5 SDK Integration Tips You Need to Remember
Behind some of the world’s biggest software brand names, like Apple or Android, there are software development kits or SDKs to back them up. Platform-specific SDKs—comprising the wide range of tools, guides, and coding samples that they have—are a boon to developer teams. A good SDK that’s friendly to developers, compatible with previously introduced SDKs, and consistent with the functionality of the app or service being created is a valuable asset to everyone on board. below in this article, we will cover the 5 SDK Integration Tips You Need to Remember.
Before an SDK starts working its wonders, however, developers need to undergo the process of SDK integration,or adding the SDK’s library of tools into the web service or app in question. It is now considerably easier to test SDKs, as well as composite parts like individual RESTfulAPIs, through hosted platforms like the Stoplight Open API Specification Toolkit. But no matter how user-friendly or well-tested the SDK seems, you will need to prepare carefully for its integration and watch out for how it will change the behavior of your app or service.
To make that process as seamless as possible, here are five tips that you can keep in mind!
1. Integrating a new SDK should fit into your business objectives.
Before you choose to integrate a new SDK into the system at all, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:
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- Is a whole new toolkit the best solution to improve your app or service?
- Will the SDK bring in enough value to compensate for the additional time, cost, and energy spent on assembling it?
If the answer to those questions is yes, then you can go forward with the integration. But if it’s an honest no, then there’s no harm in choosing another solution—for example, limiting your development efforts to that of a single API.
2. It’s not a 100% guarantee that the SDK will make the app or service better, and introducing multiple SDKs to the system may actually do more harm than good.
An SDK should be thought of as the most practical solution to advancing the system, and not necessarily as a silver bullet that will instantly improve everything. In fact, every time you introduce a new SDK, you still run a little risk of things not going your way. Corollary to this thought is the fact that SDKs aren’t something you should overload on in order to beef up your system. On the contrary, if you’ve introduced too many components via your new SDK, you risk problems like bloating, data leakage, or instability. The solution here is to choose your toolkits wisely, and to know the consequences of implementing them.
3. Every time you introduce a new SDK into the development process, make sure everybody knows and is equipped to respond to it.
The responsibility of the SDK integration doesn’t end with just one person on the app or service development team. Once something this noteworthy is introduced into your development process, everyone on board should be notified. Communicate and coordinate with all relevant persons, across product teams, so that everyone can adjust their workflows and respond to integration-related problems if they arise.
4. Be prepared to review and debug after you integrate your SDK.
As stated above, you shouldn’t expect everything in your system to work like magic after the installation of the SDK. Prepare in advance to deal with errors, such as by scheduling code reviews and debugging sessions after the integration.
5. Automate updates after the SDK is implemented.
Lastly, once all the components are in place, they will need regular updates to ensure that everything in the system is running smoothly. Manual updates may take up additional time, but luckily, you can decrease the burden on the development team by automating some of them.
If integrated properly, SDKs will allow developers to tap into many more features in order to improve the overall product experience. So if you want what Apple, Android, and other software giants have—a thriving virtual ecosystem boosted by excellent SDKs—then pay special mind to your own SDK integration practices.
Author:
I’m Jaylin: SEO Expert of Leelija Web Solutions. I am a content manager, and the author of elivestory.com and a full time blogger. Favourite things include my camera, travelling, caring my fitness, food and my fashion. Email id: [email protected]