Libraries are like those extra flavors of mobile apps that help developers up their games by enhancing functionalities and enabling them to do more like add animations, create unique UI designs, etc.
In this article, we have picked up some of the best iOS libraries present on GitHub that help developers bring out the best in their iOS apps. Let’s have a look at them. But first, we take a gander at some of the benefits of using iOS libraries.
What are iOS libraries and what are the advantages of using them?
iOS libraries are pre-written code modules that offer a specific set of functionalities or features that can be integrated into an iOS app.
Apart from helping developers accelerate app development, these libraries offer other advantages that help developers offer the best iOS app development services to their clients. Some notable ones include:
Faster Market Time: Using pre-built libraries can significantly reduce the time required to develop an app which means an app reaches the market faster. Instead of writing complex and time-consuming code from scratch, developers can leverage existing libraries and add new features or functionalities to the app.
Standardization: Many libraries follow a standard structure or design pattern, which makes it easier for developers to understand and use them. This also helps to maintain a standard codebase and makes it easier for beginners to understand the code.
Increased Stability: Since libraries are widely used and tested by many developers, they tend to be more stable and reliable than code written from scratch. This helps reduce the likelihood of bugs and crashes in the app.
Access to Advanced Features: Many libraries offer advanced features that may be difficult or time-consuming to develop from scratch. By using a library, developers can easily integrate advanced features into their apps without spending time researching or writing complex code.
Cross-Platform Support: Most of the libraries are designed to work across multiple platforms, including iOS, and Android. This can help to accelerate app development by allowing developers to reuse code across different platforms.
To sum up, developers can leverage iOS libraries and bring out the best in their apps by focusing on building unique and innovative features that differentiate their apps from others.
Significant iOS Libraries on GitHub
Alamofire
Alamofire is an HTTP networking library that simplifies networking tasks in Swift including uploads and downloads. It provides a simple and elegant way to make HTTP requests and handle the responses. It is often seen as the trendy sibling of AFNetwokring and can be considered its alternative.
SnapKit
SnapKit is a Swift-based and highly potent library that helps developers in building Auto Layout constraints. It simplifies the process of creating and managing Auto Layout constraints in code. Since SnapKit is type-safe by design, it helps reduce errors while app creation.
Kingfisher
Kingfisher is another lightweight and pure Swift library that serves the function of downloading and caching images from the web. It supports various image formats and provides advanced features like caching, preheating, and animated GIF support.
It includes extensions like NSButton, UIImageView, and UIButton which enhances its usability. It’s great for developers who work with remote images.
SwiftyJSON
SwiftyJSON is a Swift-based library for working with JSON data. It provides a simple and intuitive way to parse JSON data and access its values. With this library, developers can easily test JSON with Swift which they often find difficult because of typecasting.
RxSwift
RxSwift is a powerful and functional reactive programming library for iOS development. It’s a computation abstraction and specific implementation of the Reactive Extensions standard. It simplifies the handling of asynchronous operations and provides a convenient way to manage data streams.
Realm
Realm is a mobile database that simplifies data storage in iOS apps. It is fast, efficient, and easy to use, and provides features like object mapping, data encryption, and data synchronization. A great alternative to SQLite, Realm works directly on smartphones, wearables, and tablets.
ObjectMapper
ObjectMapper is a Swift-based library for mapping JSON data to Swift objects. It provides a simple and intuitive way to transform JSON data into Swift objects, and vice versa. Developers can carry out custom transformations while mapping. It also has immutable and struct support.
SVProgressHUD
SVProgressHUD is a Swift-based library for displaying progress and status indicators in iOS apps including the status of indeterminate tasks. It provides a variety of visual styles and animations and is easy to customize. It is preferred for its minimalistic and clean design.
Lottie
Lottie is a Swift-based library for adding high-quality animations to iOS apps. It allows developers to easily import animations from Adobe After Effects and use them in their apps. It comes with powerful tooling that enables developers to incorporate stunning, unique designs in their apps.
CryptoSwift
CryptoSwift is a Swift-based library for working with cryptographic algorithms. It provides a simple and easy-to-use interface for encrypting and decrypting data, generating hashes, and more. It offers support for multiple OS including Apple TV, watchOS, and Linux, and it supports incremental updates as well.
Conclusion
These are some of the most productive iOS libraries available on GitHub. So when you hire an iOS app developer, and your project turns up really fast, you can be assured that your developer has put one (or maybe a couple more) of these libraries to good use.
However, the names aren’t restricted to the above-mentioned ones. There may be many other libraries that could also be useful to you depending on your needs and project requirements.