The Benefits of Using Swift Over Objective-C for iOS App Development

Being a web developer is an interesting choice for a career. Not only that it offers a professional to earn a high salary, but it also offers a chance for a person to express all their creativity. Since nobody can know everything about anything, the most important thing is to choose a field where you will specialize your knowledge.

Therefore, the first thing you should do is decide on the programming language you will use. One of the most popular career choices in this field is iOS app development. Those who become experts in this field will have a chance to create apps for all the devices that are a product of a world-renowned company Apple.

If this is your choice, then you will have only two ways to go. You can either opt for Swift or Objective-C as your primary programing language. Beginners usually do not have any knowledge that will help them to notice the differences between these two. Our choice would be Swift.

In this article of ours, we will say why.

The Basics

The first announcement of Swift being created was back in 2014. We are talking about an open-source programming language that works inside an Apple ecosystem. As we’ve said, this offers the programmer a chance to develop software that will be used solely on these platforms, which are used by numerous devices, like iPhones, iPods, etc.

The reason why many experienced professionals prefer Swift to Objective-C is that it has been made to overcome numerous limitations the other option had. As you can see from the name of Objective-C, it is clear that it has a lot to do with the C programming language. Even though it is widely in use today, it is often perceived as outdated by many.

Swift is a more modern option, and it makes it possible for a programmer to have a much easier task of making all the ideas, he or she has, come to fruition. The simplified process always sparks the attention of those who have just started their career as developers. More experienced personnel usually have broader knowledge.

What are the Benefits?

Now, let’s take a look at the benefits of using Swift for your iOS development project.

1. Syntax

The first, and most likely the most important benefit of Swift is that it has much clearer syntax than Objective-C. So, app developers do not have to invest so much time and effort to understand what is on the screen. It immediately offers them the possibility to learn it much simpler and much faster, which is a plus.

Some would say that the syntax used by this programming language usually looks like an everyday English language. Sure some things require more of an effort to understand, but the number of these is minimal, especially when you compare it to Objective-C. That’s why beginners are more interested in it.

2. Speed

If you take a look at certain studies and research done on this topic, it is clear that Swift is significantly faster than the other one. Some of these studies even say that you can do everything you want by investing double less time than before. If we know that time is the most important resource in this day and age, it is clear why this is an advantage.

One of the reasons why this is the case is that the amount of code needed for a certain action is significantly lower than in practically every other programming language out there. Not to mention that reading someone else’s work is much easier than before. Experienced developers know how big of a challenge this can be.

3. Maintenance

We all know that maintenance is a big factor in a programming language. When we say maintenance, we are talking about being able to put two different files into one and prevent memory leaks, which is one of the commonest challenges app developers face in their everyday tasks. So preventing it is a must.

The only thing you need to pay attention to when it comes to maintenance is that, with Python, you will need to install some dependencies manually. But if you are using macOS, you will not be required to do so since all of them are installed immediately. So, you can use them immediately without limitation.

4. Open-Source

According to many experienced developers, Swift being open-source is its main strength. What does this mean? Well, it means that it has a community that constantly works on how to improve it. So, you can find numerous interesting solutions online. The best ones have already become an internal part of it.

So, it is clear that it is not only the work of those who created it in the first place but also of many people who have invested their time and effort to make it as successful as it is today. Sure, there are many other open-source programming languages, but not many are successful stories like this one.

5. Security

Security is always an important part of every programming language. Nobody wants its hard work to leak to other people interested in this sort of work. Therefore, we expect that the question of security will make a significant difference when it comes to which one of these programming languages you will choose.

If this is your main filter, then Swift is the right way to go. The main strength of security, in this case, is that it will help you discover all the potential problems sooner and without too much effort. The feedback is provided by the environment. So, you can correct all these problems in a couple of seconds or minutes, depending on how long the code is.

Summary

Swift is a great option for iOS developers, and there’s no doubt about it. Here, we’ve disclosed numerous benefits of choosing this one as the main foundation of your future project. We do not have any doubt you will find this insight helpful in making any future decision regarding the operating system you will choose.