Software Development Kits - Naukri Code 360

Introduction

On every platform from software installation to its updates and also while uninstalling generally we need to perform a lot of tasks and install a lot of files but we do not know that there is a kit that does all this work and we do not need to perform each work individually. Generally, these types of tools or kits are known as Software Development Kits.

Software Development Kit

A software development kit (SDK) is a collection of tools that enable programmers to create apps for a certain platform by writing or modifying existing frameworks. Many popular software, games, and apps rely on SDKs to function. Because the SDK tools available on each platform differ, it's important to know what SDK tools are available on your selected software development kit before beginning any SDK-related project

SDK tools are not just restricted to frameworks; they also encompass everything else. This could include everything from testing and debugging to hardware access for your software development kit, such as controllers or sensors. With SDK, you can do more than just create an app on a platform; you can also give developers SDK-level access, which is necessary if they want their app to work well with that system. The advantages of SDKs aren't without drawbacks, as certain platforms (such as Apple's iOS) prefer not to provide SDK capabilities owing to security concerns.

SDKs Include

APIs and Libraries are pre-defined code parts that allow programmers to accomplish the following programming tasks using the platforms provided.
The Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a powerful visual editor that helps developers create and arrange graphical elements such as text buttons and boxes. These components are standard in the Mobile Software Development toolkit. For example, the Apple IDE Xcode contains a set of software development tools that assist developers in creating apps for iOS, macOS, watchOS, iPad, and tvOS. There are a variety of IDEs available for Android platforms.
SDKs also provide tools to assist developers with activities like creating, debugging, testing, and executing their programs.
SDKs also give developers the ability to improve the functionality of their programs. It allows them to integrate advertisements, push notifications, and much more. It also aids in the efficient development of a new set of tools that simplify the procedure. Because everything in this SDK is prebuilt, this is the case.

If a developer wishes to share text or images from his or her app to Facebook, for example, they must choose the Android SDK for Facebook to find the appropriate codes that will work on any Android device. In essence, this speeds up the deployment process by eliminating the requirement for the developer to write code from scratch.

Use of SDK

SDKs are an essential component of mobile app development. There are numerous applications for them:

Language-specific SDKs, such as the JSON and Java Developer Kit (JDK), are used to create efficient, standardized programs in those languages.
Google and other analytics SDKs provide information on user habits, pathways, and activities.
Google, Facebook, and other monetization SDKs make it simple for developers to integrate ads into their existing apps in order to generate cash.

ANDROID SDK CONFIGURATION:

After the successful installation of the Android Studio, you need to Configure the SDK by installing the packages of the required version. Always try to go for the latest version as it has the trending APIs and the superior tools for debugging and virtual testing of the application. However, if you are working on an application that was built on an older version, you must continue to use that version, to avoid compatibility issues.

They are three methods to reach the SDK manager:
Method 1 (Initial set-up): As soon as, the installation of Android Studio is completed, you are directed to the Welcome Screen of the Android studio. On the lower-right corner, Select SDK Manager from the menu Configure drop-down, and select the desired version.

Image Source: developer.android.com

Method 2: While you are already working on the android studio, and you need to download any version of the Android SDK. Go the Tools menu and select the SDK Manager.
Method 3: We can find the SDK Manager icon, in the toolbar. The second icon from the right side represents the SDK Manager. A list of all the Android Versions, even Android 1.0, which was introduced 12 years ago, is present. We can install more than one SDK version on our PC at a time.

Image Source: Screenshot from Android Studio

Implementation of SDK

Keep it Simple and Intuitive

More people will adopt the SDK if the codebase is kept simple and easy. Users can benefit from intuitive method signatures and abstractions when using the SDK.

Have Proper Documentation

For users to use the SDK, proper documentation of the various sections of the SDK is required. The documentation should describe how to use the SDK's included libraries and classes, as well as provide sample code to help developers get started. All edge scenarios should be documented, and the user should not have to guess.

Make it Accessible

Use an accessible repository for supported languages, file storage, or a distribution service to make your SDK available to users. The documentation should be accessible as well.

