Introduction to Swift Programming Language
Today we will discuss about the Swift programming language. Through this article you will learn about some basic concept of Swift programming language like its meaning, features, history, applications and why should learn it. So let's get started
What is Swift Programming Language?
Swift is a powerful and safe programming language which was designed and developed by Apple Inc. as a replacement of Objective C programming language. Swift programming language is one of the fastest growing programming language as compared to other programming languages.
Swift programming language is a multi purpose or general purpose programming language and it supports different programming styles like imperative, functional, etc. Swift Programming Language also supports the features of of object oriented programming approach.
It supports all the concepts like class, inheritance, abstraction, encapsulation, and polymorphism, etc. Swift programming language is a compiled programming language and it has the great supportive and active open source community. Swift programming language is a block structured and fastest programming language. Runtime library of Objective C is used by Swift programming language.
Swift is a fast programming language which work with Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks of Apple. Swift programming language is mainly developed for applications of Apple like macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS, etc.
History of Swift programming language
You might curious about who devloped swift and why it was developed. Don't worry we have answers to your queries and curiosities. There are various interesting facts related to the history of Swift programming language.
So let's discuss them in detail. Swift programming language was designed in 2010 with a purpose to overcome the difficulties of Objective C programming language. Swift programming language was officially introduced in WWDC 2014, the first version of Swift programming language was Swift which was released in in 9th July, 2014.
Chris Lattner is the father of Swift programming language. Chris designed and developed Swift programming language at Apple Inc. with the help and support of an open source community. The concept of Swift programming language is taken from several other programming languages like C#, Objective C, Python, Ruby, Rust, and many more languages.
Swift was originally developed for Apple's operating system like macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS, etc. but now it also supports windows and Android operating systems. And the latest version of Swift programming language is Swift 5.4 which has been released on 26 April 2021.
Features of Swift programming language
There are various features of Swift programming language which makes it the most demanded and one of the fastest growing programming language. So let's discuss the main features of Swift programming language in detail.
1. Object oriented programming
Swift programming language is multi paradigm which means it supports different programming styles like functional, imperative, etc. Swift Programming Language also supports object oriented approach. It follows all the concept of object oriented programming approach like class, inheritance, abstraction, encapsulation, and polymorphism, etc. The features of object oriented programming makes maintenance easier.
2. General purpose programming language
Swift programming language is a multi purpose or general purpose programming language which means that programmers can use swift programming language in developing different applications and programs. The famous applications which are developed by using swift programming language are Facebook, Wikipedia, Uber, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Slack, Accenture, Lyft and SlideShare, etc.
3. An open source community
Swift programming language is developed by Apple Inc. with the help of an open source community. Swift programming language have an active and supportive community which is working constantly on the development of Swift programming language.
4. Platform independent programming
Swift is a cross platform or platform independent programming language. It was mainly developed for Apple's operating system like macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS, etc. But now programmers can also use swift in other operating systems like Windows, Android, Linux, etc.
5. Expressive
Swift programming language is a very expressive programming language. The codes written in Swift programming language are very simple and easy to use. Swift is a modern programming language which offers various features to the programmers and it is constantly evolving.
6. Fast
The special feature that swift programming language offers is fast performance. Swift is designed mainly as a replacement of C with programming languages, the codes written in Swift programming languages are fast in comparison to other programming languages like C, C#, Objective C, etc.
7. Safe
Swift programming language is a powerful and safe programming language. Swift programming language offers more security as compared to many other programming languages. The pattern of Swift programming languages safe and easy to use.
8. Interactive playground
Swift programming language provide the feature of interactive playgrounds which is very helpful for professional developers. Swift's playgrounds provide various facilities to programmers like to test new graphics for write and algorithm, etc. With the help of playgrounds, developers can test code and see results without an entire application.
Some additional features of Swift programming language
• Swift programming language provide the feature of functional programming pattern.
• Swift Programming Language also provide inbuilt powerful error handling.
• Generics also available in Swift programming language.
• Swift Programming Language also have multiple return value and Tuples.
• Structs are also available in Swift programming language that supports protocols, methods and extensions.
• Swift Programming Language also has advanced control flow.
• Swift programming language works with Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks of Apple.
Applications of Swift programming language
Swift is a simple, powerful and one of the fastest growing programming language. Swift programming language is a multi purpose general purpose programming language which means it can be used by programmers in developing different types of applications and programs.
Swift programming language is developed and designed as a replacement for Objective C programming language. Swift programming language is mainly used by the programmers for developing programs and applications for Apple's operating system like macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS, etc. But now programmers can also develop programs and applications by using Swift programming language for other operating systems like Windows, Android, Linux, etc.
There are various famous applications which are developed by using swift programming language. Some of these applications are WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Uber, Facebook, Slack, Lyft, WordPress, Accenture, SlideShare, Wikipedia, etc.
Why should learn Swift programming language or what are the advantages of Swift programming language?
You all must be wondering why should you learn Swift programming language or what are the advantages of learning Swift programming language. So, here is the answer. Swift programming language is most popular and powerful programming language which provides a lot of features. So let's discuss the main advantages of learning Swift programming language in detail.
• Swift is one of the fastest growing programming language.
• Swift is an open source programming language.
• Swift programming language provide more security in comparison to other programming languages.
• Swift programming language was developed to lessen the difficulties of Objective C.
• The execution of course written in Swift programming language is very fast.
• Swift programming language is ranked in top 5 programming languages across the world.
• The codes written in Swift programming language are easy to read and understand.
• Swift programming language is a modern and easy to learn programming language.
• The maintenance of codes written in Swift programming language is easy and simple.
• Swift is a platform independent or cross platform programming language.
• Swift programming language has automatic memory management.
Conclusion
Above we have discussed about Swift programming language. Through this article you have learnt about some basic concept of Swift programming language like its meaning, features, history, applications and why should we learn it. Swift is a fastest growing and most demanded programming language which is designed and developed at Apple Inc.
It was basically developed to overcome the limitations and difficulties of Objective C programming language. Swift is a multi purpose or general purpose programming language which means it can be used by programmers in developing different types of applications and programs. And it has simple and easy to use codes. I hope this information will be helpful to you all.