Swift is a powerful programming language developed by Apple and used in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS. With the increase in demand for Apple products, learning the Swift programming language will be an added advantage to any resume. Its role in iOS development is safe, fast, and flexible.
To develop key skills in Swift, you will need to practice real-world knowledge. It is important to work on beginner, intermediate, or advanced Swift projects to ensure you have hands-on skills in iOS development. These projects can be included in a job portfolio to help land you a career working with Swift developers.
5 Skills That Swift Projects Can Help You Practice
Swift projects will expose you to a number of skills and expertise. These skills are essential if you want to start a career in tech. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, you can rely on these skills to navigate the industry. Read about the five skills you can hone when creating projects with Swift.
- Programming Skills. Building Swift applications will help you familiarize yourself with other programming languages, tools, processes, and best practices. You’ll gain valuable knowledge in Objective-C and C languages. Learning programming tools like VS Code or Xcode will also be an integral part of Swift programming.
- Software Development Lifecycle. As a programming language, Swift will help you learn the entire software development lifecycle of Apple products. You will gain familiarity in planning, developing, testing, implementing, and maintaining Apple software.
- Network and Security. Swift programming will also take you through networking and security concepts. You will get to solidify skills in creating firewalls and updating antivirus and cryptographic software. You will have the necessary skills to advance authentication, encryption, and application security testing.
- Testing and Debugging. As part of the development process, you will also learn how to test and debug software applications written in Swift. This is one of the foundational skills you will develop as part of the Swift programming language.
- Apple Ecosystem. You will get to learn more about the company’s products and development environment. Swift programming will help you master how the different products integrate.
Best Swift Project Ideas for Beginners
If you are new to coding iOS products, you should consider these five beginner-friendly Swift projects to advance your knowledge and skills. They will give you the practice needed to form a solid foundation in programming with Swift.
Countdown Mobile App
- Swift Skills Practiced: Java, React Native, user design
In this project, you can master data sharing between screens, sending push notifications, and working with a database. Your user interface should feature a countdown screen, a button to add new timelines, and a list displaying all the countdown events. To boost your project, you can add features to allow users to archive past countdown events.
Weather App
- Swift Skills Practiced: Icon setup, update content view, bug fixes
Building a weather app is a great way to practice your skills. Once you learn SwiftUI and Xcode, you can plug in your skills to build the different elements of this type of app. You will also learn how to open the weather API. It’s an excellent intermediate project to learn about broken tests, custom modifiers, and icon setups.
Swift Compiler Integration with External Tools
- Swift Skills Practiced: C++, JSON, libSyntax
To complete this project, you will need to be proficient with Swift and C++. The project involves adding a compiler option to give way to an extension tool for communication. You can use the JSON format to communicate via stdin or stdout. At the end of the project, you will know how to develop and integrate custom linters and other tools during an operation.
SwiftnessX
- Swift Skills Practiced: Electron.js, penetration testing
This project lets you develop a cross-platform tracking application for penetration testers. The open-source project is built in Swift language and developed on Electron.js. The user ehrishirajsharma on GitHub has a good guide to help you get started.
Financial App
- Swift Skills Practiced: Data visualization, programming, network security
The financial application should feature different pages to display account information. On the first page, it should show the user the amount of money they have in the bank account or credit card. The second page should showcase the amount of money received, and the third page should feature dates displaying the amount of money spent.
Best Intermediate Swift Project Ideas
Intermediate Swift project ideas are suitable for programmers with some experience in iOS development. These projects are slightly more challenging, so having a solid foundation in Swift is essential.
Mortgage Calculator App
- Swift Skills Practiced: React Native, Flutter
As part of this project, you will build a mortgage calculator to help users keep track of their loan repayment. The users can easily customize prices, set repayment schedules, and track interest rates. They should also be able to see the loan amount and estimated amount to pay daily. You should learn React Native or use Vanilla.js as a framework.
Tinder-Style Swipe App
- Swift Skills Practiced: Xcode, SwiftUI, programmatic approach, storyboards
In this project, you will work on building a mobile application that features a swiping mechanism similar to the Tinder application. Users should be able to swipe right to like or left to dislike. To make the project slightly more challenging, you can add animations when the user swipes. Through building this application, you will learn modularity and reusability of your code.
Adding Package Dependencies
- Swift Skills Practiced: GitHub, Xcode, GitLab, Swift Library, Swift Package
If you already have an app, you can add package dependencies as a small project. Through Xcode, you will be able to manage versions of package dependencies to ensure you have updated codes. Package developers choose to publish the Swift package publicly or in private repositories through Xcode.
Pinterest Board Project
- Swift Skills Practiced: SwiftUI
The Pinterest project involves creating a waterfall implementation in the application. The project requires a lot of experience in UICollectionView. You can use it to adjust the layout of the images and attributes in your Pinterest-style board. You can also exercise your creative eye for this project.
