What is Android?
1. The Android operating system
Android is an operating system based on the Linux kernel. The project responsible for developing the Android system is called the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and is primarily lead by Google. The Android system supports background processing, provides a rich user interface library, supports 2-D and 3-D graphics using the OpenGL-ES (short OpenGL) standard and grants access to the file system as well as an embedded SQLite database. An Android application typically consists of different visual and non visual components and can reuse components of other applications.
2. Task
In Android the reuse of other application components is a concept known as task. An application can access other Android components to achieve a task. For example, from a component of your application you can trigger another component in the Android system, which manages photos, even if this component is not part of your application. In this component you select a photo and return to your application to use the selected photo.
3. Android platform components
The Android system is a full software stack, which is typically divided into the four areas as depicted in the following graphic
Applications : The Android Open Source Project contains several default application, like the Browser, Camera, Gallery, Music, Phone and more.
Application framework :An API which allows high-level interactions with the Android system from Android applications.
Libraries and runtime :The libraries for many common functions (e.g.: graphic rendering, data storage, web browsing, etc.) of the Application Framework and the Dalvik runtime, as well as the core Java libraries for running Android applications.
Linux kernel :Communication layer for the underlying hardware.
The Linux kernel, the libraries and the runtime are encapsulated by the application framework. The Android application developer typically works with the two layers on top to create new Android applications.
4. Google Play
Google offers the Google Play service, a marketplace in which programmers can offer their Android applications to Android users. Customers use the Google Play application which allows them to buy and install applications from the Google Play service.
Google Play also offers an update service. If a programmer uploads a new version of his application to Google Play, this service notifies existing users that an update is available and allows them to install the update.
Google Play provides access to services and libraries for Android application programmers, too. For example, it provides a service to use and display Google Maps and another to synchronize the application state between different Android installations. Providing these services via Google Play has the advantage that they are available for older Android releases and can be updated by Google without the need for an update of the Android release on the phone.
Android Development Tools
Android SDK
The Android Software Development Kit (Android SDK) contains the necessary tools to create, compile and package Android applications. Most of these tools are command line based. The primary way to develop Android applications is based on the Java programming language.
Android debug bridge (adb)
The Android SDK contains the Android debug bridge (adb), which is a tool that allows you to connect to a virtual or real Android device, for the purpose of managing the device or debugging your application.
Android Developer Tools and Android Studio
Google provides two integrated development environments (IDEs) to develop new applications.
Google develops an IDE called Android Studio for creating Android applications. This IDE is based on the IntelliJ IDE.
The Android Developer Tools (ADT) are based on the Eclipse IDE. ADT is a set of components (plug-ins), which extend the Eclipse IDE with Android development capabilities.
Both IDEs contain all required functionality to create, compile, debug and deploy Android applications. They also allow the developer to create and start virtual Android devices for testing.
Security and permissions
Security concept in Android
The Android system installs every Android application with a unique user and group ID. Each application file is private to this generated user, e.g., other applications cannot access these files. In addition each Android application is started in its own process.
Therefore, by means of the underlying Linux kernel, every Android application is isolated from other running applications.
If data should be shared, the application must do this explicitly via an Android component which handles the sharing of the data, e.g., via a service or a content provider.
Permission concept in Android
Android contains a permission system and predefines permissions for certain tasks. Every application can request required permissions and also define new permissions. For example, an application may declare that it requires access to the Internet.
Permissions have different levels. Some permissions are automatically granted by the Android system, some are automatically rejected. In most cases the requested permissions are presented to the user before installing the application. The user needs to decide if these permissions shall be given to the application.
If the user denies a required permission, the related application cannot be installed. The check of the permission is only performed during installation, permissions cannot be denied or granted after the installation.
An Android application declares the required permissions in its AndroidManifest.xml configuration file. It can also define additional permissions which it can use to restrict access to certain components.