CODEX
Best Programing Language For Aspiring App Developers
App development is a massive market but what language should you learn?
Ever since the Apple App Store first launched in July 2008, there have been many people that want to create their own apps and for a good reason. There have been many apps like Candy Crush that have made millions if not billions of dollars and turned there lives into a living dream.
There are also many advantages to making apps over computer games or computer software. People can take their phones with them and can use your app while they are out and about, this means that you can earn money while they aren’t even at home.
Creating apps is by no means easy especially if you have no experience programming in any languages but it is free (excluding the cost to upload to the app store). Having programmed in another language will make your experience easier especially if it is something like Python because you can learn all the basic concepts that are required.
In this article, I am going to tell you what I think is the best programming language for app development in 2021 and I’ll explain how to get started with it.
If you are looking for the best overall programming language then check out this article:
What Is The Language?
The language that I recommend is called Dart but not to learn it on its own. When I program with Dart, I use an SDK called Flutter which is owned by Google.
Flutter is a library of widgets that are linked to Dart that you can use to create beautiful interfaces. There are some really large companies that use Flutter with Dart because it is just so easy to use and it can be used with multiple different text editors like VS Code and Android Studio.
There are many different reasons that I learned this language and why I recommend Dart with Flutter. Let’s take a look at the top 3 reasons that I think you should learn Dart for app development.
1. You Can Make Cross-Platform Apps
This is probably the main reason that I got into Dart and Flutter development, you can create an app that will work on both iOS and Android.
This is one of the reasons that I didn’t learn a language like Swift for iOS development because I wouldn't be able to reach my audience on Android. To reach those people I would have to not only learn Swift but also JavaScript so things would be much easier.
I would also have to update an app twice in 2 different languages which would make things much harder because you would have to ensure that the apps turned out to be the same and you had not created a bug.
Flutter with dart solves everything because you can create the app that has an amazing interface once and you can then upload it to the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
The apps will look and feel the same making it a great user experience and easy for you to test out. If you find a bug in the app, you can find the problem and fix it instead of having to find the bug in to separate code bases and fixing the problem twice.
2. Many Support Text Editors
I personally love the interface and user experience that Xcode has to offer but I know that not everyone does. The same goes for other editors, I know loads of people that swear by Android Studio but I just can’t stand it.
Flutter solves this by allowing you to incorporate the Dart programming language into so many different editors. I know a few people that use Android Studio to program in Dart but I personally use Microsoft Visual Studio Code because I love the layout and the different extension that you can get.
Having this freedom means that you can customise how you use Flutter with Dart. If you program in another language like Python or Java then you are probably used to using a certain text editor and being able to use that same one to program a mobile app.
This also means that you don’t have to learn a new text editor, you are probably used to all the short cuts, extensions and the user interface that you have. If you had to learn a new editor then you would not only have a lot of setup and downloads to do, but you also have to learn all the ins and outs of it.
3. Very Helpful Guides And Documentation
Getting started with a new SDK can not only be intimating but also quite difficult to download. Downloading an SDK isn’t like just downloading the file and installing it and learning the language is not easy either.
The Flutter website has some amazing documentation that will take you through the full process of downloading the SDK for your computer. The process is made super easy because of it and this isn’t the only documentation that the website has.
Flutter has so many different widgets that memorising the code for them all is impossible but you now have all the sources to remind you when you need it. All the guides are super clear and easy to use so even if you are a complete beginner to programming you can understand them.
There are also some great communities of people that are enthusiastic about the Dart language and the Flutter SDK which you can ask questions to any time. There are so many people that are willing to help you and support you when you have a problem that you can’t work out.
Conclusion
Dart with Flutter is the best way to develop apps because it is easy to use, has loads of great pre-made widgets and the support that you can get is so useful. There are other languages that you can use to develop apps like Swift and Java but being able to learn such a useful language that is also cross-platform is the way to go.
