A Guide to Choosing the Best Android App Architecture

Just like all software, Android applications should adhere to widely-accepted architectural principles and patterns. Without a solid architecture, Android apps can quickly become difficult to maintain, as their Activities and Fragments may lack a coherent design or a consistent set of behaviors. This is why it’s crucial to have skilled Android developers who can effectively implement these architectural patterns.

Considering the importance of good architecture, how should you select the right approach for your project? In most situations, I recommend beginning with Google’s standard architecture for Android apps as a foundation. As the app’s complexity increases, additional concepts can be incorporated. So, what does Google suggest as a starting point for an Android app? It’s quite straightforward, with a few key guidelines to follow:

1. Embrace a reactive approach
2. Utilize ViewModels with LiveData
3. Employ a repository for data fetching and caching

However, there’s more to consider. For instance, I believe incorporating Dependency Injection is essential, and there are several options available. In this article, we’ll explore the strengths and weaknesses of prevalent Android app architectures currently in use, aiming to help you determine the most suitable approach for your next Android application project.

What Makes Software Architecture Good?

Before focusing on Android, I’d like to talk about the effectiveness of different software architectures in general. Based on my experience, three things are necessary for a software architecture to be successful, regardless of the platform:

1. Simplicity
2. Maintainability
3. Flexibility

Let’s explore each point in more depth.