Swift, Apple’s official programming language, was released in 2014 and is used to create iOS apps. It was created as a substitute for Objective-C, which didn’t meet today’s needs. Swift is a new programming language that combines the best of C and Objective-C to give iOS app developers a way to create lightning-fast programs. With the advent of the Swift programming language, Apple has attempted to address any issues that developers had previously encountered. Swift has captivated developers since its release, and it has quickly established itself as the language of choice for iOS app development. Swift is poised to become the world’s leading programming language, backed by one of the world’s largest IT companies and a large and active community.

If you want to create native iOS apps, you’ll need to learn Swift. There are several compelling reasons to learn Swift. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got.

1. Simple to Read and Understand

Swift is a pretty simple language to pick up. It’s only difficult if you haven’t worked with any other programming language before. That is true of any programming language, not just Swift. It can be intimidating to learn a programming language for the first time. However, if you can grasp the fundamental concepts, the job will be rather simple. Yes, it is large and intricate, but not to the point of being impossible to comprehend.

Swift features a straightforward, clear, and compact syntax that makes APIs easier to comprehend and maintain, and it’s therefore simple to pick up even if you’ve never coded before. When coding, you don’t need to use semicolons to terminate lines or parenthesis to wrap conditional expressions within if/else statements. Modules reduce headers and offer namespaces, while inferred types make the code clearer and less error-prone.

Swift codes are very similar to English, making it simple for newcomers to grasp and for engineers to spot bad code. Swift was created to be anyone’s first programming language, according to Apple.

2. Simple to Care For

To create an executable app in C and Objective-C, developers had to maintain two different code files: a header file (.h) and an implementation file (.m). Swift does away with the requirement for two files. It merges the two files into a single one (.swift). To do incremental builds automatically and enhance code efficiency, the LLVM compiler and XCode can quickly discover dependencies inside the code or check for code mistakes. Because Swift does away with the concept of boilerplate code, programmers have more time to focus on app logic and code quality. Additionally, statistically-typed languages like Swift have a low rate of error, making the program easier to manage as it develops in size and complexity.

3. Swift is a safe option

Swift is not only quick and efficient, but it is also a very safe language that protects you from programming errors and promotes readability. It eliminates the entire category of hazardous code. Variables are always initialized before use, arrays and integers are checked for overflow, and memory is managed automatically to ensure that the code remains error-free. iOS developers are also encouraged to write clean and consistent code because of its simple syntax and improved error-handling features.

Swift objects can never be zero, which adds to their safety features. When you try to construct or use a nil object, the compiler will report a compile-time error. This allows you to develop cleaner, safer code, as well as avoid a large number of runtime crashes in your software. When it finds a nil optional variable, the runtime crash will come to a halt directly on the line of code. This enables programmers to address the issues as soon as possible.

Swift contains a feature called Optionals that can be used when nil is valid. Although an optional can contain nil, Swift’s grammar forces you to handle it securely by using the “?” syntax, which tells the compiler that you understand the behavior.

4. Memory use optimization

Swift handles memory management at compile time through Automatic Reference Counting (ARC). The number of references, pointers, or handles to a resource, such as an object, a block of memory, or disk space, is stored using reference counting. Reference counts can be utilized in garbage collection algorithms to deallocate items that are no longer needed.

ARC tracks and regulates your app’s memory usage in real-time in Swift to ensure that it does not consume too much memory. This frees up developers’ time to concentrate on app logic and new features rather than worrying about memory management. ARC maintains information about the type of instance and the values of its stored properties every time a new instance of a class is generated. Every instance has a reference count property that maintains track of all the attributes, constants, and variables that have a strong reference to it. A strong reference is a pointer that adds one to the number of references to the instance of the class it is pointing to. The object is deallocated when it reaches zero. ARC will know when to hold the class instances in memory and when to release them in this manner.

5. Swift is quick.

Swift was created with speed in mind. During its launch, Apple stated that the key motivation for its development was to improve the speed with which program logic could be executed.

Swift is quick and effective. Its concise syntax enables developers to create apps more quickly. According to the Apple website, Swift programs are 2.6 times faster than Objective-C and 8.4 times faster than Python 2.7, and future iterations are likely to improve even more.

It also produces faster code for debugging and release builds. Another factor contributing to its improved speed is the usage of a single code file rather than two (already discussed above).

6. Objective-C interoperability

The capacity of one programming language to communicate with another is referred to as interoperability. If you’ve been developing iOS apps in Objective-C and wish to move to Swift or vice versa to add new features and functions, you may do so with ease. Swift code may coexist with existing Objective-C files in the same project, and it has full access to the Objective-C API, making it simple to learn.

7. Swift programmers are in high demand.

The app market is expanding, and with so many app development companies around, Swift developers are in high demand. Once you’ve honed your skills and developed your personality traits to become an iOS app developer (Swift), you’ll never be out of work and will earn a good living.

Bottom Line: The Swift development community is constantly trying to improve the language. It has had a tremendous rate of acceptance among developers since its introduction to the market. And as time goes on, more and more people are joining this community. So, if you’ve been considering learning Swift, now is the moment. If you devote an hour to Swift every day, it will take you a few months to have a basic comprehension of the language (assuming you have no prior programming expertise). You will learn more and improve your skills with time and practice.