Mobile patterns (blueprint)
Purpose: Deep, project-agnostic guides for mobile-specific patterns. Each pattern describes its intent, platform considerations, implementation approaches, and testing.
Guide · Updated · Source
Audience: Teams adopting Mobile Engineering; project-specific mobile architecture stays in docs/development/mobile/.
Mobile patterns sit at the intersection of threading and lifecycle (main-thread UI, process death), navigation graphs (deep links, restoration), and data contracts (offline queues, sync). Treat patterns as a stack: pick an architecture first, then align navigation, data/API boundaries, and offline behavior so they compose without leaking concerns across layers.
Mobile pattern stack flow
How architecture, navigation, data contracts, and offline patterns compose as a bounded, reviewable stack.
- Process flowThe entry point for composing mobile pattern layers on this topic.
- Lane AEstablishes the primary pattern layer, typically application architecture.
- handoffPasses explicit contracts to the adjacent pattern layer.
- shared outcomeDelivers composed mobile behavior with aligned cross-layer contracts.
- Lane BRuns a parallel layer that inspects platform-specific constraints.
- inspect / adaptReviews lifecycle, threading, and navigation fit against the chosen stack.
- feedbackReturns bounded adjustments to upstream pattern choices.
Process flow
Lane A ──► handoff ──► shared outcome
Lane B ──► inspect / adapt ──► feedbackPattern guides
| Guide | Focus |
|---|---|
| Mobile application architecture | MVC–Clean–TCA comparison, MVVM and Clean diagrams, navigation table, DI, modularization, API/data layers, testing, anti-patterns |
| Offline-first mobile patterns | Connectivity states, local storage, sync strategies, conflict resolution, queues, caching, background sync, UX, testing, anti-patterns |
Pattern categories (topic index)
| Pattern category | Focus | See |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation patterns | Stack, tab, drawer, modal; coordinator/router pattern; deep link routing; state restoration | Mobile architecture |
| Push notification patterns | Token lifecycle, channel management, rich notifications, silent push, deep link from notification | Mobile architecture |
| Deep linking patterns | Universal Links / App Links, deferred deep links, attribution, navigation resolution | Mobile architecture |
| Background processing | Background tasks, WorkManager/BGTaskScheduler, geofencing, silent push triggers | Offline-first |
| Authentication patterns | Biometric auth, secure token storage, session management, single sign-on | Mobile architecture |
| Data sync patterns | Incremental sync, full sync, delta sync, pagination, cursor-based sync | Offline-first |
Architecture, navigation, data, and offline guidance are expanded in the two guides above; the rows in this table remain a roadmap for additional deep-dive documents.
Core knowledge: Mobile engineering body of knowledge — platform strategy, architecture summary, app lifecycle, performance, and app store concerns.
Bridge: Mobile Engineering ↔ SDLC ↔ PDLC bridge — how mobile patterns apply across the lifecycle.
Keep project-specific mobile architecture decisions in docs/adr/ and platform documentation in docs/development/, not in this file.