iOS Composable Architecture: Our learnings so far

The Composable Architecture (TCA) enables developers to assemble smaller, independent components to create applications. We recently chose this method to develop an app because it enabled our teams to work on many components of an application concurrently while still making sure that they function properly when integrated. While this technology is still in its infancy, we found a number of tangible and intangible benefits as well as shortcomings of TCA.

Advantages of TCA

Reusability: Composable design gets you thinking about modularity. It helped us draw boundaries and create a strategy for reusing tailored components in various applications. This significantly lessens the amount of duplicated code in an app.

Scalability: Composable architecture makes it simpler to scale systems. To handle increased functionality, new components can be introduced as needed without requiring changes to the old ones. This lowers the possibility of introducing problems or breaking existing functionality while also making it simpler to maintain an application update as it expands.

Maintainability: Applications may be simpler to maintain thanks to composeable architecture. Components can be updated or changed without affecting the rest of the application because they are independent. This lowers the possibility of introducing new bugs when making changes and makes it simpler to fix bugs and add new features.

Flexibility: When it comes to modifying the design of an application, the composable architecture approach also provides better flexibility. If a certain element is no longer required, it can be taken out without having an impact on the rest of the application. On the other hand, new parts can be added as needed to support new functionality.

Helpful to learn SwiftUI: If a developer is new to SwiftUI, composable architecture can be a useful tool to guide you through the process. Because it is opinionated, developers can avoid common pitfalls and become familiar with SwiftUI within a structured environment.

Increased test coverage: Our developers have found writing more thorough tests with composable architecture easy. The nature of the opinionated architecture makes developers accountable for covering all the relevant tests while providing an excellent framework to manage dependencies easily. Composable architecture makes it easier for developers to write tests.

Comprehensive documentation: The people who created composable architecture did a fantastic job building good documentation into the system, making it much easier for developers to adopt. A lot of effort has been put into maintaining the code base, samples, migration guides, and other tools. The community also contributes to the documentation available. Some of our developers have found this podcast particularly helpful because it provides information on the motivation and goals behind the changes, keeping everyone updated with how the product is evolving.

Increased learning opportunities: Composable architecture is a pleasant environment to work in. Spending time on the system and maintaining it gave us the opportunity to learn new skills such as Swift concurrency. Throwing yourself into a new type of architecture can be a great way to push yourself and your team to learn faster.

Collaboration: Lastly, composable architecture helped us enhance our team member collaboration. The development process was sped up by allowing different developers to work simultaneously on various components. Due to the independence of each component, this can also help to lower the possibility of merge conflicts when the components are combined.

Shortcomings of TCA

More overhead when onboarding developers: Onboarding new developers to composable architecture will require them to go through a learning curve. We found that supplying them with suitable material and giving them a sprint to onboard will set them up for success.

Changing requirements:The Composable Architecture was launched around three years ago and problem areas have been replaced with built-in solutions. One of the significant changes was the library-level use of Combine being replaced with a friendlier set of async-await APIs. The Reducer Protocol feature was also launched, which introduced a more modern interface for building features in the Composable Architecture. The system is still evolving, which means we needed to prepare the team for changes that need to be implemented and maintained throughout the project.

Performance: Composable design also has the potential to be detrimental to performance. Components can slow down an application or use a lot of resources if they are not properly designed and implemented.

Interoperability: Composable architecture also necessitates that components be created in a way that allows for smooth collaboration. This can be difficult, especially if various teams or vendors built the components. In these situations, it may be challenging to assure that components will interact as intended and to address any potential problems.

Integration: Using a composable architecture style can make integrating components difficult. It is essential to connect components in a way that makes them function together flawlessly, and any interdependencies must be properly controlled. Incorrect integration could result in components not performing as intended or even in the application failing.

Composable architecture is a potent method for creating software that has several advantages, such as reusability, scalability, maintainability, flexibility, and enhanced teamwork. It does have certain disadvantages, though, such as increased complexity, potential performance issues, interoperability problems, and integration issues. Weighing the possible benefits of a composable architecture approach is crucial.

Need help deciding on the approach for your custom app development in Vancouver? Then contact Atimi today.