android
.NET for Android provides open-source bindings of the Android SDK for use with .NET managed languages such as C#
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.NET for Android provides open-source bindings of the Android SDK for use with .NET managed languages such as C#
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A framework for building native applications using React
Flutter makes it easy and fast to build beautiful apps for mobile and beyond
A powerful cross-platform UI toolkit for building native-quality iOS, Android, and Progressive Web Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
⚡ Empowering JavaScript with native platform APIs. ✨ Best of all worlds (TypeScript, Swift, Objective C, Kotlin, Java, Dart). Use what you love ❤️ Angular, React, Solid, Svelte, Vue with: iOS (UIKit, SwiftUI), Android (View, Jetpack Compose), Dart (Flutter) and you name it compatible.
Quick Overview
The dotnet/android repository is a project that enables developers to build Android applications using .NET. It provides a set of tools, libraries, and bindings that allow .NET developers to create native Android apps using C# and F#, leveraging the power and features of the .NET ecosystem.
Pros
- Allows .NET developers to use familiar languages (C#, F#) for Android development
- Provides access to Android APIs through .NET bindings
- Enables code sharing between Android, iOS, and other .NET platforms
- Leverages the performance and features of the .NET runtime
Cons
- May have a smaller community and ecosystem compared to native Android development
- Potential performance overhead due to the additional layer of abstraction
- Might lag behind in supporting the latest Android features compared to native development
- Learning curve for developers not familiar with Android-specific concepts
Code Examples
- Creating an Android activity:
[Activity(Label = "MyApp", MainLauncher = true)]
public class MainActivity : Activity
{
protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);
SetContentView(Resource.Layout.activity_main);
}
}
- Handling button click events:
Button myButton = FindViewById<Button>(Resource.Id.myButton);
myButton.Click += (sender, e) =>
{
Toast.MakeText(this, "Button clicked!", ToastLength.Short).Show();
};
- Making an HTTP request:
using System.Net.Http;
public async Task<string> FetchDataAsync(string url)
{
using (var client = new HttpClient())
{
var response = await client.GetAsync(url);
return await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
}
}
Getting Started
- Install Visual Studio with the Mobile development with .NET workload.
- Create a new Android App (Xamarin) project.
- Add the following NuGet packages:
- Xamarin.AndroidX.AppCompat
- Xamarin.Google.Android.Material
- Write your Android app using C# or F#.
- Build and run the project on an Android emulator or physical device.
For more detailed instructions, refer to the official documentation on the dotnet/android GitHub repository.
Competitor Comparisons
.NET for Android provides open-source bindings of the Android SDK for use with .NET managed languages such as C#
Pros of android
- More active development and frequent updates
- Broader community support and contributions
- Extensive documentation and examples
Cons of android
- Larger codebase, potentially more complex to navigate
- May include experimental features that are not yet stable
- Higher learning curve for newcomers
Code Comparison
android:
public class MainActivity : Activity
{
protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);
SetContentView(Resource.Layout.Main);
}
}
android:
public class MainActivity : Activity
{
protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);
SetContentView(Resource.Layout.Main);
}
}
Both repositories contain similar code structures for Android development using .NET. The main differences lie in the project organization, additional features, and community support rather than in the core code itself.
A framework for building native Windows apps with React.
Pros of react-native-windows
- Enables cross-platform development for Windows using React Native
- Leverages existing React Native knowledge for Windows app development
- Provides native UI components and APIs specific to Windows platforms
Cons of react-native-windows
- Limited to Windows platforms, unlike android which targets Android devices
- May have a smaller community and ecosystem compared to android
- Potentially slower performance compared to native development with android
Code Comparison
react-native-windows:
import { Text, View } from 'react-native';
import { Button } from 'react-native-windows';
const App = () => (
<View>
<Text>Hello, Windows!</Text>
<Button content="Click me" />
</View>
);
android:
using Android.App;
using Android.OS;
using Android.Widget;
[Activity(Label = "MyApp", MainLauncher = true)]
public class MainActivity : Activity
{
protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);
SetContentView(Resource.Layout.activity_main);
var button = FindViewById<Button>(Resource.Id.myButton);
button.Click += (sender, e) => { /* Handle click */ };
}
}
The code examples showcase the different approaches to UI development in each framework. react-native-windows uses a React-like syntax with JSX, while android utilizes C# with Android-specific APIs and layouts.
A framework for building native applications using React
Pros of React Native
- Cross-platform development: Build for both iOS and Android with a single codebase
- Large and active community: Extensive resources, libraries, and third-party tools
- Faster development cycles: Hot reloading and instant updates for quicker iterations
Cons of React Native
- Performance limitations: Native apps may outperform in complex scenarios
- Learning curve: Requires JavaScript and React knowledge, unlike C# for .NET
- Limited access to native features: Some platform-specific functionalities may be challenging to implement
Code Comparison
React Native:
import React from 'react';
import { View, Text } from 'react-native';
const App = () => (
<View>
<Text>Hello, React Native!</Text>
</View>
);
.NET for Android:
using Android.App;
using Android.OS;
using AndroidX.AppCompat.App;
[Activity(Label = "@string/app_name", Theme = "@style/AppTheme", MainLauncher = true)]
public class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity
{
protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);
SetContentView(Resource.Layout.activity_main);
}
}
Flutter makes it easy and fast to build beautiful apps for mobile and beyond
Pros of Flutter
- Cross-platform development for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase
- Hot reload feature for faster development and iteration
- Rich set of customizable widgets for building UIs
Cons of Flutter
- Larger app size compared to native applications
- Limited access to platform-specific features without plugins
- Steeper learning curve for developers new to Dart language
Code Comparison
Flutter:
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
void main() {
runApp(MaterialApp(
home: Scaffold(
body: Center(child: Text('Hello, World!')),
),
));
}
Android:
class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
}
}
Summary
Flutter offers a unified approach to cross-platform development with a rich set of tools and widgets, while Android provides native development capabilities with deeper platform integration. Flutter's hot reload feature accelerates development, but it may result in larger app sizes. Android offers better performance for platform-specific features but requires separate codebases for different platforms. The choice between the two depends on project requirements, target platforms, and development team expertise.
