Have you ever found yourself curious about how apps function despite different components like UI, database, APIs, etc? It’s the magic of an app’s architecture that combines everything and defines a seamless user flow. The architecture sets the rules for the connection between components and the app.
In a simple definition, a mobile app architecture is a combination of model/design and techniques used to build a mobile application ecosystem. It functions as the blueprint for a mobile application that will take shape according to the architecture.
It is a collection of UI/UX, data flow, tech stack, and everything that makes an app functional and useful. The architecture also defines the entry points for users and various components along with their interactions.
Importance of a Good Mobile Application Architecture
The significance of mobile app architecture cannot be underestimated and it’s crucial to the success of your app. The following points state all the importance of good architecture for your mobile application.
Speed and quality
The speed and quality of your mobile application strongly rely on the underlying architecture. Undoubtedly, architecture defines the way different components interact and behave to make the whole app functional.
Architecture is the backbone of an application that provides shape and structure. Users like apps that are smooth-functioning and intuitive, and they hate laggy and unresponsive apps. An efficient architecture yields a superior user experience by providing quick app response. So, pay attention to the architecture design and follow the best tips for mobile app development to create a winning application.
Compatibility
If you want a mobile application that is compatible with different devices and mobile platforms, choosing the right architecture is vital. Different architectures for mobile apps provide different levels of compatibility with diverse systems.
Compatibility refers to a mobile app’s ability to share and receive data from other systems or perform intended functions without restrictions to interfaces. With a solid architecture, you can build a system that can interact with other systems and provide the requisite compatibility.
Scalability and Adaptability
Imagine if you want to add new features to your application that you have built without a defined architectural pattern, how difficult and complex it would be. You won’t find a way to add new functionality to your app without denting the integrity of the app.
Hence, mobile application architecture is crucial to make your app scalable and adaptive to incorporate any new requirements easily. Plus, we can expect the number of smartphone mobile network subscriptions toexceed 7.7 billion by 2028; this proves that mobile app architecture has much to do. Well-defined mobile app architectures make it easy to integrate additional features and modify the app as per your requirements. In addition, as you grow, there is an increasing number of users and workload that your app can handle with no impact on performance and reliability. A scalable application is crucial for an ever-expanding user base.
The Key Elements in Mobile Application Architecture Designing
You need to create a robust architecture for your app that can stand the test of time. Creating it requires consideration of different factors as follows.
Determine the Device Requirements
In order to build a solid architecture for your mobile application, you should consider the device and hardware specifications you wish to target. It would require an understanding of the resolution, screen size, memory, CPU, storage, and other characteristics of the target devices, along with the development environment and tools. Since the application depends on the device features and hardware for its functioning, it’s crucial to get the details of the device it would run on.
Handle Network Fluctuations
Through the lifecycle of your mobile application, it will encounter cases when the internet connection will be weak or fully unavailable. Hence, your app should be ready to handle the worst network conditions. It is crucial to create an application architecture that is capable of dealing with any state of network connections.
User Interface
The importance of UI/UX cannot be overstated and it should be designed to keep users engaged with your application and provide a seamless experience. When it comes to creating an app architecture diagram, you should include the aspects of UI/UX to craft an app that resonates with your audience.
Push Notifications
When formulizing your mobile app information architecture, determine if your users require real-time updates or notifications. Although push notifications are attractive, they are also expensive and drain phone data and battery.
There are different stages of developing a mobile app covering various technologies and layers. Every stage of app development covers different aspects from the user interface design to backend logic.
The mobile application architecture is made up of different layers that stack together to form the whole app ecosystem. Dividing the architecture into layers offers numerous benefits including reusability, scalability, flexibility, and maintenance.
The Different Layers of Mobile App Development Architecture
The architecture of a mobile application has multiple layers that communicate with each other and pass on data to trigger various functionalities. The following are the common layers for most mobile apps.
Presentation Layer
The presentation layer sits on top of an app architecture stack and defines how an application will be presented to the end users. It’s a user interface and communication layer where the users interact with the application. It offers presentation services collecting and displaying user data to the end users. The presentation layer is formed from the UI/UX of a mobile application.
Simply put, this is the layer that handles user interactions and represents the face of a mobile application where users can find all kinds of GUI elements. Mobile app developers need to pick the right client type that aligns with the app architecture. The developers need to choose a suitable data format and use strong data validation methods.
Business Layer
This layer is related to the business logic for the application. It provides a set of rules and algorithms that manage the flow of data in the context of a business. Hence, the business layer defines how data will be generated, processed, stored, and used for a mobile application.
The primary function of this layer includes logging, data caching, security, data validation, and exception management. Depending on the operations of a mobile app, the business layer can exist on a device or on a server.
Data Layer
Mobile applications need a secure and efficient mechanism for data transactions. This responsibility is handled by the data layer which ensures the transfer and receipt of data seamlessly. This layer consists of various components like service agents, data access components, data utilities, etc, to enable data transactions within an app. When it comes to designing the data layer, the mobile app developer needs to consider the ease of modification as per the change in requirements and maintenance.
What are Real-world Mobile App Architecture Examples?
When it comes to mobile architecture design there are different patterns already existing for various platforms and operating systems. Your mobile app architecture can vary based on the type of users or platforms you wish to target.
For example, the architecture for Android vs iOS apps differs in many aspects. A typical Android application is composed of multiple app components like fragments, activities, content providers, and services. The app also requires a manifest file where all these components are declared.
On the other hand, iOS apps reside in the IPA container or the Bundle directory where all the app data is compressed and packed.
Let’s check out different modern app architectures.
Android Mobile App Architecture
Mobile apps that are specially developed for Android devices are native apps. Native apps are mobile apps developed specifically for a particular operating system like Android. There are a variety of manufacturers when it comes to Android devices. So, these apps have to meet different requirements and use Java and Kotlin languages. Thus, a single architecture will not work for Android mobile app development.
However, the most common Android architecture in enterprise mobile app development is the Clean architecture. The Clean architecture is based on layers and inversion of code principles. It is composed of presentation, business, and data layers. Each layer is independent and exchange data through interfaces.
Clean architecture offers benefits like:
- Easy testing and troubleshooting
- UI is separated
- Not dependent on external libraries, frameworks, and databases