Platform SDK Speeds App Development

Introduction

Building mobile and web applications from scratch can take weeks or months. Developers have to wire up backend services, implement custom UI components, handle authentication flows, and integrate numerous APIs just to get a basic app working. This is where software development kits (SDKs) come in handy! SDKs package together reusable libraries, tools, code samples and documentation to help developers quickly build apps on a specific platform.

For example, the Stripe SDK allows you to add payments to an app in hours rather than days. The right SDK allows you to tap into native platform capabilities, authenticate users out-of-the-box, and leverage pre-built UI widgets to accelerate development. SDKs handle all the heavy lifting behind the scenes so you can focus on creating amazing app experiences instead of reinventing the wheel.

Today we’ll explore how the new platform SDK enables faster app development by providing ready-to-use components for building on the platform. The SDK gives access to unique platform services like 3D AR, neurofeedback AI, and quantum-safe cryptography with just a few lines of code. Read on to learn how you can start building apps faster than ever before!

What is a Platform SDK?

A software development kit (SDK) provides libraries, code samples, guides and tools that allow developers to build applications on a specific platform. Platform SDKs give you the ability to easily integrate that platform’s services into your apps.

For example, the iOS SDK contains APIs to use Apple services, UI widgets to create consistent interfaces, and documentation to smoothly build iOS apps. Similarly, the Android SDK helps developers access core Android capabilities when building mobile apps.

Popular platform SDKs include Firebase, AWS Amplify, and Stripe.

Key Components

Some key components provided in platform SDKs include:

• APIs and libraries to access platform capabilities like location, payments, AI, etc.
• Code snippets and samples to quickly integrate platform services
• Documentation and getting started guides for onboarding
• Debugging tools, emulators, and profilers
• Pre-built UI components like buttons, menus, dialogs with platform styling to ensure consistency
• Authentication frameworks and data storage helpers
• Access to unique platform services not available elsewhere

Benefits

Platform SDKs provide many benefits that speed up app development:

• Faster development by using ready-made building blocks
• Simplified integration with platform services
• UI components ensure consistency with platform design language
• Reduced time to market by leveraging existing platform capabilities
• Single SDK vs managing multiple API integrations
• Unlock access to exclusive platform services like AR, AI, blockchain

By providing these capabilities, platform SDKs enable developers to build apps faster and more easily on a particular platform. They align well with services like DevHunt that aim to make developer tools easy to discover and evaluate.

Introducing the New Platform SDK

The platform has released an all-new SDK to make building apps easier than ever. The SDK provides a single gateway to the full breadth of platform capabilities. It enables access to services like AI, ML, AR, IoT, payments and more right out of the box.

The SDK supports building apps across mobile, web and desktop with Java, JavaScript, Kotlin and Swift. It comes packed with pre-built UI components, authentication frameworks, and modular APIs to get your app up and running quickly on the platform. The comprehensive documentation and sample apps help you start integrating the powerful platform services in no time.

Key Capabilities

The platform SDK comes loaded with capabilities to accelerate every phase of app development. Let's explore some of the key features:

Pre-Built Components

The SDK provides a library of over 100 pre-built UI components like buttons, menus, inputs conforming to platform design guidelines. Developers can drag and drop these components to rapidly build app interfaces. It also includes reusable modules for image cropping, audio playback, location search and more.

For AR apps, the SDK offers 3D objects and effects kits tailored for platform devices. And the AI module provides ready-to-use ML models for vision, language, recommendations and predictions.

Development Acceleration

The SDK accelerates app development in several ways:

• Boilerplate code for simplified user authentication in 2 steps
• Pre-integrated SDKs for partner services like Stripe, Intercom
• Extensibility hooks to customize components
• Modular design to only include needed capabilities
• Step-by-step guides for getting started

Together these allow developers to build apps faster on the platform.

Getting Started with the Platform SDK

Getting started with the platform SDK is easy. You can install it using the package manager for your language - npm for JavaScript, Maven for Java, CocoaPods for iOS.

The only requirements are a platform developer account and IDE. Follow these steps to start integrating the SDK into your app:

1. Install the SDK package through your language package manager
2. Initialize the SDK by calling PlatformSDK.init(config)

Be sure to check out the documentation, tutorials, sample apps and developer community to help you build with the SDK. The platform also offers additional services like AR, AI, and more to enhance your apps.

Use Cases

Here are some examples of apps you can build faster with the platform SDK:

• RetailMe e-commerce app with integrated Stripe payments
• PicShare social media app with custom content moderation AI
• FitQuest fitness app with real-time Apple Watch activity tracking
• BattleARC gaming app with 3D AR characters and environments
• Chattie messaging app with conversational assistant integration

The possibilities are endless when building on the platform!

Comparison to Other Platform SDKs

The platform SDK makes it easier than ever to build apps compared to alternatives. It provides one of the largest collections of over 100 ready-made UI components to snap together interfaces in a flash.

The SDK exposes exclusive platform services like 3D AR, neurofeedback AI, decentralized identity, and quantum-safe cryptography APIs not available in other kits. And it supports nearly all major operating systems and languages for maximum reach.

While competitors like Firebase and AWS Amplify continue to expand their capabilities, the platform SDK ensures you can access the latest and greatest services on day one. The development team actively gathers feedback to rapidly iterate on the SDK.

Conclusion

The new platform SDK enables faster mobile and web development by providing easy access to powerful platform services using pre-built components. It includes everything you need to start building immersive app experiences in one toolkit.

With exclusive capabilities like AR, AI, blockchain and more, the SDK removes the heavy lifting of reinventing platform features from scratch. The comprehensive tooling and modular architecture help developers focus on creating innovative apps rather than building foundations.

If you're looking to build cross-platform apps and tap into advanced platform capabilities, be sure to try out the new platform SDK today! It's the fastest way to develop on the platform.

Developers interested in discovering and evaluating new tools should check out DevHunt - a platform for easily launching developer products and services.