Literally everyday one or other android library is pushed up. I have worked upon multiple libraries. I have tried listing the best of them. I have listed ’em for the use relevant to general app development.
Libraries make the development process fast and efficient. I bet that you won’t regret using any of the below. And once you start using them, you will not look back. Mostly they all are easy to use on the first go. Even if you face a bit of difficulty learning them, it is really worth doing so relative to what it provides.
1. Retrofit 2 [HTTP client]
It’s the best one out there if you want to interact with your APIs on the web server. It reduces the length of code and also provides robust way to implement request-response data.
As you might already know how tedious it is to use the OkHttp and Volley provided by android, you can always rely on Retrofit2 for your GET, POST, PUT, DELETE …
2. Glide/Fresco/Coil [Network Image Loaders]
Okay, .. So you would say that we are already having NetworkImageView, but wait please! The multiple features and the ease of use provided by these libraries has no match on the planet. Also, Glide supports GIF images in case you wanna show the GIFs for your next fun project.
In addition, you can crop and scale images. You can set the default image, or the image to show if the loading from network is failed. And respective tint lists. And all of these with just ONE LINE OF CODE !!! ;)
You are gonna be amazed by the level of customization provided by Fresco (by Facebook). Glide is the fastest among them in terms of loading the image. Fresco has the most customization options through xml and code, while coil is preferred if you are using Kotlin for the simplicity of the code.
3. Themed Toggle Button Group [Button/RadioButton/Checklist Alternative View]
I don’t need to put it in words what it does as you can see in the GIF above.
Get rid of writing multiple XMLs for animations, layouts, backgrounds and ColorStateLists. Just push this library in your gradle and bingo!
Themed Toggle Button Group Tutorial Here
4. MPAndroidCharts [Charts/Graphs View]
Whether it’s a bar chart or pie, donut, line, or whatever. You need customization in it, go for it. You want them to load fast, go for it. You want less code and more functionality, go for it, pal .!
You name the chart, and this library will kick it in your app. You want colors, gradient, anything it does. Now, memorize this one and never forget. Every good android develop has heard its name at least once.
You can find various tutorials for this online, my best pick is following:
5. Fast Adapter [RecylerView Adapter Alternative]
Are you also like me who is writing adapter for each and every list? Well, no more. It’s not that you don’t have to write it. Of course it’s needed to, however this will save your time of creating the new adapter class every time. You can define your logic in POJO model class only and it will take care of the rest.
The main benefit though is that on click listeners, drag and drop feature, filtering data for search, infinite scrolling, sticky header and selecting multiple items made easy.
Check it out at least once before you create anew project in your studio.
6. Motion Toast [Toast Alternative]
Well well well, Toast. Ever thought of making ’em just more interesting? Here, we are — ‘Motion Toast’. Now your apps will be prettier for sure.. at least for the part where you are showing Toast, whether it’s a warning, or a failure or a success message, or any other thing you want to display. Forget default, boring android Toast, and hassle of creating layouts and custom adapters. Just write one more implementation in your gradle and woilla.. !
No need to explain features if you are observing the image above.
7. Room [SQLite Client]
Is it only me or you also think that the SQLite Local database interactions can be simplified? If yes, then we have this library — Room by Google. The Room persistence library provides an abstraction layer over SQLite to allow fluent database access while harnessing the full power of SQLite.
It provides compile-time verification of SQL queries, convenience annotations that minimize repetitive and error-prone boilerplate code, streamlined database migration paths.
Apps that handle non-trivial amounts of structured data can benefit greatly from persisting that data locally. The most common use case is to cache relevant pieces of data so that when the device cannot access the network, the user can still browse that content while they are offline.
8. CornerCutLinearLayout [LinearLayout View Add-on]
See, the truth is CardView is great if you want corners and shadow, but what if you want a little bit of creativity? Ofcourse, creating custom layout is one approach. However, when you want one persistent approach and you are a beginner or you wanna skip the part of doing the whole setup, this library comes into the picture.
Moreover, it provides RTL (Right to Left) support, area to put custom views, custom dividers, custom shadows, custom cutouts and child layout parameters to inherit parent layout.
Ready for the new beautiful app design? check the tutorial provided below.
CornerCutLinearLayout Tutorial Here
9. Espresso [Testing]
This is one more library by Google in this list. UI testing cannot be easier without this one. It’s loved for its simplistic approach towards the testing for each and every view. You simply need to provide what you test, and it will test for you. Just one line and testing is done ! Give it a try in your next project and espresso takes away the headache, you know !;)
The core API is small, predictable, and easy to learn and yet remains open for customization. Espresso tests state expectations, interactions, and assertions clearly without the distraction of boilerplate content, custom infrastructure, or messy implementation details getting in the way.
Espresso tests run optimally fast! It lets you leave your waits, syncs, sleeps, and polls behind while it manipulates and asserts on the application UI when it is at rest.
10. Easy Permissions [User-Permissions Helper]
Generally, when our app runs for the first go, it doesn’t ask for all the permissions, rather it asks for them as user first time wants to use the corresponding functionality. However, it would always be the best approach to ask for the permissions in advance. Default that thing was there, but not after the release of Marshmallow. So, go with this library and make your permissions easy as it not only asks for the permissions but also explains why it’s needed by providing the custom message that you can put in your code.
You might feel that this library is negligible, but consider this one as the cherry on the top. It’s always good to improvise you app as much as you can. And there’s a reason this one is included in this list. Nowadays, people care about the privacy, and if your app is providing the clear-cut explanation why the respective permission is needed, then it builds up more trust.
YaaYi.. ! So Here we done with the list of the most utility libraries for android.
You can always suggest me better libraries if you think they should be included in the list.
