Cordova: Tools for App Development
Now we will learn about the various tools which we will require for App development. We have to download 5 different tools:
- NodeJS
- Cordova CLI
- Apache Ant
- Android SDK
- Java JDK
NodeJS
NodeJS is a JavaScript runtime and is open source. We use NodeJS to execute backend code written in Javascript. It is made on Chrome V8 javascript engine. It is lightweight and very efficient.
NodeJS's package is npm. It is one of the largest ecosystem of open source libraries. We will use npm to download Cordova, JS libraries, various plugins, packages etc.
Cordova CLI
The command line interface of cordova is used to create, build, deploy and manage applications based on cordova. From creating project to building the executable file, we will use command line interface in this tutorial.
Apache Ant
It's main objective is to build a Java application. It is a JavaScript library which is also run using command line. Or you can say it is a build tool. Using Ant, we can create Ant build files with all the details about how to compile, assemble, test and run a particular Java applications.
Android SDK
It is a Software Development Kit(SDK) which includes all the necessary libraries required to build Android App. So if we wish to develop Android Apps, we need this.
Java JDK
It is Java Develoment Kit (JDK) which is used to develop Java Applications. Again very important.
As in this quick tutorial, we will be developing an Android Application using Cordova, hence, the above mentioned tools. In the next tutorial, we will learn how to setup all these tools on your computer/laptop.
