The workflow to develop an app for Android is conceptually the same as
for other app platforms. However, to efficiently build a
well-designed app for Android, you need some specialized tools.

This page provides an overview of the process to build an Android app and
includes links to more information about Android Studio tools for each phase of development.  
![](https://developer.android.com/static/studio/images/developer-workflow_2x.png)

1. **Set up your workspace**

   This is the first step of the Android app development process. For more details, see
   the [Android Studio installation page](https://developer.android.com/studio) and the guide to
   [creating a project](https://developer.android.com/studio/projects/create-project).

   Complete a walkthrough with Android Studio and learn some Android development
   fundamentals with the
   [Build your first Android app](https://developer.android.com/training/basics/firstapp) guide.
2. **Write your app**

   Once you have set up your workspace, you can begin writing your app. Android Studio
   includes a variety of tools and intelligence to help you work faster, write quality code,
   design a UI, and create resources for different device types. For more information about the
   tools and features available, see [Write your app](https://developer.android.com/studio/write).
3. **Build and run**

   During the build and run phase, you build your project into a debuggable APK package that
   you can install and run on the emulator or an Android-powered device. For more information
   on how to run your code, see
   [Build and run your app](https://developer.android.com/studio/run).

   You can also customize your build in this phase. For example, you can [create build variants](https://developer.android.com/studio/build/build-variants) that
   produce different versions of your app from the same project, and [shrink your code and resources](https://developer.android.com/studio/build/shrink-code) to
   make your app smaller. For an introduction to custom build configurations,
   see [Configure your build](https://developer.android.com/studio/build).
4. **Debug, profile, and test**

   In this iterative phase, you continue developing your app while eliminating bugs and
   optimizing app performance. For help to debug and optimize your app,
   [test your app in Android Studio](https://developer.android.com/studio/test/test-in-android-studio).

   For more information about debugging, read [Debug your app](https://developer.android.com/studio/debug) and [Write and view logs with Logcat](https://developer.android.com/studio/debug/am-logcat).

   To view and analyze various performance metrics such as memory usage, network traffic, CPU
   impact, and more, see [Profile your app performance](https://developer.android.com/studio/profile).
5. **Publish**

   To prepare your app for release to users, you will need to build an
   [Android App Bundle](https://developer.android.com/guide/app-bundle),
   sign it with a security key, and get ready to publish to the Google Play Store. For more
   information, see the
   [Publish your app](https://developer.android.com/studio/publish).