Swift is a new open source programming language developed by Apple .Inc for iOS, macOS X, watchOS, and tvOS app development. Swift 4 adopts the best of C and Objective-C, without the constraints of C compatibility.
Swift is designed to make writing and maintaining correct programs easier for the developer. To achieve this goal, the most obvious way to write Swift code must also be: Safe, Fast, Expressive. In our articles, we use the default version of Swift 4 and above.
Features
Swift was designed from the outset to be safer than C-based languages, and eliminates entire classes of unsafe code. Variables are always initialized before use, arrays and integers are checked for overflow, and memory is managed automatically.
The features of Swift are designed to work together to create a language that is powerful, yet fun to use. Some additional features of Swift include:
- Closures unified with function pointers
- Tuples and multiple return values
- Generics
- Fast and concise iteration over a range or collection
- Structs that support methods, extensions, and protocols
- Functional programming patterns, e.g., map and filter
- Powerful error handling built-in
- Advanced control flow with do, guard, defer, and repeat keywords
Projects
The Swift language is managed as a collection of projects, each with its own repositories. The current list of projects includes:
- The Swift compiler command line tool
- The standard library bundled as part of the language
- Core libraries that provide higher-level functionality
- The LLDB debugger which includes the Swift REPL
- The Swift package manager for distributing and building Swift source code
- Xcode playground support to enable playgrounds in Xcode.
Platform
The Swift core libraries project aims to extend the cross-platform capabilities of Swift by providing portable implementations of fundamental Apple frameworks without dependencies on the Objective-C runtime.
- Apple Platforms: Swift can be used on the Mac to target all of the Apple platforms: iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
- Linux: Swift can be used on Linux to build Swift libraries and applications.
- New Platforms
Releases Version
Swift 5.0
| Download | Date |
|---|---|
| Xcode 10.2*ToolchainDebugging Symbols | |
| Ubuntu 18.04Signature | |
| Ubuntu 16.04Signature | |
| Ubuntu 14.04Signature |
*Swift 5.0 is available as part of Xcode 10.2.
Swift 4.2.4
| Download | Date |
|---|---|
| Xcode 10.1*ToolchainDebugging Symbols | |
| Ubuntu 18.04Signature | |
| Ubuntu 16.04Signature | |
| Ubuntu 14.04Signature |
Note: Swift 4.2.4 is Linux only change, Swift 4.2.1 is available as part of Xcode 10.1.
