Monday Quick Read: Why you still need to learn UIKit first
Why learning UIKit before SwiftUI is beneficial for iOS developers
Happy Monday!
Monday Quick Read is a series of short articles, where I share my personal experiences and thoughts on software development, particularly iOS.
In previous article, I talked about why ability to understand business logic can help you become better developer.
I started my iOS development journey the same year SwiftUI was released, so it was a no-brainer to learn UIKit first. Back then, the main question was - “Is SwiftUI production-ready?”
Today, I often see questions like: “Should I learn UIKit first or SwiftUI?” or “Should I learn UIKit at all?”
If I had to start from scratch again, I’d still choose to learn UIKit first. Here are my reasons for learning UIKit before SwiftUI:
More job opportunities
UIKit remains widely adopted across the industry, with many projects and apps still relying on it. This opens up a broader range of opportunities, especially in larger companies with existing codebases to maintain.
Fundamental knowledge
Learning UIKit provides a solid foundation in core iOS development principles and the Apple development ecosystem. Additionally, by learning UIKit, developers gain an understanding of concepts like view controllers, navigation, and lifecycle management, which can be transferred to SwiftUI.
Ability to adapt
I believe learning SwiftUI is much easier than learning UIKit. This means that a SwiftUI-only developer might face greater technical and knowledge challenges when transitioning to a UIKit codebase than the other way around.
Better integration with the iOS
While SwiftUI is becoming more mature over time, it still can’t compete with UIKit in terms of deep integration with Apple’s extensive API ecosystem. In most cases, UIKit remains better documented by Apple, making it easier to implement complex features effectively.
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Stay tuned for more in the upcoming issues. Until next time!
Artjoms
Your AI generated image is very cool (as is the text content 😄)