Is Android Compose Production Ready?

Issue

Android Compose has a lot of hype because it is declarative. The only problem is that it still lacks a lot of features. ConstraintLayout is by far the best layout to use to enhance the performance of an app and Android Compose still doesn't have ConstraintLayout in it. Not a lot of articles have made relevant arguments on whether to use or not to use Android Compose. In my opinion, Android Compose still has a lot to come, especially that it still isn't documented that well yet. Without all the essentials of a well-performing app, is Android Compose Production Ready?

Solution

UPDATE: In August 2021, a stable 1.0.0 release of Jetpack Compose shipped. By most conventional measures, Compose is production ready. The original answer is shown below in its original form.

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Is Android Compose Production Ready?

I am going to assume that by "Android Compose", you mean "Jetpack Compose".

In 2019, Google has very consistently referred to Jetpack Compose as being in a preview state and not suitable for production use.

For example, on the main Jetpack Compose page, we have:

Note: Jetpack Compose is currently in Developer Preview. The API surface is not yet finalized, and changes are planned and expected.

On the main Jetpack Compose Tutorial page, we have:

Note: Jetpack Compose is currently in Developer Preview. The API surface is not yet finalized, and should not be used in production apps.

In the Android Developer Summit keynote blog post, we have:

Today we are releasing the Jetpack Compose Developer Preview. All you need to do is download the latest Preview build of Android Studio. Compose is being developed completely in the open, in AOSP. The continuous feedback we receive has led to many API improvements and we want to thank you for providing feedback in our developer studies and the Kotlinlang Slack group. As we enter developer preview, we need even more feedback as we work towards bringing Jetpack Compose to beta next year and ready for use in production apps.

(emphasis added)

So, check back in a year, and we will see if Jetpack Compose has advanced far enough that Google says you should use it in production apps.

Answered By - CommonsWare