Elevate your iOS app development with Swift experts! Learn how to hire the best Swift developers to create fast, reliable, and modern mobile apps.
Swift, first released in 2014, was developed by the Apple Inc. open source community . Its purpose is to serve as a replacement for Apple's previous programming language, Objective-C, which – at the time of Swift's development – lacked modern language features. However, an important aspect of Swift's design is the ability to interoperate with existing Objective-C code previously developed for Apple products.
Swift employs modern programming concepts and offers a simpler syntax than Objective-C. Some additional features of Swift include closure support, string support, access control, options and chaining, value types, protocol-oriented programming, libraries, runtime and development, memory management, and debugging.
The Apple website states, “Swift is a fast and efficient language that provides real-time feedback and can be seamlessly incorporated into existing Objective-C code. So developers can write more secure and reliable code, save time, and create even richer app experiences.” Famous apps built with Swift include Lyft, Khan Academy, LinkedIn, Kickstarter, and Eventbrite.
But even for its benefits, Swift has some disadvantages. The most notable include poor interoperability with third-party tools and IDEs and lack of support for older versions of iOS. Additionally, some experts express concern that the language is limited to native libraries and tools and becomes unstable after each release.
Swift has been compared to several other languages, especially Python, because they are highly popular and simple to use, with a clear syntax reminiscent of the English language. Furthermore, both have a RELP environment, which helps with debugging. And both are multi-paradigm and include tools to facilitate learning. They are also different because Swift is more appropriate for developing software for the Apple ecosystem, while Python is mainly used for backend development.
In this article you will learn, among other things, how to hire a Swift developer .
Apple's technical expertise and design sensibility
One of the biggest challenges of working with a newer language is that the talent pool for it is still limited and significantly smaller than for other more established languages. However, that doesn't mean there aren't good Swift developers.
Those who are familiar with the language are typically good at spatial reasoning, which is essential for app development. A good Swift developer also appreciates Apple's design guidelines and is able to adhere to them.
The ability to think like the end user, along with knowledge of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX), are also essential. Good Swift developers are very familiar with design concepts in general and are capable of creating unique app designs.
Good Swift developers also know JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) and understand how data is exchanged. They also understand Core Data, which is essential for a smooth user experience.
How to choose a Swift developer
Swift developers must exhibit the skills mentioned above and also have the right interpersonal skills. They include the ability to work well in a team, the ability to clearly communicate your ideas to colleagues and clients, an innovative mindset, patience and dedication to the task at hand. Choose a developer who has these attributes and they will likely be a good addition to your team.
Interview Questions
The following questions are just a few that employers can use to assess the skill level of potential Swift developers.
What is iOS Swift?
Swift is a programming language developed by Apple that helps developers create mobile and desktop applications. The Swift language works with Cocoa Touch and Cocoa and supports many operating systems, including FreeBSD, Linux, and Darwin. It is compatible with the Objective-C library and the Cocoa framework.
What are some differences between Swift and Objective-C?
- Swift is object-oriented and functional, while Objective-C is a class-based, object-oriented programming language.
- Swift is open source, while Objective-C is not.
- Semicolons are required in Objective-C, but not in Swift.
- Swift supports Tuples, but Objective-C does not.
- Swift supports dynamic libraries, but Objective-C does not.
- Swift uses the “let” keyword to declare constant while Objective-C uses “int”. Furthermore, Swift uses the “var” keyword to declare a variable, while Objective-C uses “NSString”.
- Swift allows developers to define framework, class, or enumeration methods. Objective-C doesn't allow this.
What are the common execution states for a Swift iOS app?
- Not running – the application does not start or is completely shut down
- Inactive – the application is running in the background and is unable to receive events
- Active – the application is running and capable of receiving events
- Background – the application is running and is able to execute code in the background
- Suspended – the application is running in the background and cannot execute code
What is a tuple?
A tuple is an ordered list of elements, a group of values within a single composite value. You can access object data in a tuple by name or by position. A tuple can support values of both integer and string types.
Job description
We are looking for Swift developers to join our development team and participate in various projects. We are looking for team players who can be part of a passionate and motivated group. This position is an excellent opportunity for individuals to use their high-level skills and results-driven attitudes to deliver the best customer experiences.
Responsibilities
- Design and build apps for iOS and OS X
- Ensure application performance, quality, and responsiveness
- Collaborate with a team to define, design, and ship new features
- Identify and fix bottlenecks and fix bugs
- Help maintain code quality, organization, and automation
- (Add other relevant responsibilities here)
Skills and qualifications
- Proficient in Swift, with good knowledge of its ecosystems
- Solid understanding of object-oriented programming
- Experience with Cocoa APIs on OS X
- Good knowledge of limits and performance characteristics
- Knowledge of memory management and multithreading
- Experience with embedded databases and other system data stores
- Familiarity with RESTful APIs for connecting to backend services
- Good UI design sense and user-oriented focus
- Knowledge of low-level C-based libraries is a plus
- Implementation of automated testing platforms and unit tests
- Talent for benchmarking and optimization
- Understanding Apple design principles and interface guidelines
- Proficient understanding of code versioning tools, including Git, Mercurial, and SVN
- Familiarity with continuous integration
- (Mention any frameworks, libraries or any other technology relevant to your project)
- (List the level of education or certification you need)