A Guide To Pros And Cons Of Swift Programming Language

Are you aware of how the US is different from other countries in terms of mobile-related preferences? According to Statcounter, it is estimated that the world percentage of market shares for Android is around 72.7 percent while the share of iOS is 26.4 percent (as of August 2022). If we examine a US chart, iOS is leading the pack in the race with 56.7 percent, while its rival is at 43 percent.

With many people’s loyalty to Apple gadgets, iOS app development is more important than ever. What you must decide on is the best technology stack for your application. If you choose to opt for the native approach instead of cross-platform options, You still need to decide on which language to choose from the old Objective-C or the new Swift.

What is Swift and Why should you use it?

Swift is the compiled programming language used by iOS, macOS, watchOS TVOS, and Linux applications. This is what you should be aware of Swift.

Backed up by one of the largest technology companies around the globe, Swift is set to become the standard language for iOS development, and even beyond.

1. Open source

Swift creators acknowledged the need to develop a definitive programming language, technology has to be accessible to all. Thus, in its 7 years in existence, Swift has gained an extensive friendly community as well as an array of third-party software.

2. Secure

Its syntax encourages users to write consistent and clean code that may appear a bit rigid at times. Swift is a security tool that helps you avoid errors and enhance accessibility.

3. Speedy

Swift was built with speed in mind. Not only does its easy syntax and hand-holding assist you in improving your productivity, however, but it does also live up to its name. According to apple.com, Swift is up to 2.6x faster than Objective-C and 8.4x faster than Python.

4. In demand

Still atop the list is Objective C, Swift was placed 20th among the top programming languages in 2021 (while Objective C is placed 26th) and 8th among the most adored languages.

Here are Pros And Cons Of Swift Programming Language

Continue reading to find out more about Swift technology. You can also follow the Pros And Cons Of Swift Programming Language below in case you’re looking to get started using Swift.

Pros of Using Swift for iOS Native Development

Oft called “Objective-C, without the C,” Swift language is superior in many ways to the language it replaced. To see a comprehensive comparison between Swift with Objective C take a look at our article. As per the official press announcement, ” Swift combines the performance and efficiency of compiled languages with the simplicity and interactivity of popular scripting languages.” While leaving the technical details and marketing in the background, Let’s look at what it actually means from the business point of view.

1. Rapid development process

A clear and concise language that has simple grammar and syntax, Swift is easier to write and read. Swift is extremely concise which means it requires less code for the same function in comparison with Objective-C. Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) performs all the monitoring and managing of the application’s memory usage, meaning developers do not have to put in the hours and effort manually. This means that it generally requires less effort to create iOS applications using Swift.

One shining example of this benefit can be seen in the Lyft app, the company totally rewrote its iOS application using Swift. The old codebase comprised around 75,000 lines of code and the Swift version reproduced the same functionality in less than three-quarters of the code. Additionally, the app included a brand-new onboarding process. The old process required more than a year and multiple engineers to put into place the new process, onboarding using Swift was done in less than only a week and with just one engineer.

2. Easy to grow the product and team

Along with faster development times, you will also have the benefit of a product that is able to be upgraded with additional features as required. Therefore, Swift projects are usually simpler to scale. The fact that Apple will more often accept Swift than Objective-C is a reason to be considered when considering long-term investments.

Furthermore, Swift allows you to include more developers in your team as needed. The process of onboarding is quite fast because of the simplicity and compactness of Swift’s code base. Its syntax Swift is thought to be close to natural English and provides an easy-to-read interface for new team members.

3. Speed of development, and security

As the name suggests, Swift is made to be… well fast. With an emphasis on speed and performance, Swift was originally developed to surpass its predecessor. For instance, the initial release claimed to have a 40% improvement in performance contrasted to Objective-C.

Additionally, Swift was built with the LLVM compiler framework that converts the assembly language into machine code and optimizes the code to make development more efficient.

Over time, numerous test results and tests performed by developers on their own have proven that. Additionally, there are a variety of methods to improve Swift code for better performance.

One of Swift’s strengths is its security. Swift’s robust keyboarding system as well as error management ensures that code isn’t prone to errors and crashes during production. Therefore, Swift offers a much shorter feedback loop that allows you to detect mistakes in your code immediately and correct them instantaneously, significantly decreasing the amount of time and effort required to fix bugs and removing the risk of using poor-quality code.

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