A powerful cross-platform UI toolkit for building native-quality iOS, Android, and Progressive Web Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Pros of Ionic Framework
- Cross-platform development for web, iOS, and Android from a single codebase
- Large ecosystem with extensive UI components and plugins
- Active community and frequent updates
Cons of Ionic Framework
- Performance may be slower compared to native development
- Limited access to some platform-specific features
- Steeper learning curve for developers new to web technologies
Code Comparison
Ionic Framework (TypeScript):
import { Component } from '@angular/core';
@Component({
selector: 'app-home',
template: '<ion-content>Hello World</ion-content>'
})
export class HomePage {}
Android (Kotlin):
class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
}
}
While Ionic Framework uses web technologies and Angular for cross-platform development, Android focuses on native development using Kotlin or Java. Ionic allows for rapid development across multiple platforms, but Android offers deeper integration with device features and potentially better performance for complex applications.
⚡ Empowering JavaScript with native platform APIs. ✨ Best of all worlds (TypeScript, Swift, Objective C, Kotlin, Java, Dart). Use what you love ❤️ Angular, React, Solid, Svelte, Vue with: iOS (UIKit, SwiftUI), Android (View, Jetpack Compose), Dart (Flutter) and you name it compatible.
Pros of NativeScript
- Cross-platform development for iOS and Android using JavaScript or TypeScript
- Extensive plugin ecosystem for easy integration of native APIs
- Direct access to native platform APIs without wrappers
Cons of NativeScript
- Steeper learning curve for developers new to mobile development
- Potentially larger app size compared to native development
- Performance may not match fully native apps in some scenarios
Code Comparison
NativeScript (JavaScript):
import { Application } from "@nativescript/core";
Application.run({ moduleName: "app-root" });
android (C#):
using Android.App;
using Android.OS;
[Activity(Label = "MyApp", MainLauncher = true)]
public class MainActivity : Activity
{
protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);
SetContentView(Resource.Layout.activity_main);
}
}
Key Differences
- NativeScript uses JavaScript/TypeScript, while android uses C# for development
- NativeScript provides a unified API for both iOS and Android, while android focuses solely on Android development
- NativeScript allows for sharing code between web and mobile projects more easily
- android offers tighter integration with native Android APIs and performance optimizations
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.NET for Android
.NET for Android provides open-source bindings of the Android SDK and tooling for use with .NET managed languages such as C#. This ships as an optional .NET workload for .NET 6+ that can be updated independently from .NET in order to respond to external dependency updates like new Android platform and tooling.
.NET for Android is part of .NET MAUI, and may also be used independently for native Android development using .NET.
Support
.NET for Android is part of .NET MAUI, since it was introduced in May 2022 as part of .NET 6, and is currently supported as described in the .NET MAUI Support Policy.
Support for Xamarin.Android ended on May 1, 2024 as per the Xamarin Support Policy:
Xamarin support ended on May 1, 2024 for all Xamarin SDKs including Xamarin.Forms. Android API 34 and Xcode 15 SDKs (iOS and iPadOS 17, macOS 14) are the final versions Xamarin targets from existing Xamarin SDKs (i.e. no new APIs are planned).
Follow the official upgrade guidance to bring your Xamarin applications to the latest version of .NET.
Downloads
.NET for Android ships as a workload through the dotnet
workload system in .NET 6+.
In its simplest form, .NET for Android can be installed by running:
dotnet workload install android
See the .NET workload documentation for additional installation commands and options.
While no longer supported, Classic Xamarin.Android installers are still available here.
Contributing
If you are interested in fixing issues and contributing directly to the code base, please see the following:
- How to build and run from source
- The development workflow, and using your build
- Coding Guidelines
- Submitting pull requests
Feedback
- Ask a question on Stack Overflow or Microsoft Q&A.
- Request a new feature or vote for popular feature requests on Microsoft Developer Community.
- File an issue in GitHub Issues.
- Discuss development and design on Discord.
License
Copyright (c) .NET Foundation Contributors. All rights reserved. Licensed under the MIT License.
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.NET for Android provides open-source bindings of the Android SDK for use with .NET managed languages such as C#
A framework for building native Windows apps with React.
A framework for building native applications using React
Flutter makes it easy and fast to build beautiful apps for mobile and beyond
A powerful cross-platform UI toolkit for building native-quality iOS, Android, and Progressive Web Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
⚡ Empowering JavaScript with native platform APIs. ✨ Best of all worlds (TypeScript, Swift, Objective C, Kotlin, Java, Dart). Use what you love ❤️ Angular, React, Solid, Svelte, Vue with: iOS (UIKit, SwiftUI), Android (View, Jetpack Compose), Dart (Flutter) and you name it compatible.
Convert
designs to code with AI
Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.
Try Visual Copilot