Static vs. Dynamic Linking: Code Size vs. Flexibility
Static linking bakes library code into your app, creating a large but self-contained executable. Dynamic linking loads libraries at runtime, saving space. This choice impacts app size, launch time, and updates.
Static linking copies library code into your app's final binary, creating a large, self-contained executable. Dynamic linking creates a runtime reference to a library, which the OS loads on demand. This core choice affects app size, launch time, and memory usage. All iOS system frameworks (like UIKit) are dynamic, allowing OS updates to improve apps without developers recompiling. The main footgun: updating a dynamic library with a breaking API change will crash every app that depends on it, making backward compatibility critical.
Read the original → developer.apple.com
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