Want to develop applications for both the iOS and Android platforms? Are you thinking of creating different native apps for both platforms? If so, now you have the best option to have cross platform app development. You can create cross-platform and hybrid applications with the help of tools like Xamarin and React Native. Today, we will discuss one of the famous and reliable frameworks for cross platform app development: Ionic Framework. But Before starting with the Ionic Framework, let’s first understand the term “Cross Platform app development”
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What is a Cross Platform App Development?
As we all know, it will be an extensive plan to create the applications natively for both the Android and iOs Platforms. But, with the invention of Cross platform app development, now it is possible to develop the apps for both the platforms using the same codebase, like Ionic Framework. Developing cross platform apps will save the cost as well as the time of the developers. So, let’s begin with the Ionic Framework.
What is Ionic Framework?
Ionic Framework was released by the team of Drifty Co.‘s developers named Max Lynch, Ben Sperry, and Adam Bradley in 2013. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript technologies are the basis for the Ionic Framework. Ionic Framework is well-known in the cross platform and hybrid app development because of the out of box features like Ionic View, and Ionic Creator. Ionic Framework is the combination of multiple layers that are useful in building feature-rich apps with fantastic interfaces.
Talking about the layers in the Ionic Framework, then it has two layers – top layer and bottom layer. Its top layer consists of technologies like Apache Cordova, which is useful in creating Native applications. However, the bottom layers comprise the AngularJS, which helps to develop web applications. Thus, Ionic Frameworks is used for hybrid and cross platform app development.
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What is Ionic Framework Used for?
Ionic Framework is a free and open-source SDK(Software Development Kit) for the cross platform and hybrid app development. The applications developed using ionic frameworks are cost and time efficient as compared to the expensive native applications.
Is Ionic Framework Easy to Learn?
Yes, Ionic Framework is quite easy to learn for both the beginners and experienced developers. Ionic based on the web technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript. Thus, the developers who are friendly with JavaScript, Ionic Framework is very easy to use for them.
Who uses Ionic Framework?
With the popularity of the Ionic Framework for the cross platform app development, It is trusted by the giant companies for the cross platform mobile app development like Market Watch, Sworkit, Just Watch, McDonald, etc.
Famous Applications Built Using the Ionic Framework
Market Watch, Sworkit, Just Watch.
How Ionic Framework Works?
As mentioned earlier, the Ionic Framework is used for cross platform app development; it is considered the complete Software Development Kit(SDK) for native app development through cross platform app development. Ionic Framework is the combination of the interface features that enable the developers to create the interactive components. Ionic is quite popular since its’ UI is the exact copy of the native apps. Ionic uses the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript frameworks and converts it into native code to make the applications compatible with the different mobile platforms like iOs and Android. It means the mobile app developers needn’t worry about the user interface of the native apps, as Ionic does it for them.
Ionic is known for its UI components, adaptive styling, and navigation. UI components help to provide the looks and feel exactly like the native apps. It consists of features such as buttons, tabs, menus, lists, cards, etc. It also provides behavior through navigation and gestures such as swiping, rotation, scaling, etc. So, it’s all about the working of the Ionic frameworks in cross platform app development.
Features of Ionic Framework
The primary purpose of using the Ionic Framework is to fill out the gap between application development for different mobile application platforms.
Ionic is an Open-Source Platform
One of the most alluring features of the Ionic is that it is an open-source application development platform. It is a reliable, stable, and free platform for cost-effective cross platform app development.
Ionic has a Large Community Support
You will glad to know that Ionic platform has quite broad community support as it works on the layers of Angular JS and Apache Cordova. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, you will get instant answers to your query, as most developers are eager to help you out in the Ionic Framework.
Ionic uses the Single Codebase
Developing native applications for different platforms would be a time consuming and expensive process. Having one codebase feature in Ionic makes the mobile app development faster and saves the developers’ valuable time.
Ionic offers the Easy Testing Process
Ionic makes the testing process easier by allowing the testing process on all the browsers and inbuilt emulators. It also offers the feature of remote debugging as you can test the application on different mobile devices to get real-time and better results.
Benefits of Using the Ionic Framework
Here is the list of the benefits of Ionic Frameworks, it offers to us:
- Ionic is a platform-independent framework
- Ionic allows the cross platform apps development
- Ionic provides a wide range of Cordova plugins
- Ionic supports AngularJS for mobile and web app development
- The application built with Ionic frameworks provides high-end performance
- Ionic is quite easy to learn as it is based on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript technologies
- Ionic offers a large community support
- Ionic is an entirely free and open-source platform for mobile app development
- Ionic provides easy in testing and debugging
- Ionic offers a wide range of UI components that makes the User interface more reliable.
Drawbacks of Using Ionic Framework
No doubt, Ionic Framework has several reasons to use for the mobile app development, but there are some drawbacks of using the Ionic Framework, some of them are:
- Ionic lacks in native apps performance as it needs WebView rendering for the heavy applications.
- Ionic supports the plugin dependent system; sometimes, it fails to provide the required plugins for the particular functionality.
- Ionic lacks an essential feature that is hot reloading; so it affects the speed of the development process
- Ionic fails to provide the required security features
- Ionic develops much heavier application as compared to the native applications.
Important Tools for Ionic Framework
Here are the important tools for the Ionic Framework are Angular CLI, Stack Biltz, and TypeScript
Angular CLI
Angular CLI stands for Command Line Interface. The Ionic Framework uses the Angular CLI for the faster development of mobile applications. In actual
Angular CLI is a tool that can be used to initialize, develop, and maintain the Angular applications directly from the command shells.
How to install the Angular CLI?
You can install the angular CLI using the npm package installer.
npm install -g @angular/cli
StackBiltz
StackBiltz is an online web editor for the cross platform applications using the ionic Framework. StackBiltz can be used for the development using technologies such as Angular, React, Ionic, TypeScript, RxJS, Svelte.
TypeScript
TypeScript is the world’s most widely used tools build on JaaScript used for the mobile application development using the ionic Framework. TypeScript is an open-source language developed by the giant company, Microsoft. In fact, all the valid JavaScript codes are the TypeScripts. The main objective of using the TypeScript in Ionic is to find out the errors in the early stages and bug fixes and to make the JavaScript development more efficient.
Famous Ionic Code Editors
Final Thoughts
Undoubtedly, the Ionic Framework is one of the most powerful tools for the development of cross-platform app development. The applications developed using the Ionic are much more compatible and efficient than the native apps. What’s more, Ionic makes mobile app development faster, reliable, and stable. For developers, it is a cost and time-efficient Framework for cross-platform development. If you are looking for the best cross platform mobile apps development services, then hire mobile app developer of the company, Tekki Web Solutions Inc.