If you’re learning Android app development, you’ve probably come across the terms Android Jetpack and Jetpack Compose. They’re often mentioned together, which can be confusing at first.

Are they the same thing?
Do you need both?
And why are they so important in modern Android development?

In this article, we’ll break everything down clearly and simply.

Understanding Android Jetpack

Android Jetpack is a collection of libraries, tools, and best practices provided by Google to help developers build modern Android apps more efficiently.

You can think of Jetpack as a toolbox that solves many common problems Android developers face, such as:

  • Managing app lifecycle changes
  • Handling navigation between screens
  • Storing and retrieving data
  • Running background tasks safely
  • Building user interfaces

Jetpack is designed to:

  • Reduce repetitive (boilerplate) code
  • Make apps more stable and maintainable
  • Work consistently across different Android versions
  • Encourage clean app architecture

Main Categories of Android Jetpack

Android Jetpack is organised into several key areas.

Architecture Components

These help you structure your app properly.

Common examples include:

  • ViewModel – stores UI-related data and survives configuration changes
  • LiveData / StateFlow – observable data holders
  • Room – a database library built on top of SQLite
  • Navigation – manages screen-to-screen navigation

UI Components

These are used to build the app’s interface.

  • Traditional tools like Fragments and RecyclerView
  • Jetpack Compose, the modern UI toolkit (covered in detail below)

Background Processing

  • WorkManager – handles background tasks such as syncing data or sending notifications

Other Jetpack Libraries

  • CameraX
  • Biometric authentication
  • Security libraries
  • Permissions helpers

What Is Jetpack Compose?

Jetpack Compose is a modern UI toolkit that is part of Android Jetpack. It allows developers to build Android user interfaces using Kotlin code instead of XML.

Before Jetpack Compose, Android UIs were typically built using:

  • XML files for layouts
  • Kotlin or Java for logic

Jetpack Compose changes this approach completely.

Traditional UI vs Jetpack Compose

Traditional Android UI (XML-based)

  • UI is defined in XML files
  • Logic is written separately in Kotlin or Java
  • Requires more files and boilerplate code
  • Harder to maintain as apps grow

Jetpack Compose (Modern Approach)

  • UI is written entirely in Kotlin
  • UI automatically updates when data changes
  • Less code and better readability
  • Easier to test and maintain

Simple Example

Traditional XML UI

<TextView
    android:text="Hello World"
    android:textSize="20sp" />

Jetpack Compose UI

Text(
    text = "Hello World",
    fontSize = 20.sp
)

With Compose, UI code looks more like regular Kotlin, making it easier to understand and work with.

Key Concepts in Jetpack Compose

Declarative UI

Jetpack Compose uses a declarative approach. This means you describe what the UI should look like, and the system takes care of updating it.

@Composable
fun Greeting(name: String) {
    Text("Hello $name")
}

When the value of name changes, the UI automatically updates.

Composables

A Composable is a reusable UI function marked with the @Composable annotation.

Composables can be combined to create complex interfaces from small, simple pieces.

State Management

Jetpack Compose reacts to state changes.

var count by remember { mutableStateOf(0) }

Button(onClick = { count++ }) {
    Text("Count: $count")
}

When count changes, Compose automatically redraws the UI.

Jetpack vs Jetpack Compose: What’s the Difference?

Feature Android Jetpack Jetpack Compose
What it is Collection of libraries UI toolkit
Purpose App architecture & utilities Building UI
Examples ViewModel, Room, WorkManager Composables, layouts, state
XML required Often yes No
Language support Kotlin & Java Kotlin only

Do You Need Both?

In most modern Android apps, yes.

A typical setup looks like this:

  • Jetpack Compose for the user interface
  • ViewModel for managing UI data
  • Room for local storage
  • Navigation for moving between screens

They are designed to work together seamlessly.

Why Jetpack Compose Is the Future of Android UI

Google now recommends Jetpack Compose as the preferred way to build Android UIs. Most new Android projects use Compose by default.

Benefits include:

  • Faster development
  • Cleaner code
  • Better performance
  • Easier learning curve for beginners familiar with Kotlin

Conclusion

  • Android Jetpack is a collection of tools that help you build better Android apps
  • Jetpack Compose is a modern UI toolkit within Jetpack
  • Together, they form the foundation of modern Android app development

If you’re starting Android development today, learning Jetpack Compose alongside other Jetpack libraries is one of the best decisions you can make.