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Trust and maturity

ApkPy is a young compiler. Trust should come from inspectable output and repeatable evidence, not from pretending the project is older than it is.

185transpiler regression checks
21Data Core and Reactive Data checks
Real Gradlegenerated debug APK compiled
Strict docswarnings fail the build

What was validated

Area Evidence What it proves
Python compiler 185 regression checks supported source patterns continue to produce expected output
Reactive Data 21 focused Data Core and Reactive Data checks relations, includes, lifecycle, invalidation, rollback and conditional code generation are exercised
Data Core CRUD, transaction and migration tests typed values, rollback, schema paths and destructive recovery are exercised
Generated Java/XML structural and XML parsing checks generated sources are internally consistent
Android toolchain Gradle debug APK build the checked release reaches Android bytecode/resources
Runtime floor same-app Android benchmark APK size, cold start and PSS are reported with programs and raw samples
Documentation mkdocs build --strict navigation, internal links and configuration resolve

Last documented validation: ApkPy 1.3.2, published on 21 August 2026.

These checks do not certify every phone, Android manufacturer, backend or app design. They make regressions visible and give a reviewer concrete artifacts to inspect.

The Android benchmark is deliberately narrow: one 100-note debug app on one emulator. It publishes the competing app programs, line-count rule, raw starts, memory samples and hashes instead of presenting a marketing number without context.

Supported environment

Tool Supported
Python 3.8 through 3.13
JDK 17 through 21
Android output Java, XML and Gradle project
Desktop preview Windows, macOS or Linux with Tk
APK runtime native Android; no Python interpreter embedded

Run apkpy doctor before a build. Validate notifications, background work, media, permissions and location on a real Android device before release.

Conditional output

ApkPy detects features before generation. A small app does not receive every runtime:

  • WebSocket helpers appear only when websocket is used;
  • Firebase dependencies appear only with push code and configuration;
  • SwipeRefreshLayout appears only for refreshable virtual collections;
  • Media3 and the foreground media service appear only for media features;
  • map, route and location helpers appear only when requested;
  • rich-document helpers appear only for Markdown, rich text or trees.
  • Data Core repositories, executor and migration runtime appear only when db.model() is declared.
  • relation metadata and batched hydration appear only with db.relation();
  • the invalidation tracker and observable-query runtime appear only when observe() is used.

This keeps generated projects reviewable and reduces unused dependencies.

Stability contract

The documented names exported from apkpy_lib are the supported surface. Generated helper classes are implementation details and may change between versions. The Python declaration remains the source of truth; hand-edits in a generated Android project can be replaced by the next build.

Patch releases should preserve existing declarations. New capabilities are documented in a version page and must pass the existing regression suite.

Ownership and continuity

The compiler core is proprietary while ApkPy is under active development. The maintainer may consider open-sourcing it later and commits to releasing the core as open source if active development is permanently discontinued. This is a continuity commitment, not an open-source licence for current releases.

A temporary pause or slower release cadence does not change the licence. Read Project continuity and source availability for the exact boundary and the public transition that would be required.

Honest limits

ApkPy does not currently promise:

  • arbitrary Python library compatibility on Android;
  • automatic backend generation or cloud deployment;
  • end-to-end encrypted messaging;
  • payment processing, DRM or proprietary map SDKs;
  • collaborative CRDT editing;
  • identical OEM behavior without device testing;
  • conversion of unsupported dynamic Python into Java.

For a product-level view, read Can ApkPy build this?. For renderer differences, read Previewer versus Android.