What Is The Android SDK?

If you want to build something, you cannot just start building it on your own. You will need some tools to achieve the desired product.

Want to start building an Android application?

Well, here is your kit containing all the tools you need, the Android Software Development Kit (SDK).

So what do you think this kit may include?

SDKs basically includes:

• Required libraries.
• Debugger.
• An Emulator.

An extremely useful tool! instead of testing on your device which might not be an Android, you can test on a simulated Android device. you can choose between different android versions and different sizes.

• Relevant documentation for the Android application program interfaces (APIs).

A small video about APIs:

• Sample source code.
• Tutorials for the Android OS.

With every release of an Android version, a corresponding SDK is also released with the added functionalities and updates to the older SDKs. To be able to write programs with the latest features, developers must download and install each version’s SDK for the particular phone.

Now you have your magic kit containing all the tools to build the android app!

Where can you use these tools?

you can build a product anywhere (maybe not all the products), but of course, having a workshop with the utilities you need in the product cycle will save a lot of time and effort. So, your workshop to start building your android app is the IDE or the Integrated Development Environment. The SDK can also be used to write Android programs in the command prompt but it is not as easy as our workshop.

A small video about IDEs:

An IDE is a software application (Environment) that consists of a source code editor, build automation tools and a debugger. It provides a graphical interface enabling developers to perform development tasks faster.

IDEs are favoured to use as they abstract and facilitate the process of development. One thing that the IDEs do, is merging various tools into one single environment. For example, if an IDE provides functionality for a text editor, compiler and debugger altogether, (where each of those things would be treated separately in dealing with an SDK,) that offers clear benefits for the developer. Moreover, by abstracting the underlying tasks, the GUIs make the tasks more accessible to a wider set of users.

So, now with the suitable SDK and an IDE, you can start building your android Application!

Thank you for reading ;)