15 Best Android Libraries You Should Know

Having the best Android libraries is one of the greatest assets for developers. Android libraries for developers support until the completion of an app and yield the best android app development as an output. To talk about these Android libraries, they are a set of behavior implementations coded well using simple programs and offer a well-defined interface. They include message templates, pre-written code configuration data, documentation, help data, classes, values, sub-routines, etc.

Benefits of Android libraries

• Android libraries help you fast track the development process by avoiding unnecessary efforts.
• They make the developer’s job easy by providing pre-written codes and other important elements for instant use and avoid performing any task from scratch.

In the following section, we will see the top Android libraries that help in android app development and what are third-party libraries in Android to make use of.

Best Android libraries for developers

Here you go with the 15 top Android libraries for making your android app development easy and effective. Before we proceed, let us see what dependency injection is and its role in Android libraries. Dependency injections are like doorways that allow any sort of library to easily access database, app framework models, and perform several other coding activities to achieve an accomplished app model.

#1: Dagger 2

Dragger 2 is one of the greatest Android libraries as it mainly relies on using Java annotation processors that include compiling time in order to calculate and identify dependencies. Besides the advantage, this library has a disadvantage that other Java dependency injection libraries have restrictions such as XML dependency, exposing to performance penalties during initiation, or experiencing issues with validating dependency during run-time.

Apart from those, using Dagger 2 defining fields becomes so simple and easy thanks to the presence of @Inject annotation.

Let us take a look at Retrofit that eases the access to shared instances and makes use of strong tools to establish any sort of network communication within the Android app, in the following section.

#2: Retrofit

Retrofit ensures successful mapping and implementation of API into a client interface by using annotations. It is a type-safe REST client for Android and Java and thus helps in easy integration and adoption of any application into the app. In the existing method, fetching data requires a network request and execution of the Async task class and then use the Https: URL connection, previously. This got a new look by Retrofit and developers need not worry about the data fetching issue anymore.

You can easily manipulate endpoints and headers from any place, including a request body and required query parameters and choose request methods, only with annotations in Retrofit. This could be an advantage and a disadvantage too if user access authorization is not set properly. Retrofit could not resolve multiple image loading issue in Android apps, which is handled by Picasso in the next section.

#3: Picasso

Picasso is a trusted and popular Android library used by many developers, which is managed by Square. It provides a hassle-free image loading facility in one single-line code.

Apart from that, Picasso offers solutions for ImageView recycling, download cancellation, transforming complex images with lesser memory, fully automated memory, and caching functions.

#4: Glide

Glide is a Google-recommended Android library and new to the market as well. It is popular among developers as the best image loader library, which is maintained by Bumptech. Also, users can avail benefits like image fetching, creating GIFs, performing video calls, decoding operations, and so. You can even fetch, resize, or even show a remote image on your app with Glide.

#5: Zxing

If the Android library that you are using currently did not show any hope on integrating scanning features while developing a custom Android app, then you should go for Zxing. Many developers might have had their own turns checking the previous statement and started adapting to Zxing.

The exact meaning of Zxing states Zebra crossing that operates bar code image processing efficiently. Owing to that reason, Google prefers to integrate Android’s Barcode scanning app into its majority of products including Google Book.

#6: CAMView

CAMView is a direct alternative to Zxing and known as an Android camera easy access library that has a QR scanner. The best thing would be viewing a live preview video feed from the device camera, scanning barcodes using the decoding engine available ready, and used in Zxing as well and performing live data processing of your own camera.

#7: ButterKnife

ButterKnife is one of the popular Android libraries that support view binding and assigns identification numbers to views without making any extra effort. ButterKnife and Dagger seem to have similar annotations but the only difference is its annotations are employed to create boilerplate code, whereas Dagger does not.

#8: Android Databinding

This is another view binding library that does not use any annotations. Also it is used to declarative formats to enhance the UI components of the app layouts. If you want to build an attractive application that utilizes this Android Databinding would be the best option.

#9: Stetho

Stetho is a wonderful Android library that acts as a debug bridge for Android applications. Without restricting its functionality to just network inspection, JavaScript console, database inspection, etc. In addition, Stetho helps developers to access various features included under the Developer Tools option of Chrome desktop web browser.

#10: RxJava2

If you have plans to implement Reactive programming in your app, then RxJava2 is the ideal Android library for you. It is the most preferred library by most developers because of its ability to highlight errors quickly than other libraries, and allowing you to take effective decisions on how app development operations should function.

#11: MPAndroid chart

MPAndroid Chart is mainly utilized to create a graphical view of the data. By using this MPAndroid Chart helps developers to showcase the data in radar, candlestick, bar, bubble, and inline charts. Apart from that, it does have the options where you can add animations, scales and so to the chart.

#12: Holo Graph

It is a graphic library popular among developers and android app development companies. This Holo Graph Library helps designers to design graphs and charts impeccably. With the interactive window of your android applications can look amazing.

#13: Gravity View

Developers use Gravity View for tilting images inside the app using sensors. This Gravity view library uses the motion sensors of the Android gadget for its functionality. Owing to that users can do various operations by simply rotating their device after installing this Gravity View.

#14: Espresso

Any Android app would definitely have to undergo a testing phase, and Espresso is a testing framework library that allows you to create and develop user interface tests for Android apps.

#15: Robolectric

Robolectric is again a testing library that deals with inflation of resource loading, views, etc. This library specializes in avoiding the creation of additional mocking frameworks such as Mockito and stimulates the Android SDK files for testing.

Conclusion:

If you are new to app development, you would have got an idea of how these Android libraries help you in working with multiple functionalities. Also, you can choose which libraries best suit your app type and perform accordingly. If you require any support on mobile app development or have any doubts about using Android libraries, you can call our technical support agents to provide instant assistance.

We respond to your queries even through chat and e-mail as well. We have experts who are expertise in handling mobile app development and sharing relevant knowledge. You can call us anytime for a free quote and technical advice as to how to proceed with Android app development.

Frequently asked questions about best android libraries

1. Why do Android apps need libraries?

To implement and improve the app functionality and features, you definitely require a set of code libraries, which we call as Android libraries that require an Android framework API to include in an app. Each type of library has different phases and hence, you should choose the right ones for your app.

2. What is an Android app library?

An Android app library is similar to the Android app module that contains everything related to create and develop an app since its inception till the end. It helps you use the same components, UI layouts, and more when you try to build multiple apps with some common features and design.

3. What are third-party libraries in Android?

There are four types of third-party libraries available in Android such as user interface, android networking, image downloading and caching, and database helper. Every library has different types:

• User interface libraries: ActionBarSherlock, ActionBar PulltoRefresh, Android PulltoRefresh, View Pager Indicator, Nine Old Android and a Chart Engine
• Android networking: okHttp, Volley, Android Asynchronous Http Client, Google GSON and Retrofit
• Image downloading and caching: Picasso and Universal Image Loader
• Database Helper: Active Android, ORMLite and Green DOA

4. What is an Android service library?

Android service library and Android libraries are both the same and cater to the same purpose as well. Without the Android service library, you cannot get an accomplished output of your Android app.