What are Optionals

Optionals are one of the staple features of Swift. They're something that appears very, very often during normal iOS development. Much more often than other features such as enums or generics.

However, if you're new to Swift and come from a different programming language such as Python, Ruby, or even Objective-C, then optionals can be daunting. This guide is split up into a basic introduction into Optionals for those new to the subject matter and an advanced guide that will showcase more advanced optional handling for more seasoned developers.

Lets begin by briefly explaining why optionals are even needed.