In today’s world everyone has access to smart phones and mobile applications have become ubiquitous. So if we want to develop a mobile application we need to know what language and tools we should use. I personally believe NodeJS is the best platform for developing mobile apps. Why? Because it is simple, easy to learn and understand, powerful and scalable. Here are some reasons why you should consider using NodeJS for Mobile Application Development.
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What is Mobile App Development?
Mobile app development is the design and programming of software applications that run on smartphones and tablet computers. A mobile app is a computer program designed to help users interact with their phones over a network connection. A mobile application is downloaded to a device via an app store which may be online, or may involve downloading the app directly from a third party server.
Why Choose Mobile Application?
With mobile apps, we can make our business known to millions of people around the world. Users download these apps via various channels. These channels include Google Play Store, Apple iTunes App Store, Windows App Store, Blackberry App World, etc.
How To Develop Mobile App?
As we know that mobile apps are different than desktop apps. So we need to develop them differently. There are many tools and methodologies that are used for building mobile apps.
Following are some popular methods that are used for developing mobile apps:
- Native Application Development: In native app development, we use C++, Java, Objective-C, Swift, Cocoa Touch framework to build apps for iOS devices only. We don’t have any option to create hybrid apps (Desktop + Mobile).
- Hybrid Application Development: Here we use JavaScript/HTML5 to create cross platform mobile apps. Our options are limited to Android and iPhone OS only.
- Web Applications: Through web application, we build web based mobile apps. Nowadays this approach is being used widely. But you will find limitations here as well. You can’t access hardware components or sensors.
- Open Source Mobile Apps: Using open source technologies, we can rapidly develop mobile apps using HTML 5, CSS 3, Javascript, PHP, MYSQL, Bootstrap, JQuery, AngularJS, React.js, Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, MySQL, Redis, Spring Framework, JSF, Servlets, Struts, Hibernate, JPA, Jackson POJOs, Apache Tomcat, Oracle SQL Developer to name a few.
- Agile Methodology: Using agile methodology, we can implement user stories, sprints, scrums, acceptance test driven development, release planning.
- Agile Mobile App Testing: Using agile testing techniques, we can execute automated tests, record screen shots, and perform functional, load, performance, regression, security, smoke, stress, UAT, QA testing.
- Continuous Delivery: As per Agile, we should deliver our product continuously. For continuous delivery, we use Git repository, Jenkins CI services, Travis CI, BitBucket, Github, Atlassian Stash, JIRA, Pivotal Tracker, Greenkeeper, Sonarqube, CircleCI, Codeship, TeamCity, GitHub Actions, Drone, CircleCI, AWS CodeBuild, Sauce Labs Selenium Grid, Buildkite, AppVeyor, Testgrid, BrowserStack, Browserling, LoadUI, Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, Chrome Custom Tabs, Firebase Test Lab, Browserstack UI Tests, and Cloudinary.
- User Interface Design: UI design involves how the user interface looks and feels to the end user. It includes visual elements, color schemes, typography, layout, icons, images, buttons, forms, drop downs, scrolling controls, tables, text boxes, labels, menus, sliders, progress bars, charts, graphs, data grids, list views, combo boxes, search boxes, dialog boxes, popups, toolbars, and alerts.
7 tips to outsourcing Mobile App Devlopment
In today’s world, outsourcing mobile app development seems to be the only way to cut costs and get projects done fast without wasting time on developing apps from scratch. As we know, people use smartphones and tablets for almost everything they do nowadays.
More and more companies have started using mobile applications (apps) for customer engagement, product sales and service management, and even marketing. But creating these apps takes time, money and effort. If you want to save time, money and avoid headaches and frustrations, here are some best practices and strategies for outsourcing mobile application development.
Step 1 – Choose the right partner: Before choosing any team to work on your mobile app project, make sure you find a company that has experience in mobile app development and can deliver quality work at affordable rates. The number of freelance developers isn’t enough for you to choose from. You need to search for experienced mobile app developers who have been working on similar projects before and know what works.
Step 2 – Identify your requirements: The first thing you should do before you start talking about contracts is to identify exactly what you need. Know your budget, goals, features, and functionality. Don’t just go with the first developer that you’re shown. Make sure there’s a good match between you and the developer.
Step 3 – Define the scope of work: Every mobile app development project is different, but the bigger the project, the more detailed and thorough the documentation. Before signing a contract, make sure you understand all the terms and conditions included in the proposed agreement. Also, the contract should clearly state how many iterations the project requires.
Step 4 – Understand the business model: Not all mobile app developers offer hourly-based services. However, if you’re going to outsource mobile app development, it’s best to work with someone who offers fixed pricing. Every mobile app development project comes with certain risks, so a well-defined price should take care of all possible contingencies.
Step 5 – Specify the deadlines: Your deadline is crucial for you to receive the final result you want. If you don’t specify a deadline, then the developer may not respect it. And if the deadline goes past without being met, then it could lead to delays and unexpected expenses. Ask the potential developer to provide a timeline estimate and stick to it.
Step 6 – Be clear about ownership and IP rights: It’s very important to understand the ownership of the developed app. An agreement should clearly define who owns the app after its completion.
Step 7 – Decide whether you’ll pay upfront or later: Payments shouldn’t be made upfront. Many freelancers offer to complete projects on a per-unit basis. But remember that paying a lump sum doesn’t guarantee the success of your app. So, make sure you know where you stand before making any payments.
Conclusion
In order to develop an app, you need to learn about front-end and back-end technologies. Front end technology is programming language knowledge (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) while Back End Technology involves database management systems(DBMS).
In this post we will discuss how to choose backend development platform and what kind of skills are needed to create an android application.
