How does BigBrother compare to AFNetworkActivityIndicatorManager?

BigBrother is inspired by AFNetworkActivityIndicatorManager but is built natively for Swift using NSURLProtocol. However, it has limitations like header inheritance issues, whereas AFNetworking's version is more integrated with its ecosystem and better suited for production use.

How to integrate BigBrother with Alamofire?

Integration with Alamofire is challenging because BigBrother's NSURLProtocol doesn't inherit NSURLSession headers, which Alamofire modifies. You may need custom workarounds or consider using Alamofire's built-in activity indicator manager instead.

Is BigBrother compatible with Swift 5 or newer iOS versions?

The README doesn't specify compatibility, but as a proof-of-concept library from 2015, it might not be updated for modern Swift versions or iOS APIs. Check the GitHub repository for recent commits or issues to verify support.

Can BigBrother be used with URLSession in SwiftUI apps?

Yes, BigBrother can be added to URLSession configurations, so it should work with SwiftUI apps using URLSession for networking. However, the limitations with NSURLProtocol, such as header inheritance, still apply.

What are the alternatives to BigBrother for network activity indicator in iOS?

Alternatives include using AFNetworking's AFNetworkActivityIndicatorManager for Objective-C or Swift, implementing custom solutions with Combine or async/await in modern Swift, or directly using Apple's network activity indicator APIs with manual management.

How to manually control the network activity indicator with BigBrother?

Use the exposed `BigBrother.Manager.sharedInstance` to increment and decrement the activity count manually, as shown in the README's advanced usage section. This allows fine-grained control when automatic monitoring isn't sufficient.

Open-Awesome

BigBrother

MITSwift

A Swift library for iOS that automatically manages the network activity indicator for all network requests.

GitHub

440 stars19 forks0 contributors

What is BigBrother?

BigBrother is a Swift library for iOS that automatically manages the network activity indicator by monitoring all network requests. It solves the problem of manually showing and hiding the network activity spinner when apps perform network operations, providing automatic visual feedback to users.

Target Audience

iOS developers building apps with network requests who want automatic network activity indicator management without manual implementation.

Value Proposition

Developers choose BigBrother because it provides automatic network activity indicator management with minimal code, inspired by AFNetworking's approach but built natively for Swift and iOS.

Overview

Automatically sets the network activity indicator for any performed request.

Use Cases

Best For

iOS apps that make frequent network requests
Projects needing automatic network activity indicators
Swift-based iOS applications
Apps using NSURLSession or NSURLConnection
Developers wanting to avoid manual indicator management
Proof-of-concept implementations using NSURLProtocol

Not Ideal For

Apps using Alamofire or similar frameworks that rely on NSURLSession header modifications, as BigBrother's NSURLProtocol doesn't inherit configured headers.
Projects requiring authentication in network requests, since the library isn't compatible with iOS authentication APIs as acknowledged in the README.
Production iOS apps needing robust, long-term support, as BigBrother is described as a proof of concept with known limitations.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Automatic Indicator Management

Automatically shows and hides the network activity indicator based on all network requests, eliminating manual management as described in the README's core functionality.

Simple Integration

Offers straightforward API methods like `BigBrother.addToSharedSession()` for easy setup with shared sessions or custom configurations, as shown in the code examples.

Manual Control Flexibility

Exposes a public `Manager` class for manually incrementing and decrementing activity counts, providing flexibility for advanced scenarios detailed in the README.

Direct Protocol Access

Provides a public `URLProtocol` subclass for custom integration, allowing developers to incorporate it into their own networking setups as mentioned in the advanced usage section.

Cons

Limited Networking Compatibility

The README admits that NSURLProtocol doesn't inherit NSURLSession's configured headers and isn't compatible with authentication APIs, making it unsuitable for apps using these features.

Proof-of-Concept Instability

Described as 'mostly a proof of concept,' which implies potential bugs, lack of active maintenance, and unsuitability for production environments.

Configuration Handling Complexity

Requires careful management of NSURLSessionConfiguration objects, as sessions copy configurations at initialization and ignore changes afterward, noted in the README reminder.

Frequently Asked Questions

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