Furniture Store App
- Swift Skills Practiced: iOS development, programming, web service-based Systems, network security
To complete this project, the user must have access to the inventory in a store and any new purchases. The application features lists of furniture products in varying styles. The user must be able to browse for the desired product and add the items to the cart. They should also be able to make payments securely by inputting credit card details.
Advanced Swift Project Ideas
To solidify your skills in Swift programming, you should get certified or simply take on advanced projects. These advanced Swift project ideas are excellent at helping you become more proficient in developing using Swift.
Build TikTok Feed App
- Swift Skills Practiced: User interface, testing and debugging, software development lifecycle
This project will help you solidify your skills in Swift and Xcode. The project involves setting up a TikTok feed in an application using Swift. The features include views, models, video playback, and buttons. You can follow this Swift tutorial fromiOS Academy on YouTube.
Event Planning App
- Swift Skills Practiced: Flutter, React Native, JavaScript
In this project, you can build an application that notifies and allows users to sign up for events. This project will take a minimum of 30 hours to complete. You will refine your skills by adding more features to the events application. Consider adding a title, description, display image, pricing, and name of organizers to the application.
Children Safety Tracking App
- Swift Skills Practiced: iOS application development, programming, network security, debugging
In this project, you will allow parents to access the whereabouts of their children via iOS devices. The database administrator will key in the information of the parents and guardians into the SQL server database. The children will install the iOS application on their phones and notify the parents each time they log in. The location of the child can be updated every five minutes.
SwiftAI
- Swift Skills Practiced: JSON, model class, Xcode
There are several projects offered by Awesome Open Source to help you develop your skills in Swift. One of these projects is SwiftAI, a tool used to generate code from JSON. You can select the project to address your niche in iOS development from the site. There are projects designed for user interface design, web servers, and even software architecture.
Advanced iOS: Volume Two
- Swift Skills Practiced: Machine learning, Arkit, APIs, iOS design techniques
This course from Udemy is actually a collection of eight projects to help you learn advanced Swift. The first project entails generating predictions, naming colors, and stacking view spacing. In the second project, you will work on shooting targets, adding pressure, and calculating relative heading. All these projects require some experience coding using Swift.
Swift Starter Project Templates
Instead of programming from scratch, you can rely on these Swift starter project templates for practice. The templates are excellent at helping programmers with the baseline to work on their projects. Below you will find a list of the best Swift starter project templates.
- Universal for IOS – Full Multi-Purpose IOS app. This template allows developers with or without experience to create applications from online content. The template comes with varied features, including an Xcode template that allows you to upload your application seamlessly.
- MStore Pro – Complete React Native template for e-commerce. This is another excellent template to help you build an ecommerce application. It is compatible with Facebook Ads, AdMob, and different payment gateways.
- Swift starter kit with Firebase & Facebook login onboarding. This template is excellent for developers who use Firebase as the backend server. It features high-end onboarding screens, Facebook logins, push notifications, and dark mode support.
- SwiftUI Instagram Clone. In this template, you will find photo filters, push notifications, ephemeral stories, and the Firebase backend. The template features key elements required in a social network application like Instagram.
- Swift5 Module Template. This template features semantic versioning, Turnkey access, and clean folder structure. The template is highly compatible with Xcode 12.4. Using this template will help you bypass and use Swift Package Manager directly.
Next Steps: Start Organizing Your Swift Portfolio
Swift only ranks 16th on Statista’s survey of popular programming languages, so you’ll have to show more than just your skills to apply for jobs. You should submit a well-thought-out cover letter and a curated portfolio to increase your chances of employment. A winning portfolio can easily land you a job in tech. Below are some top tips to help you organize your portfolio.
Prioritize Your Major Achievements
To win over the recruiting team, you should list your major achievements first. Leverage these achievements to demonstrate your skill and knowledge in using Swift as a programming language. The more skills the projects display, the higher your chances are of being shortlisted.
Keep It Simple
Always be direct when showcasing your skills in your portfolio. There’s no need to add unnecessary jargon to the document, which may distract the recruiter from your talents and accomplishments. Simplifying your document and keeping it straightforward will help to retain the attention of the recruiter.
Include Relevant Information
Before curating your portfolio, it is important that you read through the job description and requirements. This will help you design a portfolio that responds to the queries presented by the hiring company. You will be able to list knowledge, skills, and expertise that are relevant to the job advertised.
Swift Projects FAQ
Swift is a programming language used to build iOS, macOS, and watchOS products, whereas Xcode is the integrated development environment that features tools that will help you develop Apple products. The convenience interface and smooth automation of Xcode help in Swift engineering.
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Yes, successfully completing a Swift project can help you land many job opportunities in coding. These projects will help demonstrate your expertise in developing Apple products. With the increase in popularity of Apple products, you will have an easier time applying for job opportunities in tech.
No, coding using Swift is not difficult. The level of difficulty to code using the Swift programming language depends on your level of experience in programming.
Completing a Swift project can help you become an iOS application developer, software quality assurance engineer, or computer systems analyst.
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