The question is very basic, but it’s very important for me. Please suggest me a solution. I have some mobile app template in HTML/ jQuery. I want to create Android app using the template. What will be the best choice for the back-end language. Database is MySQL. I have 10 years of experience in PHP. But I found PHP is used mainly for web, it is not suitable for Android app. So, please suggest what language should I learn and which IDE should I use. And finally is there anyway I can use PHP for developing Android App?
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Answers
It depends on you but i will suggest you if you want to expend your skills in applications development try to learn ReactNative
Node.js might be an alternative for the back-end, because it’s still included with javascript and supports mysql
For both hybrid and native apps, you will probably need to develop an online API the app can use as a backend. That API will not run on the mobile device but on a webserver somewhere and can most definitely be built using PHP/MySQL.
For the app itself, if you want to be able to use your HTML/jQuery template, you’re pretty much limited to a web app or hybrid app. These render your UI in a browser context so they’re capable of loading and runnig jQuery code. You will probably have to learn about service workers to handle on-device caching so that your app stays functional when the device is offline.
For a native app, your best bet IMHO is to go with React Native. You cannot use your current HTML/jQuery template for that, since native components do not use HTML or Javascript (or CSS for that matter). But, in React Native you can rewrite the HTML part to use JSX components which are pretty similar. All the jQuery logic would have to be re-engineered "the React way" but will still be Javascript. The React Native compiler will take care of converting that JSX/CSS/Javascript code to native Android components.