What Is Cross-Platform? 3 Benefits and Representative Frameworks and Types

As mobile and computer technology evolves rapidly, application development is becoming increasingly diverse and complex. As a result, developers need to build applications that work across various platforms (e.g., iOS, Android, Windows), which has become a major challenge. This is where the concept of "cross-platform" comes in as a useful solution. This article explains what cross-platform is, its advantages, disadvantages, and types, and introduces some representative tools.

1. What Is Cross-Platform?

"Cross-platform" is a term for a method of building an app with a single specification that can run on different operating system (OS) platforms. Instead of developing a separate application version for each platform, this approach lets a single codebase power an app across multiple application platforms. In short, by writing one piece of code, developers can create applications that run on different OSes and devices, saving significant time and effort.

That's why cross-platform is used by so many developers today. It's also important to choose the right cross-platform framework. So when developers consider cross-platform development, they need to be well versed in the characteristics of each framework in order to choose the one that best fits their project requirements.

2. What Are the 3 Benefits of Cross-Platform?

2.1. One Build Adapts to Multiple Environments

Using tools such as React Native or Flutter, teams can share much of the development process. Specifically, elements such as basic database access, communication-related code, and data handling can all be managed in a shared codebase, letting developers save effort and time when building apps for different platforms.

2.2. Lower Development Effort and Cost

Using React Native or Flutter allows the source code to be shared across platforms. As a result, when bugs or issues arise after a mobile app is released, fixing a single codebase can often resolve the problem for all platforms. This significantly reduces the amount of bug-fixing work compared with native development languages such as Swift or Kotlin.

Likewise, improving existing features or adding new ones takes less effort compared with native development languages. This makes cross-platform development an excellent option for building and maintaining applications quickly and efficiently.

2.3. Easier to Secure Developers

In the past, companies needed to secure specialized engineers for each operating system and native development language, requiring time and resources to master those technologies. However, adopting cross-platform tools such as React Native or Flutter allows most of the source code to be built in a single language, making it easier to secure engineers.

This shift has increased the value of cross-platform development as a way to use engineering resources more effectively and streamline the application development process.

3. What Are the Drawbacks of Cross-Platform?

3.1. OS-specific Bugs Can Still Require Attention

As mentioned earlier, the biggest benefit of cross-platform is being able to develop applications for multiple devices and platforms from a single development environment. However, OS-related issues and errors can still occur, and resolving them may require knowledge of the specific development language suited to each operating system.

3.2. Slower Support for New OS Versions

When an OS such as iOS or Android is updated, older specifications the app relied on may no longer be supported by the latest OS. This means that whenever iOS or Android is updated, developers must make sure their app still works properly on the new OS. Supporting the latest OS is therefore an essential part of app development.

As a new OS update approaches, developers need to assess how much their app will be affected and plan an appropriate response. In cross-platform development, however, supporting the latest OS depends on the cross-platform provider itself adding support for that OS. Some cross-platform frameworks add support right after an OS release, while others lag behind, so this is something to keep in mind when planning for new OS versions.

3.3. Identifying and Resolving Errors Can Be Unclear

Cross-platform development also has the drawback that identifying and resolving errors can sometimes be unclear. Because each operating system has slightly different behavior and specifications, an inaccurate diagnosis can increase the time needed to fix the error and may even affect other operating systems within the same system.

As a result, resolving an OS-specific error may require an engineer familiar with that particular OS. In some cases, fixing the shared code may solve the problem, but in other cases an engineer with knowledge of that specific OS needs to step in to address an OS-specific issue. Managing an application across multiple platforms can also become more complicated.

4. Types of Cross-Platform

4.1. Native Type

Native-type cross-platform development takes advantage of the rendering engine built into the OS platform itself. This type lets developers work almost as if they were directly manipulating the OS's native UI, which makes it easy to work with. It's also characterized by faster processing compared with other cross-platform types.

Native-type cross-platform development is especially suited to applications that need fast, native-level performance, such as game apps that work offline or healthcare apps. Choosing this approach makes it possible to deliver a consistent user experience across different platforms.

4.2. Hybrid Type

One type of hybrid cross-platform approach is WebView. WebView is a software component that runs on a mobile OS and displays web pages inside the app much like a browser would. This makes it possible to embed web content inside a smartphone app, and this approach is generally called the hybrid type.

