Write once, run everywhere: Codename One brings its mobile app development kit out of beta

Following more than 100,000 downloads, Codename One is today coming out of beta and launching version one of its mobile app development platform.

Codename One, released last June, is a unique software development kit that allows Java developers to create native mobile apps, using only a single code base, that will work on multiple mobile operating systems.

The company, based in Israel, says that over 1,000 mobile apps have been built so far using Codename One, making it “one of the fastest growing toolkits of its kind” and placing it on par with native mobile OS toolkits.

Codename One is a Java-based platform that takes advantage of both open-source and ‘lightweight’ technology. It means the software development kit can be used to develop unique, native interfaces very different from its competitors, which often utilize HMTL5 or ‘heavyweight’ technology.

Developers that use Codename One have to build all of the different app components from scratch though, rather than relying on native widgets. That might sound counterintuitive, but it means that app creators avoid the fragmentation associated with different mobile operating systems.

Codename One was founded last year by Chen Fishbein and CEO Shai Almog, after they noticed a growing inefficiency in the way that developers were building apps for multiple operating systems.

By building a product that could be used to code for different platforms simultaneously, including iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7, the hope was that developers would see it as a way to cut time and costs. At the same time, the pair hoped that Codename One could be used to attract new developers into the industry, and make mobile app development appear far more feasible.

While 100,000 downloads and 1,000 mobile apps is a significant milestone, Codename One will be looking to grow further in 2013. With the software development kit firmly out of beta though, it’s likely to attract a lot more attention from the app community.

Image Credit: LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images