Xcode is an IDE for Apple operating systems (for example, macOS, iOS, WatchOS, and tvOS). The Integrated Development Environment (IDE) has a variety of software development tools, including C, Objective-C, Java, AppleScript, Python, Ruby, and other programming language source codes.

App developers can create, edit and use apps from the first idea to the final release in the App Store. Xcode had its first launch in 2003. Apple regularly releases package updates and continues to release its software updates.

Basic Prerequisites

Some of the basic prerequisites are:

• A Mac that has macOS 11
• The minimum RAM requirement is 4GB; however, it is recommended you use over 8GB.
• It requires a lot of storage space; therefore, there must be at least free space up to 8GB.
• A MacBook, iMac, between 2013 to 2015 edition

It is essential that developers note that since Xcode works only on macOS, users need to get a Mac to build an iOS app with Xcode.

Why do you need Xcode?

Xcode is the only way to develop Apple applications as supported by Apple. So, if you want to build iOS or macOS apps, you have to use them. There are third-party solutions that do not need you to use Xcode. But Apple doesn't support them, and these solutions often run into problems.

Xcode includes great troubleshooting tools to help developers resolve problems with their applications faster. It also features project management tools that enable the management of your image assets and code files in an organized manner.

Developers can choose to use the interface builder and create menus and windows. You can also choose to use the libraries available in Xcode. The list of features is not limited. Another exciting feature is the automatic layout, which allows developers to build applications to adjust their size and position to match the screen size they use.

It has a store of templates and code snippets to assist beginners in the development process. Developers may choose to save their own templates to reuse the same code. These templates seem to be very useful for modern developers with little knowledge of application development.

They are very easy to use and can even be used by beginners. The source code checker captures and checks for errors that have occurred while entering codes and then recommends corrective actions to resolve the problem.

Cons of using Xcode

Xcode has a lot of advantages; however, it would be okay to also talk about the downsides. Below are some of the disadvantages that come with using Xcode.

• It is only compatible with the Apple operating system.
• Getting App Store approval is time-consuming.
• Earlier, there was limited information on the Internet about solving Xcode development issues related to Apple's NDA.

Steps to Installing and Downloading Xcode on Mac

Download Xcode

When it comes to downloading Xcode, you have two options. If you want to download the latest version without so many formalities or stress, you can visit the App Store. However, preferably, it might be advisable that you use the developer site because it offers the flexibility to download your preferred version.

Option 1: Downloading through the App Store for the newest version

Theoretically, the process should be easy and stress-less. However, if the last step of the installation fails, for any reason, it will be very difficult to solve the problem.

There are many reasons the downloading might fail, and there is no easy way to find the root cause. If an error occurs, you must download the entire file again every time you try to fix the error. Since the latest version is 8GB, this method might not be that good.

However, if you still feel like going ahead, below are some of the steps:

• Open the App Store on your Mac
• Sign in
• Search for Xcode
• Select Install or Update

Option 2: Download a specific version from the developer's website.

• Go to the "More" section of Apple's developer site
• Sign in using your iTunes account ID
• Enter the version you want and download the Xcode_x_x_x.xip file. Always remember that Xcode 11.4.1 is 8GB in size; therefore, it may take some time, depending on your internet connection speed.
• After downloading the file, click on .xip to unzip it. Your laptop will unzip it to the same folder where you downloaded it. This extraction process is done automatically. After clicking the .xip file, you do not need to do anything. This step might take some minutes.
• Drag application to the Applications folder

How to Install Xcode Command Line Tools?

• Head to Terminal under/Applications/Utilities/
• Enter the following command string in Terminal: Xcode-select —install
• Similarly, when downloading new software and applications, a popup window will come up asking, “The Xcode-select command requires the command line developer tools. Do you want to install the tools now?"
• Click Install to confirm

Wait for the Xcode command line toolkit to install. It is about 130 MB in size and is usually installed quickly. Although it is dependent on your connection

After everything is installed, the installer will disappear, and you should be able to run any new commands you can access now. Enjoy the fun of the new Unix command-line tools!

Open new version of Xcode

The last step in the installation process is opening the application folder and open the Xcode. If you have modified the name of the Xcode, ensure you are opening the right application.

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