SDK is a three-letter acronym that you should know if you are involved in mobile marketing. SDK is an important term to know in the world of software developers. Since it’s a field of software engineers, the term has several technical intricacies. This blog post is a great place to start if you’re looking for a place to learn about SDKs.
What is a Software Development Kit (SDK)?
A software development kit (SDK) is a collection of tools and shared code libraries that enable software developers to create applications within an existing framework.
SDKs are the building blocks of applications and provide the tools needed to create and distribute them on different platforms. The purpose of SDKs is to facilitate integration between applications. SDKs usually contain the application program interfaces and other tools required for integration into existing systems, as well as all the documentation needed to create programs with these interfaces.
SDKs can contain several components, depending on the application to be created. Libraries, application programming interfaces (APIs) and integrated development environments (IDEs) are common in certain SDKs. Test tools and compilers are also included in many SDKs. A good SDK should be stable and secure, user-friendly, error-free, functional, documented, quick to integrate, and scalable. It should consume as little energy as possible.
Benefits of Using a Software Development Kit
Different types of SDKs can be used for a variety of programming languages and mobile applications. By bringing together the required tools in one place, SDKs simplify standard processes and extend the functionality of applications.
Below are the main benefits of using SDKs:
- Time savings. With SDKs, developers can easily and quickly create the standard components of their applications and add functionality to them. SDKs are usually all-in-one products and don’t need to be integrated with other components, which can slow down the development process.
- Easier integration. Developers use SDKs for simple functions such as login, location services and mobile payments. However, some SDKs help developers create more complex app features such as augmented reality and virtual reality, and add new features. SDKs reduce the complexity of integrations by simplifying standard processes, such as creating authorization signatures and interpreting SMS messages in native languages or platforms.
- Documentation and code libraries. SDKs contain documentation, tutorials, APIs, code examples, libraries and processes. They also provide instructions that developers can use and integrate into their applications. Developers use SDKs to create and maintain applications without having to write everything from scratch.
- Enhanced functionality. SDKs allow developers to enhance their apps with more features such as push notifications and ads. SDKs also help developers create new tools and simplify the process because everything is already predefined. For example, if a developer wants to share images or text from an app directly to Facebook, they could search for Facebook’s Android SDK to find the required code that is suitable for an Android device. This speeds up deployment as the developer doesn’t have to rewrite the code from scratch.
- Brand credibility. Apps that are supported by an SDK toolkit gain exposure as they can be published in app stores where customers search for and purchase apps. These apps are less prone to unexpected crashes and are easier to integrate with third-party developers, earning them better app store ratings and increasing your brand credibility.
- Cost savings. Due to their shorter development cycles, apps built with SDKs can offer significant cost savings. In addition, SDK integrations don’t require specialized technical knowledge, so companies can do the integrations in-house instead of hiring outside professionals.
- Customization. SDKs are available for a variety of use cases and offer the ability to develop apps with personalized user experiences.
SDK vs. API: What are the differences?
A software development kit provides a toolkit for creating an app, which often also contains APIs. An API is a type of interface through which different applications or software can interact with each other. In short, the API helps different applications to communicate with each other.
While the SDK has the function of providing programs and tools for creating a completely new app, the API has only one function: to enable communication between apps. So while an SDK can contain APIs, an API does not contain SDKs. An API is a specific tool, while an SDK is the entire toolkit.
The application programming interface (API) provides functions within an SDK. They are often included in SDKs and are used together. An example of this is Facebook, which uses API for internal communication and communication with third-party application providers and SDKs for the creation of these applications.
The SDK helps provide the building blocks for creating integrated applications, such as those that allow users to subscribe to media and register for external websites. The API provides the communication tools between Facebook and these third-party applications. Both are important and useful development tools.
Conclusion
Overall, an SDK is a helpful toolkit for developers. It provides a complete set of standardized functionalities that allow developers to focus on creating a high-quality app rather than starting from scratch. BKPlus Software and other leading in-app communications platforms offer SDKs for various platforms, helping businesses to quickly launch new capabilities without hurdles.
BKPlus Software is a Vietnamese website design, software development, and IT outsourcing company. Our team specializes in providing high-quality ReactJS, VueJS, Python, Golang, e-commerce, Node, Flutter, and mobile app development services. Contact us to discuss how we can help leverage your technology for business growth.
