RoboVM

RoboVM

RoboVM is a compiler and runtime for Java that allows developers to create native iOS apps using Java as the development language. It converts Java bytecode into native iOS machine code to allow high performance iOS apps.
ios java compiler native-app

RoboVM: Compile Java for Native iOS

Develop high-performance iOS apps with Java as the development language, using RoboVM compiler and runtime

What is RoboVM?

RoboVM is an ahead-of-time compiler and runtime for the Java language that allows developers to build fully native iOS apps using Java as the development language. RoboVM compiles Java bytecode directly into optimized ARM assembly code for iOS devices. This allows apps built with RoboVM to achieve native performance and full access to the iOS APIs while using a high-productivity language and ecosystem.

Some key features of RoboVM include:

  • Full access to all native iOS APIs - RoboVM apps can use any API available to Objective-C apps
  • Ahead-of-Time compilation - Java bytecode is precompiled into machine code for ultra high performance
  • Optimized ARM assembly output and a tuned garbage collector designed for mobile
  • Small runtime footprint suitable for even the most constrained iOS devices
  • Seamless Java and Objective-C interoperability
  • Support for existing Java tools and ecosystem including Maven, Eclipse, and more

RoboVM enables an entirely new segment of mobile developers to build high performance iOS apps without the need to learn the intricacies of Objective-C and provides a very efficient route for porting existing Java code to iOS. The level of Java integration allows building apps directly in Java without wrappers or bridges.

RoboVM Features

Features

  1. Ahead-of-time compiler that converts Java bytecode into native iOS machine code
  2. Allows creating native iOS apps using Java as the development language
  3. Supports Java 8 features
  4. Integrates with Xcode and iOS SDKs
  5. Can bind with existing Objective-C code and frameworks
  6. Open source with commercial support available

Pricing

  • Open Source
  • Commercial Support

Pros

Write iOS apps using a familiar Java language and tools

Leverage existing Java code and libraries

Good performance compared to interpreted languages

Active development community

Cons

Limited subset of Java class libraries supported

Tooling not as mature as native iOS development

Commercial support now provided by different company than original developers


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