Is Swift Ready For The Enterprise?
In this article, learn how developers have successfully implemented Swift in the enterprise – and how they’ve manged the challenges along the way! By Tim Mitra.
What Does the Future Hold for Swift in the Enterprise?
With each version of Xcode, working with Swift gets better, and you could argue that worst is behind us. For instance, Xcode 8 removed the pain of having to delete cached derived data from your build phases. Application Binary Interface compatibilty (or ABI for short), was pegged for Swift 4.0, which would mean Swift code would then be backwards-compatible. Recently, Apple announced that it will be pushed to a later date, but it seems the looming cloud of more breaking changes in Swift may have passed.
“[We’re looking forward to] ABI compatibility; we consume a commercial 3rd party Swift framework in binary form. This requires our Xcode, Swift version, and vendor framework to always be in lockstep.”
“Really love writing [Swift] because it feels smarter than Objective-C is in many ways. The yearly updating to the latest Swift version doesn’t hurt us much at all and we usually plan the migration right around when the GM of the new iOS comes out.”
IBM: “Swift is ready for the Enterprise”
Swift for iOS is great, but what about server-side components? IBM recognized the need for cross-platform Swift implementation quite some time ago and made it a reality. Last fall, IBM added its own open source Kitura web framework to the mix, so that enterprise developers can use one language between Linux and iOS.
The relative stability of Swift 3.0 and Xcode 8, along with support from Apple and IBM, means that enterprises now have the confidence to build new apps and augment existing code bases. According to IBM’s Mike Gilfix, over 70 per cent of enterprises plan to build mobile apps soon. PerfectlySoft Inc has also introduced their Swift server framework, Perfect. Check out our screencasts on Server Side Swift with Perfect: Getting Started. Vapor and Zewo are also popular Swift web frameworks to consider.
Apple has also demonstrated a continuing commitment to Swift: all Apple presentations since WWDC 2015 have been created with Swift. All of Apple’s developer tutorials are in Swift, and there’s even talk of updating the scores of code samples on the Apple Developer site. At raywenderlich.com, we have been writing our courseware in Swift since August of 2014 — and we continue to update with each new release of Swift.
Where To Go From Here?
Of the 20 participants who contributed stories of their experiences for this article, only a few were opposed to using Swift. For them, it was primarily issues with changes between Swift versions and buggy tools that formed their opinions about Swift.
However, the majority of contributors had adopted Swift early, so bringing Swift into their development teams was much easier, and they had many more success stories to share.
Some of the top tips for success with Swift are:
- Use third-party libraries only when necessary to avoid dependency issues.
- Stay mindful of language versions.
- Make use of Apple’s and IBM’s enterprise for smooth Swift integrations.
- Stick it out: when major updates such as ABI become part of Swift, the going will get a lot easier.
- Start small: consider implementing Swift in small ways, such as for your unit tests.
I’d like to thank the many developers who contributed to this article with their honest Swift experiences. Many contributors asked to remain anonymous due to confidentiality reasons.
Some participants I can name, and thank publicly: Aaron Douglas, Rich Turton, Gemma Barlow, Anthony Uccello, Matt Klosterman, Mike Katz, WeyHan Ng, Andy Pereira, and Darryl Bayliss. The developers who gave their insights to this article work in many different capacities and industries; from software agencies, to financial industries, on teams that range from tens to hundreds of developers.
- If you are interested to read more on how Swift can work with the enterprise, check out this Linkedin article on how Duolingo and American Airlines managed their early Swift adoption.
- Check out some in-depth info on security in Apple’s iOS Security Guide
- Find our more about the Apple Enterprise for developers programs.
Share your thoughts on Swift adoption in large, enterprise-based teams below. What kind of experiences have you had with Swift in your organization?