Swift is a powerful and intuitive programming language developed by Apple for building applications on iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It was introduced in 2014 as a modern alternative to Objective-C, offering a simpler syntax and improved performance. Swift is designed to be safe, fast, and expressive, making it easier for developers to write reliable code. One of the key features of Swift is its emphasis on safety, which helps prevent common programming errors. It includes features like optionals, which handle the absence of values, and type inference, which reduces the need for explicit type declarations. Swift also supports modern programming concepts such as closures and generics, enhancing its versatility for various applications.