From Android to Quasar and Vue.js: What an 8-Year Kotlin Developer Learned
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Hello everyone! :) I’ve been developing native Android applications for a full 8 years. In the first 2 years of my career, I developed using Java, and afterwards, I switched to Kotlin.
The App of My Life
In 2021, I worked on a transformation project with ING Turkey where we wrote a banking mobile application from scratch. During this phase, we utilized the newest technologies in Android available at that time:
Hilt for Dependency Injection,
A robust MVVM with Stateflow and Two-way binding,
Clean Architecture divided into modules based on banking areas (accounts, money transfers, cards…) ensuring clean code,
A single activity with multiple fragments structure for better performance and easier navigation,
A meticulous code review process that wouldn’t pass PR without Mockito tests…
The project, which started with 3–4 Android developers, found its place in the app stores (Google Play Store) in 2023 with a well-trained, open to innovations, and experienced team of 20 Android developers. Productive, constructive code review comments enabled both the improvement of our code and our personal development.
I personally developed several components used throughout the project such as the account selection component, my accounts list; money transfers to IBANs, between my accounts, to mobile phones, account transactions (which gave me some of the most challenging days of my life, thank you very much), and the term account opening screens.
How I Got Bored of Android
After ING, despite embarking on a large-scale mobile wallet project with a good team of 4 people, it started to feel like I was just doing the same CRUD operations over and over. My soul, which loves to tackle challenges, felt restless and confined after the rock-solid application we wrote at ING, and I started to get bored on the Android side.
Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash
I began to think that I would not see a bigger project, and even if I did, it seemed unlikely that I would be on the team starting from scratch. Since I had a background in “.Net,” it made sense to work with Unity, which I loved; I developed a space shooter, but I encountered different kinds of challenges in Unity that I couldn’t just overcome by stepping out of my comfort zone. Those who know, know, I also got fed up with Unity’s own meltdowns. The rising star “Godot Engine” has not yet hit my radar.
Bring on the Next Challenge!
The moment I saw the “software team leadership” position at Lebib Yalk1n, my eyes lit up with the thought of facing a brand new challenge. The interviews went well. Native Android development and my body, a soldier of Kotlin and skeptical of cross-platform development libraries, met Quasar! At first, I felt like I was meeting aliens, but I quickly got used to it.
Quasar enriched me in terms of multi-platform support. Now, I can create both web applications and mobile applications with the same code, and I feel like a superhero! The fact that this technology is based on “Vue.js” is another story. This kid makes coding fun: working with an understandable syntax without neglecting performance. Thanks to the wide community of Vue.js, I can find solutions as if I were asking a friend during a coffee break.
Photo by Luca Upper on Unsplash
Quasar’s design elements and ready components, resembling Google Material Design elements, convinced me that I was swimming in familiar waters. Creating a visual feast is very easy, almost like crafting a work of art. Of course, there are some issues. For example, sometimes you might have a bit of trouble with certain platform features, but that’s just the nature of the job; every technology must have a little whimsy, darling!
In just a few weeks with Quasar, I even wrote an application. A classic application connecting to movie database APIs and listing films. In my next post, I will examine this technology in detail, including its technical aspects and similarities with Android.
In short, working with the Quasar Framework has really changed the game for me. I’m knocking out projects faster than ever, and actually having fun while I’m at it. Hey fellow native devs, don’t let your usual routines stop you from exploring new frameworks or libraries. If you haven’t tried Quasar yet, please, try itᅳit’s a game changer!
Frequently Asked Questions
▸What is Quasar developer experience like for a native Android developer?
The author says it felt like meeting aliens at first, but he adapted quickly. Quasar's Material Design components felt familiar to an Android dev, and the Vue.js syntax was clean and easy to pick up. Within weeks he shipped a working app.
▸Can you build a mobile app with Quasar?
Yes. Quasar lets you write one codebase and deploy it as a web app, Android app, or other platforms. The author, a former native Android developer, used it to build a mobile app and describes it as a game changer for cross-platform development.
▸Is Quasar good for Android development?
Quasar is a cross-platform framework, not a native Android tool, but it can target Android. The author notes some occasional friction with platform-specific features, but overall found it productive and enjoyable compared to native-only development.
▸What is Quasar Framework based on?
Quasar is built on Vue.js. The author highlights Vue's readable syntax, good performance, and large community as reasons the combination works well for developers coming from other backgrounds.
▸How does Quasar compare to native Android development?
Native Android requires platform-specific code, while Quasar lets you target multiple platforms from one codebase. The author found Quasar faster for shipping projects and more fun, though he acknowledges some platform-specific quirks can slow you down.
▸Is Vue.js good for cross-platform mobile apps?
Through Quasar, Vue.js can be used to build cross-platform apps including mobile. The author praises Vue's understandable syntax and strong community support, saying it makes coding enjoyable without sacrificing performance.
▸What technologies were used to build ING Turkey's banking app?
The ING Turkey banking app used Hilt for dependency injection, MVVM with StateFlow and two-way binding, Clean Architecture split into feature modules, a single-activity multi-fragment structure, and Mockito for unit testing. It launched on Google Play Store in 2023.
