What Is Android SDK?

Android SDK (software development kit) is a software development kit. This kit is used in developing applications for Android platform.

Other than developing applications, SDK allows easy access to a device from a computer. It helps in installing several simple applications or in performing complicated tasks, such as installing Wi-Fi modules.

What Is Included In SDK?

An Android SDK includes:

• Sample project with source code
• Developmental tools
• Debugger
• Required libraries to build Android applications
• An emulator
• Important documents for Android application program interfaces (API).

In Which Language SDK Is Written?

Android SDK is written in Java programming language. Once an application is written completely, it runs on Dalvik which is a custom virtual machine.

How to Install Android SDK?

Here is a list of five simple steps that should be followed in installing SDK.

·      Steps for Developing Android SDK:

1-     Preparing your computer

2-     Installing SDK starter package

3-     Installing ADT plug in

4-     Adding Android platform and other components

5-     Exploring the components of SDK

Step #1: Preparing your computer:

The first step in installing SDK for your device is to prepare your computer. Make sure that:

• You computer meets the requirements of the system.
• You have installed Java development kit (JDK).
• You have installed a suitable version of Eclipse on your computer.

Step#2: Installing SDK Starter Package

The starter package for SDK is not a complete environment. In fact, it includes only the core SDK tools. These tools enable you to download other SDK components.

Some guidelines for installing SDK starter package are:

• If you have already installed SDK, install the latest version.
• If you have downloaded a .zip or .tgz package, then unzip the file to a safe location on your computer.
• If you have installed an .exe file then run it on the computer.

As you will need this SDK directory later, a note of name and location of this file should be on your system.

Step#3: Install ADT Plug In:

ADT is a system plug in for IDE. This tool is designed to give you a controlled and integrated environment to build applications. It accelerates the capabilities of Eclipse which allows you to:

• Quickly start new Android projects
• Create applications
• Fix your applications

ADT works best with Eclipse and is the fastest way to develop Android applications.

Step#4: Adding Android Platform and Other Components:

Android SDK and AVD Manager are used to download important SDK components on your system. This package includes only a single component i.e. the latest version of SDK tools.

Latest Android platform and associated platform tools are required to develop an Android application.

The components of SDK include:

• SDK tool
• SDK platform tool
• Android platform
• Samples
• Documentation
• Recommended driver for Windows

Step #5: Exploring the components of SDK:

After installing Android SDK, you can open your SDK directory to see what is inside it. Moreover, you can also define the location of your SDK tool to have easy access to the tools.

Once you have completed this installation, your system is ready to build applications for Android.