What Platforms Is the Swift Programming Language Supported On?

Swift is a programming language with simplified syntax and grammar, mainly used for front-end development, developed by Apple. It stands as a successor to Objective-C and stands out as a safer programming language than C-based languages. It is known for its ability to eliminate unsafe code by initializing variables and automatically managing memory. It also helps developers to spot data races during compilation. However, at TheDevolutions, our expert developers get a lot of queries surrounding the platforms that Swift can be used on. 

From “Can I do Swift programming on Windows?” to “Is Swift suitable for backend development?” and “Can Swift be used for cross-platform applications?”. In this blog, our team of experts gives exact answers to these questions so that businesses can gain clarity and understand its capabilities beyond Apple’s ecosystem.

What is Swift Programming Language

Swift is a programming language developed by Apple as a means to solve the challenges related to safety, performance, and usability. Statista’s survey on the most-used programming languages among developers stated that Swift programming language stood at approx. 5 % worldwide in 2024. Swift programming language is used on multiple platforms according to your specific use and the below-given insights will help you to know if it’s suitable for your in-house platforms.

What is Swift Programming Language Used For?

Before Swift was created in 2014 and released to the public in 2015, Apple developers mainly relied on Objective-C. However, Objective-C had a complex & verbose syntax, memory management issues, security vulnerabilities, and slow development speed.

Swift tackled these challenges where the syntax was simpler & readable, making it easier for the developers. It also has automatic memory management which helps reduce crashes and prevents common programming mistakes.

Platforms on Which Swift Programming Language is Supported

For Swift, all the platforms are grouped in two ways. The first group of platforms is where Swift deployment and development happens on the platform itself. The second is where only deployment occurs, but the development tools do not run on the platforms. 

You can program in Swift on any platform. However, Apple frameworks like SwiftUI, UIKit, AppKit, etc. cannot be used. Swift provides the Swift programming playground for those who are starting. It is an entry point to support platforms where basic stuff like robot toys and Lego robots can be built. 

Swift programming playgrounds offer interactive coding environments for iPads and Macs so that developers can explore them before moving to full-scale Swift development on platforms like:

1. Apple Ecosystem

Swift can run smoothly on the Apple platform and can be used by organizations that have iOS (iOS 7.0 or later, but not iOS 6.), macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It is best suited for mobile-first companies. With iOS platforms, Swift can be used for iPhone and iPad app development, while it supports macOS applications.

With watchOS, SWIFT can be used for Apple Watch apps, and with tvOS for Apple TV app development.

2. Linux

When Apple made Swift open-source, it opened doors for Linux. If you are looking to develop backend and cross-platform solutions Linux is a great platform. Users can 

When Apple made Swift open-source, it opened doors for Linux, getting precompiled binaries and Swift toolchains for Ubuntu on the Swift websites. It is officially supported on Ubuntu but can be run on an easier option and needs a command-line tool to compile and run the programs.

3. Windows

Though the Swift programming language is supported on Windows, the official support is evolving for all those who are working on cross-platform projects. The core libraries and interoperability of Swift and C, make it easy to develop applications on Windows using Swift.

4. Server-Side Development

Though primarily a front-end programming language, SWIFT can also be used for back-end development using Vapor and Kitura. It does so by running on cloud platforms and servers. Swift has opened up its gates so that it can give competition to Python (Up to 8.4X faster than Python 2.7), or Node.js, and build entire apps frontend as well as backend.

5. WebAssembly (Experimental)

Efforts are being made to support Swift for WebAssembly, allowing web-based applications so that Swift can run on the client side. This shows the potential to write Swift and compile to WebAssembly.

Besides these, Swift offers its users the opportunity to add new platforms by asking for a review on the forums page of Swift. 

Achieve Business Growth Across Platforms with Swift Programming Language

Swift has emerged as a promising programming language because of its speed which is touted to be 2.6 times faster than Objective-C. It is also a safe alternative and is low maintenance making it ideal for organizations. Various users have also highlighted the better user experience and effective memory management to be a huge plus in favor of Swift for businesses.

At The Devolutions, our Swift developers use the potential of Swift to create apps for varied platforms like iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS for the Apple ecosystem integration, Linux and Windows for backend and cross-platform solutions, and server-side applications using frameworks like Vapor. 

If you want to build high-performance, scalable applications across iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, and beyond, then hire our Swift developers on a subscription basis and watch your project take shape.