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Application Architecture of Android Apps

Android is one of the most popular mobile operating systems, and its flexibility and vast ecosystem make it an excellent choice for building a wide range of applications. In this blog post, we will discuss the architecture of Android apps, focusing on the different components that make up an Android application and their roles in providing a seamless user experience.

Components of Android Application Architecture

Android applications are primarily composed of the following key components:

  1. Activities: An activity is a single, focused thing that a user can do. It's like a screen with some additional behavior. When an activity is started, it takes focus and interacts with the user. A user can start an activity from your app or the Android system. The system starts an activity in response to a request from another component, such as another activity, a broadcast receiver, or an intent sent from the command line.

  2. Services: A service is a component that performs long-running operations in the background and does not provide a user interface. You can start a service when an app starts, create a service explicitly, start a service from an Intent (startService), broadcast an Intent (sendBroadcast), or bind to a service using a Binder (bindService). Services are commonly used for playing music in the background, performing downloads, or handling notifications.

  3. Content Providers: Content providers allow applications to access and share data. They act as intermediaries between the Android system and an application. You can write custom content providers if you want your app's data to be accessible to other apps. The Android framework provides some built-in content providers, such as the Contacts Provider and MediaStore.

  4. Broadcast Receivers: Broadcast receivers are components that respond to system-wide broadcast announcements. You can register a receiver in your app's manifest file or programmatically. Broadcast receivers are useful for responding to device state changes, such as screen orientation changes, battery level changes, and location updates.

  5. Intent Filters: Intent filters define how an activity, service, or broadcast receiver can be launched by an intent. They specify the action, data, categories, and other requirements. For example, if you have a contact editor activity, you might use an intent filter to specify that your activity is for editing contacts.

  6. Context: A context refers to the current environment in which an Android component is executing. It provides access to system services and resources, such as the application package manager, the location manager, or the telephony service.

  7. Libraries: Libraries are collections of reusable code that can be included in one or more applications. They can include Java classes, native code (C++), or XML resources. Libraries simplify development by providing common functionality and reducing redundancy.

Conclusion

Understanding the architecture of Android apps is crucial for developers to design, build, and maintain effective applications on this versatile platform. By mastering the different components discussed in this post (activities, services, content providers, broadcast receivers, intent filters, contexts, and libraries), you will be well-equipped to create engaging, efficient, and adaptable Android apps.

Published July, 2016