Answering this question kinda depends on what kind of app you want to build. For most use cases, I would recommend building a web app over a native app. Think about it - there's almost no reason to build a native app these days. Building a mobile app is more difficult than building a web app, and requires more to get started initially. There's much more documentation and support for writing web apps. Web browsers work across platforms, and the tooling around them is better in general. However, if you still want to build a mobile app, I would recommend using a framework like Expo. The best way to get into it is the official documentation. It will get you started with a good app pretty fast: https://docs.expo.dev/tutorial/introduction/ As you need more functionality, I recommend looking at their official repo of example projects: https://github.com/expo/examples Answer from grlla on reddit.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnprogramming › how do i build an app from scratch?
r/learnprogramming on Reddit: How do I build an app from scratch?
April 8, 2024 -
Hello folks!
I'm thinking about building an app for my personal use and perhaps even share with a larger user-base, if it's come out decent and presentable. There are tons of tutorials online, but I'm having a hard time deciding which one to follow. I would also need some guidance on the IDE to use to start designing the UI/GUI and how to do the backend programming.
I have decent programming skills (SQL, SAS), though perhaps not in languages that might be relevant for this job - please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Couple of caveats:
This app will be an Android app to start, but eventually I might want to have a web/desktop version as well.
I am somewhat familiar with web programming languages such as HTML, CSS and Javascript. Not sure if that helps, but I wanted to provide this information.
For context, I am a Data Analyst working remotely and have a lot of free time on my hands after work, which I would like to start using productively. Which brings me to my final question. Realistically, I can dedicate between 10-15 hours a week to this and with that, how long would it take me to build a moderately complex app?
Thank you in advance for your help!
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Answering this question kinda depends on what kind of app you want to build. For most use cases, I would recommend building a web app over a native app. Think about it - there's almost no reason to build a native app these days. Building a mobile app is more difficult than building a web app, and requires more to get started initially. There's much more documentation and support for writing web apps. Web browsers work across platforms, and the tooling around them is better in general. However, if you still want to build a mobile app, I would recommend using a framework like Expo. The best way to get into it is the official documentation. It will get you started with a good app pretty fast: https://docs.expo.dev/tutorial/introduction/ As you need more functionality, I recommend looking at their official repo of example projects: https://github.com/expo/examples
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For native android development, you’ll want kotlin or java. For native iOS deployment, you’ll want Swift. You can develop and publish android from pc or Mac, but iOS requires a Mac to publish. There are cross-platform languages (flutter), but even with those, you still need a Mac to sign and upload your app for iOS apps. The benefits of a crossplatform language is the idea of ‘code once for multiple deployment’ but native languages gets access to some libraries that may not be accessible through non-native languages. I’m working on an app idea and am using both swift and Java (swift was a hobby language, Java is what I learned in college) to cover both mobile platforms. I found the most difficult part of this project is the UI/UX, not because of the languages, but because I have zero artistic abilities. Designing layout with appealing color coordination and icon/asset art is definitely not my strong suit. Edit: Spelling/Grammar
Android Developers
developer.android.com › codelabs › basic-android-kotlin-compose-first-app
Create your first Android app | Android Developers
The Empty Activity template is the template to create a simple project that you can use to build a Compose app. It has a single screen and displays the text "Hello Android!". Click Next. The New Project dialog opens. This has some fields to configure your project. ... The Name field is used to enter the name of your project, for this codelab type "Greeting Card".
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How to Code an App for Beginners: A Complete 7-Step Guide
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Buildfire
buildfire.com › home › how to make an app: full guide for 2025
How to Make an App: Full Guide For 2025 — Buildfire
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Buildfire
buildfire.com › home › getting started: coding an app
Getting Started: Coding an App | BuildFire
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Aloa
aloa.co › blog › how-to-create-an-app-a-step-by-step-guide-for-beginners
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CodeWithChris
codewithchris.com › how-to-make-iphone-apps-with-no-programming-experience
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March 25, 2024 - Buy an app template and customize it (or pay someone to): With this option, you’re buying pre-packaged code that contains the core functionality that you’ll need (if you can find a template close to your app idea). These templates are usually a one time fee and then you can either hire a freelancer to customize it or learn some programming and customize it yourself (Use my guide on how to code an app for beginners!).
Upwork
upwork.com › resources › articles › {name}
How To Create an App in 12 Easy Steps (2025 Guide) - Upwork
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Quixy
quixy.com › blog › how-to-build-an-app
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Budibase
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Google AppSheet
about.appsheet.com › how-to-create-an-app
How to create an app | Google AppSheet
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Builder.ai
builder.ai › home › blog › app
How to Create an App from Scratch (2024): 14 Steps to Success
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Mobiloud
mobiloud.com › blog › how to create an app: a comprehensive guide for non-technical users
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JetLearn
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Shoutem
shoutem.com › blog › how-to-create-an-app
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August 9, 2023 - Introducing your ideal resource for how to create an app. We’ll show you how to make an app for Android & iOS, from start to finish, without coding.
Code.org
code.org › en-US › tools › app-lab
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iubenda
iubenda.com › en › help › 126803-how-to-create-an-app-for-free-and-make-money
How to Create an App for Free and Make Money - iubenda help
Appy Pie: Appy Pie is a no-code app development platform that allows users to create mobile apps without any coding skills. It offers a drag-and-drop app builder that makes it easy to build an app.