Keep it up to date

To avoid future developers and consumers becoming confused, use a consistent coding style. After each modification to the codebase, you should update your documentation and changelog. Maintain and track releases with Semantic Versioning.

Difference between SDKs and APIs

API is a piece of code that allows two separate software programs to communicate with one another. Not only that, but an API specifies how any developer can request services from any operating system or application. It also assists in exposing data in numerous situations and through various channels.

The following are some notable distinctions between SDK and API:

APIs are commonly included in SDKs. APIs, on the other hand, do not include SDK.
Even if an API allows for effective communication between programs, it does not allow for the creation of new applications.
SDKs give developers the ability to create apps and act as building blocks for the creation of software products.
SDK stands for Software Development Kit, and it is a tool and component piece for programming that has been created for specific purposes. API, on the other hand, is a specific interface for dispatching any service.

Need of SDK for a Developer

Simply put, SDKs give developers the ability to design any program that works on any platform or service. The same would not be achievable if the developer for the SK was not allowed access.

Not only that, but the developer would very certainly be able to construct any software that works in any setting. Developers will be unable to create programs that run flawlessly on tablets and phones without access to an Android SDK.

AWS SDKs

The AWS SDK for Java makes it easier for Java developers to use AWS Services by offering a collection of libraries that are consistent and familiar. It takes care of things like credential management, retries, data marshalling, and serialisation as part of the API lifecycle.

Javascript

Higher-level abstractions are also supported by the AWS SDK for JavaScript, making development easier. AWS-focused open-source JavaScript libraries can be found on GitHub.

JavaScript for browsers, Node.js for servers, and React Native for mobile development are all supported via the AWS SDK for JavaScript. It also supports cross-runtime: a service client package can be run on browsers, Node.js, and React-Native without requiring any changes to the code.

Java

Higher-level abstractions are also supported by the AWS SDK for Java, making development easier. Open-source Java libraries focused on AWS can be found on GitHub.

The AWS SDK for Go makes it easier for Go developers to access AWS services by offering a collection of libraries that are consistent and familiar. Higher-level abstractions, such as Amazon S3 Transfer Manager for seamless concurrent multi-part file uploads and Amazon DynamoDB AttributeValue and Expression utilities for easy integration of your application Go types, are supported for simplified development. AWS-focused open source Go libraries may be found on GitHub.

Also, there are SDKs present on AWS for many other languages like Python, PHP, .NET, Ruby, Node.js, and c++.

Refer to know about : What is debugging

Frequently Asked Questions

What is included in a software development kit?

A software development kit (SDK) is a package that contains a number of software development tools. They aid application development by providing a compiler, debugger, and, in certain cases, a software framework. They're usually tied to a certain hardware platform and operating system.

How does a software development kit work?

What is an SDK, exactly? The term SDK refers to a software development kit. The SDK, sometimes known as a devkit, is a collection of software development tools for a certain platform, comprising building blocks, debuggers, and, in some cases, a framework or group of code libraries, such as a set of operating-system-specific functions (OS).

Give an example of a Software Development Kit.

The Java development kit (JDK), the Windows 7 SDK, the MacOS X SDK, and the iPhone SDK are all examples of software development kits.

Why SDK is used?

SDKs (software development kits) allow developers to create applications without having to write all of the code from scratch. In other words, these kits are software packages that developers can download and install.

What is Android SDK Tool?

The Android SDK Tools component is part of the Android SDK. It offers Android development and debugging tools.

This package's Android Emulator has been migrated to a different SDK location.
The new avd manager utility has replaced the android and command-line capabilities.

Conclusion

To summarize the above article we have gained knowledge about Software Development Kit, and its implementation. Also, we have discussed the differences between SDK and API.

Hope you learned something. But the knowledge never stops, So to learn more you can visit our website for more articles. Check out our articles on Introduction to AWS, AWS Features and Amazon Honeycode.

Recommended Readings:

Downloading and Installing STS IDE

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