Anko
A Kotlin library for faster and cleaner Android development with DSLs for layouts, SQLite, coroutines, and common helpers.
What is Anko?
Anko is a Kotlin library that simplifies Android application development by providing a suite of tools to write cleaner, more concise code. It addresses the verbosity and rough edges of the Android SDK for Java, offering DSLs for layouts, SQLite queries, coroutines, and common utilities. The library aims to make development faster and more enjoyable by leveraging Kotlin's expressive syntax.
Android developers using Kotlin who want to reduce boilerplate code, improve readability, and adopt modern Kotlin features like DSLs and coroutines in their apps.
Developers choose Anko for its integrated approach to simplifying Android development with type-safe DSLs, especially for layouts and SQLite, and its seamless integration with Kotlin coroutines for asynchronous tasks, all while maintaining clean and readable code.
Overview
Pleasant Android application development
Use Cases
Best For
- Writing Android layouts without XML using a type-safe Kotlin DSL
- Simplifying SQLite database operations with a fluent query API
- Integrating coroutines into Android UI event listeners
- Reducing boilerplate code for intents, dialogs, and logging
- Building dynamic UIs with support for ConstraintLayout via DSL
- Leveraging Kotlin's language features for more expressive Android code
Not Ideal For
- Projects requiring long-term maintenance and active support, as Anko is deprecated
- Teams preferring XML-based layouts for better Android Studio tooling and team familiarity
- Developers building with modern UI frameworks like Jetpack Compose, which supersedes Anko Layouts
- Apps targeting the latest Android APIs, where Anko may lack compatibility and updates
Pros & Cons
Pros
Anko Layouts allow writing dynamic Android layouts without XML, with examples showing concise Kotlin code for UI components and coroutine support in listeners.
Anko SQLite provides a fluent DSL for database operations, as seen in the README example that simplifies querying and parsing results compared to raw cursors.
Integrates coroutines into UI event listeners, enabling async code directly in click handlers and offering weak reference wrappers to prevent memory leaks.
Anko Commons includes utilities for intents, dialogs, and logging, reducing verbose patterns common in the Android SDK for Java.
Cons
JetBrains has officially marked Anko as obsolete, meaning no new features, bug fixes, or support, making it risky for production use.
The README lists numerous artifacts for different parts and support libraries, leading to cumbersome setup and potential version conflicts.
The DSL preview plugin for Android Studio is likely outdated, reducing development experience compared to modern alternatives like XML or Compose.
Frequently Asked Questions
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