rysasahrialWhen developing Android applications, using well-known and trusted libraries can significantly reduce development time, improve performance, and enhance code quality. Whether you’re building a small utility app or a complex mobile platform, these libraries can simplify common tasks such as networking, dependency injection, UI rendering, and database handling.
Here are the Top 10 libraries every Android developer should know in 2025:
1. Retrofit
Retrofit is a type-safe HTTP client developed by Square. It makes API calls cleaner and easier by using annotations and automatically parsing JSON responses into Java/Kotlin objects.
Use Case: API integration
Alternative: Volley
2. Glide
An efficient image loading and caching library for Android. Glide handles image loading from URLs, local resources, and even video thumbnails, all while managing memory efficiently.
Use Case: Displaying remote images
Alternative: Picasso
3. Room
Room is Google’s recommended SQLite abstraction. It provides a robust ORM layer that simplifies database access while maintaining compile-time verification and Kotlin coroutine support.
Use Case: Local data storage
Alternative: Realm
4. Dagger/Hilt
Dagger is a fully static dependency injection framework. Hilt is a wrapper built on top of Dagger to simplify DI setup in Android apps.
Use Case: Dependency Injection
Alternative: Koin (for Kotlin developers)
5. Coroutine + Flow
Although not a library per se, Kotlin Coroutines and Flow (from kotlinx.coroutines) are essential for asynchronous programming. Flow adds reactive capabilities similar to RxJava but with less boilerplate.
Use Case: Async tasks and reactive streams
Alternative: RxJava
6. Jetpack Navigation Component
A part of Android Jetpack, this library simplifies navigation within your app, including handling fragment transitions, deep linking, and back stack management.
Use Case: Navigation architecture
Alternative: Manual FragmentManager
7. WorkManager
WorkManager is a library used to schedule deferrable, asynchronous tasks that are expected to run even if the app exits or the device restarts.
Use Case: Background tasks (sync, backup)
Alternative: AlarmManager + JobScheduler
8. Lottie
Lottie by Airbnb renders animations created in Adobe After Effects and exported as JSON with Bodymovin. These animations are lightweight and scalable.
Use Case: High-quality vector animations
Alternative: Animated Vector Drawables
9. Timber
Timber is an extensible logger for Android. It enhances Android’s Log class, making debugging and logging simpler and more customizable.
Use Case: Logging during development
Alternative: Logcat
10. Moshi
Moshi is another JSON parsing library developed by Square. It integrates seamlessly with Retrofit and supports Kotlin features such as default parameters and sealed classes.
Use Case: JSON serialization/deserialization
Alternative: Gson
Comparison Table
| Library | Primary Use Case | Maintainer | Language Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retrofit | API Client | Square | Java/Kotlin |
| Glide | Image Loading | Bumptech | Java/Kotlin |
| Room | Local DB ORM | Java/Kotlin | |
| Hilt | Dependency Injection | Kotlin | |
| Coroutine/Flow | Async + Reactive Stream | JetBrains | Kotlin |
| Navigation | In-App Navigation | Kotlin | |
| WorkManager | Background Processing | Java/Kotlin | |
| Lottie | Animation | Airbnb | Java/Kotlin |
| Timber | Logging | Jake Wharton | Java/Kotlin |
| Moshi | JSON Parsing | Square | Java/Kotlin |
These libraries are widely adopted in the Android development community and receive regular updates, ensuring compatibility with the latest Android APIs. Utilizing them not only speeds up your development process but also aligns your project with modern Android best practices.
If you’re a beginner or even an experienced Android developer, integrating these libraries will improve the architecture and maintainability of your apps. For deeper learning, consider checking out the official Android developer guide for best practices.
