The Best Development Tools for Apple: The New and Old

Apple is a relentless force in technology. It is a phenomenon that keeps innovating in a way that threatens its competitors every single year. Innovation, however, comes in waves. Apple has updated its phone, app, and cloud platforms with a frequency that makes it sometimes difficult to choose the right tools to use. We’ve put together a list of the tools the pros are using the most on Apple platforms. In this post, we’re going to cover the best frameworks and tools that your team will likely need to get good work done.

Best Development Tools for Apple

Frameworks Templating Django Django has long been a go-to choice for web developers, and has gained a lot of traction in the community. Django provides web developers with a powerful framework that can help in managing a web-based application. It can help in getting complex features in a website without it becoming too unwieldy. Some of Django’s power comes from its object-relational mapping, which helps developers to manage the user data. For developers who want to code without a programming language, this framework is an excellent choice. Django’s web-based documentation is excellent and is a great source for getting help. Django’s community is great, and lots of good documentation is provided.

What We'll Cover

This post will discuss the following: AvengerJS for templating, handling and optimizing responses Maggie for JSON configuration (coming soon!) Zipkin for stream and serialization GnuCash for accounting and financial modeling CocoaPods for dependency management Swift 3 for interactive development APIs we use What's a Framework? A framework is simply a collection of prebuilt components for use within an application. It includes the files you need, but many more (and that you likely didn’t know you needed) are available for customization or configuration. They’re by no means a substitute for understanding the application, but can aid in the creation and development of working applications.

Frameworks

Xcode 

Xcode is Apple’s flagship IDE. Apple developers use Xcode to create and develop their apps and to code Swift. Xcode is also the main backend for Swift Playgrounds, which is the official iOS programming application for kids. Xcode features a powerful C/C++ compiler, prototyping and editing tools, libraries and tools for rapid application development and code completion, and a set of Swift-based project templates. ARKit Apple’s augmented reality (AR) platform uses Metal to power its capabilities, which is the same programming API that you’ll need for developing AR apps.

Languages

The most important tool that developers need to learn is the language they’re writing in. The best tools that professionals will have access to have an impact on both performance and usability of your app, but having access to the right language is the first and most important step. Tools like IntelliJ IDEA and Swift Playgrounds help developers learn the language and help them get up and running in no time. Languages like C++ and Objective-C are still the most popular for professional developers. The Swift programming language was unveiled in 2014. It is Apple’s attempt at overhauling Objective-C. Objective-C is the language that iOS developers are used to. It is also Apple’s standard for Apple apps.

IDEs

For the more technically inclined among us, one of the biggest reasons to choose a specific IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for your coding is the ability to integrate into the software tools that you already use. Popular IDEs for the new Apple platform include Xcode, Eclipse, and the free IntelliJ IDEA from JetBrains. Although there are many advantages of using an IDE, there are also a number of limitations. Make sure that the IDE you choose supports the features and development methodology that you are using in your team. Frameworks Frameworks are particularly helpful for those working in a team setting. Instead of reinventing the wheel, pick an established framework and then customize it to your team’s needs.

Testing Tools

Testing tools provide developers with one of the most powerful tools for validating and maintaining software. They are used in nearly every project. That being said, finding testing tools for your team is a job that requires serious research. Most frameworks are bundled with pre-built testing tools, but if you prefer to go it alone, you can download third party tools like Rainforest. With Rainforest, you can validate your application at a more granular level by injecting real-world examples. This allows you to avoid the need for testing in the future if a bug exists. While we highly recommend using a tool like Rainforest for any project, there are other options for testing tools. We recommend using IKFT in the context of iOS projects.

Data Management

Much of the technology that Apple uses to manage its app and website data, including the Twitter, Safari, iCloud, and iTunes services, is an open source alternative to Microsoft’s proprietary APIs. The Information Interface and Ansel are two such alternatives, and it’s unlikely that Apple will ever switch from them. It also doesn’t matter much what data you store within your apps. If your team can manage the way the app interfaces with its data, Apple will find a way to access and retrieve that data for you, and it’s likely it will be faster and easier than it would be if you tried to do it on your own.

Conclusion

For many iOS developers, these are the best development tools to get started on Apple: If you’re interested in reading more, follow up with these tutorials that will give you a hands-on glimpse at some of the most interesting technologies available to the iOS and Mac developer community. These are the best development tools for macOS: Some people insist that there’s a good version of any single platform, but that’s not always the case. We hope that you find what you need on this list. It’s an attempt to consolidate the best tools available for macOS that are of interest to developers. Lastly, there’s always the option of taking a spin on some of the Windows-based offerings. There are a ton of great tools available for both Windows and Mac.