5 Jetpack Compose Components Every Beginner Should Know (With AI-Generated Examples)

If you're new to Jetpack Compose, you've probably felt overwhelmed. There are hundreds of components. Which ones actually matter for building real apps? After generating 8 complete Android applications using AI, I've noticed something interesting: the same five components appear in almost every app . These aren't advanced patterns. These are the building blocks that make up roughly 80% of what you'll actually use. Here are the five components that carry the weight, with concrete Kotlin examples. 1. Column and Row — The Layout Foundation Everything starts with layout. In Compose, you arrange UI elements vertically with Column and horizontally with Row . Column ( modifier = Modifier . fillMaxWidth () . padding ( 16 . dp ), verticalArrangement = Arrangement . spacedBy ( 8 . dp ) ) { Text ( "Username" ) TextField ( value = "" , onValueChange = {}) Button ( onClick = {}) { Text ( "Sign In" ) } } This declares three elements stacked vertically with 8dp spacing between them. The Column fills