Say Goodbye to Fragments: How Jetpack Compose Redefines Modern Android Development (With Examples)

Jetpack Compose can completely replace fragments in modern Android development by providing tools and features that fulfill all the roles fragments traditionally handled, such as UI modularity, lifecycle management, and navigation. Let’s explore how Compose achieves this replacement with detailed explanations and examples.

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1. What Fragments Were Used For

In traditional Android development, fragments were primarily used for:

• Modularizing UI into reusable components.
• Managing lifecycle-aware components tied to the Activity lifecycle.
• Simplifying screen navigation using the FragmentManager.
• Supporting dynamic UI changes (e.g., replacing fragments in a container view).

Compose eliminates the need for fragments by offering declarative and composable UI components, lifecycle-aware APIs, and its own navigation mechanism.

2. How Jetpack Compose Replaces Fragment Functionality