You should be capturing errors and sending them to an error reporting service.

12. Admin processes — Run admin/management tasks as one-off processes

Once you have a live app you will wish to do a lot of administrative tasks like data cleanup, running analytics for a presentation etc. When a developer does these tasks he should do it from a machine in the production environment that’s running the latest version of the production code. In other words, run one-off admin tasks from an identical environment as production. Don’t run updates directly against a database, don’t run them from a local terminal window.

Some of these elements hold a mystery while some looks very promising. The whole idea is that a robust and reliable architecture is the key to a happily running system. The 12-Factor methodology helps you to create that architecture which surprises you the least and functions very smoothly. Talk to our experts and get more info on how we use great development methodologies to create amazing apps.

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Technology

5 Steps You Must Follow Before Building Your Mobile App

Mobile App

You might assume that you have a “never thought before” business idea which you will use to make a unique app. But, there is a big chance that someone would have already made such an app or at least someone is working on it. In order to stay competitive, it’s necessary to convey your message to consumers and build a strong relationship with them. This could be very well achieved through a mobile app. But it wouldn’t be wise to straight away jump onto building an app. Here are 5 steps you should follow before building your own mobile app.

1. Use Competitor’s App:

As mentioned earlier, it’s nearly impossible that there isn’t a single app already in the market similar to what you are trying to develop. It is essential that you differentiate your app from your competitors to get an edge over them. The best way to do so is by downloading their app and using it.

2. Get Involved With The Users:

Firstly, identify your target user groups. Once identified, you can form focus groups of these real users to get their opinion and feedback on your app. Extract information from them like what are their needs, wants and areas of concern. The app you are building aims at providing a solution to their need or problem. Involvement of real users will create a buzz among them about your app along with providing you the vital information required for development.

3. Decide Your Timeline & Budget:

It’s important to set timelines and budgets right at the start for a better planning and projection. You must analyze your resources and funds in order to plan the release of your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Knowing how much you want to spend and when helps in zeroing on the features that you want to implement in the first go. Certain non-essential features can rest in your wishlist for awhile.

4. Pre-Design Project Planning:

An efficient project initiation will assure the long-term success of your product. Pre-Design Project planning helps you to cover all essential information and details. This will help you in effectively conveying your message to the app development agency. When you have clear information about your vision, brand persona & a marketing plan, your agency can put in their technical expertise to drive you towards your goal.

5. Join Hands With A Perfect Agency:

Choose an agency which can fill in your shortcomings. There is a possibility that you may have a great product idea but require technical assistance. So go for an agency which has a strong technical background. You may have all the business logics in your head but might lack on artistic front. So go for a team who is very creative. If your marketing team is unable to market your idea properly, then look for an agency who has some marketing experts in their team.

Partnering with a single agency that can cater to all your needs like application design, development, and marketing will provide consistency to your product and the process of building the app will always be on track.

Reach out to our expert team today and our developers, designers, and digital marketers would be happy to help you with developing your dream app.