What is .swift?

.swift files contain source code written in the Swift programming language. Developed by Apple, Swift is a powerful and intuitive programming language for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. It is designed to be safe, fast, and interactive.

This quick guide explains when to use .swift files, how to open them on any device, and how to share them instantly with FileXhost.

When to use .swift files

You are building apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV.
You want a modern, safe language that is easy to read and maintain.
You are developing server-side applications (using Vapor or Kitura).
You are writing scripts for macOS automation.

How to open .swift files

Swift files are plain text and can be edited in any text editor. However, Xcode (on macOS) is the primary IDE used for Swift development. On Windows/Linux, VS Code with the Swift extension is a good alternative.

Algorithm details

Swift is a compiled language using the LLVM compiler infrastructure. It compiles to native machine code for the target architecture (e.g., ARM64 for iPhone/Apple Silicon, x86_64 for Intel Macs). It uses Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) for memory management.

Browser & platform support

Direct: Not supported by browsers.
WebAssembly: SwiftWasm allows compiling Swift code to WebAssembly for running in the browser.

Format comparison

Feature	Details
Safety	Eliminates entire classes of unsafe code. Variables are always initialized before use, arrays and integers are checked for overflow, and memory is managed automatically.
Speed	Up to 2.6x faster than Objective-C and 8.4x faster than Python.
Interoperability	Can coexist with Objective-C files in the same project and access the Objective-C API.

How to create swift files

Xcode: File > New > File > Swift File.
CLI: 'touch main.swift'.
Swift Package Manager: 'swift package init' creates a project structure.

How to convert swift files

Compiler: 'swiftc main.swift' creates an executable.
FileXhost: Upload to share source code.

Advantages & disadvantages

Advantages

Modern syntax that is easy to read
High performance (comparable to C++)
Playgrounds allow for interactive coding and testing
Strong support from Apple

Disadvantages

Limited ecosystem outside of Apple platforms (though growing on Linux/Windows)
Frequent language updates in the early years caused breaking changes (now stable)
Xcode is only available on macOS

Tools & software

IDEs

Xcode (macOS), VS Code (Cross-platform), AppCode (Discontinued but legacy)

Interactive

Swift Playgrounds (iPad/Mac)

Server Frameworks

Vapor, Kitura

Frequently asked questions

Can I code Swift on Windows?

Yes! Swift is open source and supports Windows. You can use VS Code with the official Swift extension to write and run Swift code on Windows.

Is Swift only for Apple apps?

Primarily yes, but it's also used for server-side development (Linux) and general-purpose scripting.

What replaced Objective-C?

Swift was designed to replace Objective-C as the primary language for Apple development, offering a more modern and safer alternative.

Technical specs

File type: Code
Extension: .swift
MIME type: text/x-swift, text/plain
Compression: Uncompressed
Max file size on FileXhost: Up to 25 MB per file on the free plan and up to 1 GB on Pro FileXhost accounts.

Upload your .swift file to FileXhost to get a clean, shareable URL in seconds. View the file in a modern browser, protect access with optional settings, and let others download it without any confusing ads or cluttered file pages.

Upload .swift file