Because software using WebView runs on the OS and displays web pages, it's easy to build apps using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. However, the WebView approach also has some limitations. Since some functionality depends on the web, processing speed can be slower than a native app, and it can be difficult to fully implement advanced features the way a native app can.

4.3. Custom Renderer Type

The custom-renderer approach uses its own system to draw the screen instead of relying on the OS. This method achieves cross-platform support independent of the OS and is mainly suited to game development. Its benefit is that it can run regardless of the OS, which is very useful for delivering a consistent experience across different platforms. In game development especially, where advanced control and performance are required, a custom rendering engine plays an important role.

5. Representative Cross-Platform Frameworks

5.1. React Native

React Native is an open-source framework developed by Facebook (now Meta). It inherits the concept of "React," a framework for building web applications, and uses JavaScript. React Native internally calls native rendering APIs, which lets it deliver a user interface (UI) similar to a native app.

With React Native, engineers familiar with React or JavaScript can get started easily even without native development experience. This is because React Native offers a way to build cross-platform applications while leveraging web technologies. React Native is used by many major companies, including Meta's Instagram and Facebook and Microsoft's Skype, which is proof of its reliability and performance.

If you'd like to learn more about React Native, please see the following link: https://miichisoft.com/flutter-react-native-which-should-you-choose/

5.2. Flutter

Flutter is an open-source cross-platform framework developed by Google. It uses "Dart," a programming language also developed by Google, which was created in 2011 as a web development language addressing some of JavaScript's shortcomings. Dart can be used not only for web applications but also for server and desktop application development.

One feature of Flutter is its own UI rendering model. This makes it easy to create a common UI design that doesn't depend on the platform. Flutter also provides many built-in UI sets for Android and iOS, giving developers greater freedom in UI design. Flutter uses UI components called widgets, which are combined to build an application's interface, making it possible to deliver a consistent, high-quality user experience.

Flutter makes cross-platform development easier and lets developers build both Android and iOS applications from a single codebase, which is why it's supported by so many developers.

If you'd like to learn more about React Native, please see the following link: https://miichisoft.com/flutter-react-native-which-should-you-choose/

5.3. Xamarin

Xamarin is an open-source framework provided by Microsoft. It's a tool that leverages the .NET Framework environment to build a variety of applications independent of device or OS.

Xamarin lets developers write native API calls using **C#**, a programming language developed by Microsoft, making it relatively easy to implement functionality close to that of a native app.

Xamarin has been used in many projects, including Japan's NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen app, the COVID-19 contact-tracing app, and even Nintendo Switch Online. These projects were able to share applications across different platforms and develop them efficiently using Xamarin, making them good examples of its power and flexibility.

5.4. Unity

Unity is a platform dedicated to game development, provided by Unity Technologies. It mainly uses "C#" as its programming language, with most game-development work built around it. Originally developed for Mac, Unity now supports a wide range of platforms including Windows, iOS, and Android, and can also target game consoles such as the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.

One feature of Unity is that it offers a wide range of game-development functionality, including 3D graphics rendering and sound playback. It also provides an "Asset Store" where developers can purchase program components and assets created by other users when building their own 3D models or music, which improves development efficiency.

Unity is also well suited to building content that uses cutting-edge technologies such as VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality). Because of this, many popular games have adopted Unity, including Pokemon Go, Dragon Quest VIII, and Shironeko Project. Unity supports deployment across a wide range of platforms and helps deliver rich gaming experiences, making it a powerful tool for game developers and creators.

6. Summary

Cross-platform development is an effective way to deploy apps across different platforms while reducing development effort and cost. It's a very useful option when building applications that need to run in environments with different devices and operating systems. The right tool or approach should be chosen carefully based on the project's requirements and goals.

Miichisoft is a technology company founded in 2018 and is recognized as one of the leading pioneers in the field of cross-platform development. We have built a solid position in the international market, take pride in our highly skilled IT talent, and have successfully delivered numerous projects.

Thank you very much for your interest in cross-platform development. Miichisoft offers free consultations on cross-platform development, so please feel free to contact us with any questions or projects. Our team of experts will be happy to help you find the best solution. We look forward to hearing from you.