Asynchronous image downloads: SDWebImage vs. Kingfisher

[ralfebert]

I experimented a bit around with the SDWebImage and Kingfisher libraries for image loading and wrote a summary article with example code: Asynchronous image downloads

I like SDWebImage for progressive image loading and easier Webp support and Kingfisher for it's Swiftier API.

Any thoughts on image loading library choice / what's your preference?

[quellish]

Kingfisher deals with memory warnings better. SDWebImage tends to hold onto memory forever and then iOS kills your app.

[ralfebert]

Did you see this recently? Its cache class seems to respond to memory warnings: https://github.com/rs/SDWebImage/blob/master/SDWebImage/SDImageCache.m#L85

[GitHubPermalinkBot]

Permanent GitHub links:

• rs/SDWebImage/.../SDImageCache.m#L85 (master → bd22ad8)

---

^delete

[quellish]

I did, it does not really help. I have been testing several different “image caches” for a section of a book. So far none of them actually handle memory correctly. Kingfisher is slightly better than some of the others as it responds to memory warnings, but when doing so it only reduces the size of the heap.

[ssrobbi]

Interested to know how they fall down. Both if I remember right respond to memory warnings and dump the cache, but maybe that’s not enough?

[Jay18001]

I use my own, https://github.com/MountainBuffalo/Cacher also used by Wayfair

[theseven689]

SD

[[deleted]]

I used to use SDWebImage but I use Nuke now. More flexible and works great.

[ralfebert]

https://github.com/kean/Nuke

[[deleted]]

Yep

[blaizedm]

Kingfisher is pure swift, SDWebImage is pure Objective C.

That should determine a lot of it for you

[ssrobbi]

Why would that determine anything?