When working with UserDefaults in a Swift project, you have two options - using the traditional UserDefaults or using the SwiftyUserDefaults library. In this post, we will compare the two and see which one is a better choice for your project.

UserDefaults

UserDefaults is a simple way to store and retrieve user preferences and small amounts of data in your app. It provides a default instance that you can access globally to save and retrieve values using keys. Here is an example of how you would use UserDefaults:

// Saving a value
UserDefaults.standard.set("John", forKey: "name")

// Retrieving a value
if let name = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "name") {
    print("Name: \(name)")
} else {
    print("Name not found")
}

One drawback of using UserDefaults is that it requires you to use string keys for storing and retrieving values. This can lead to runtime errors if you mistype the key name.

SwiftyUserDefaults

SwiftyUserDefaults is a library that provides a type-safe and convenient wrapper around UserDefaults. It eliminates the need to use string keys and provides a cleaner and safer way to work with user defaults.

With SwiftyUserDefaults, you define your preference properties as extensions on a custom type conforming to the UserDefaultsSettable protocol. Here is an example:

import SwiftyUserDefaults

extension DefaultsKeys {
    static let name = DefaultsKey<String?>("name")
}

extension UserDefaults: UserDefaultsSettable {
    public static var defaults: UserDefaults {
        return UserDefaults.standard
    }
}

// Saving a value
Defaults[.name] = "John"

// Retrieving a value
if let name = Defaults[.name] {
    print("Name: \(name)")
} else {
    print("Name not found")
}

As you can see, the keys are now strongly typed and you no longer need to use string literals. This helps catch any typos or mistakes at compile-time.

Another advantage of SwiftyUserDefaults is that it provides support for more complex types, such as arrays, dictionaries, and custom types, without the need for additional boilerplate code.

Conclusion

Although UserDefaults is sufficient for simple use cases, SwiftyUserDefaults offers a more elegant and type-safe way to work with user defaults. It eliminates the need for string keys and provides a cleaner syntax. If you are working on a project that relies heavily on user defaults, SwiftyUserDefaults can be a great choice to improve the readability and safety of your code.

References:

• SwiftyUserDefaults GitHub
• UserDefaults Apple Documentation