Xcode makes my Mac crash

8 GB and an HDD (assumed) is going to be very slow for normal use, and Xcode is not known for being lightweight.

If you do have an HDD, it’s the same issue as this: Why is my hard disk drive iMac so slow? - Apple Community

You can shut off the continuous compilation feature (it’s been discussed before around here, not that I immediately remember the location of the switch) to lighten the load of Xcode, and can switch from what is likely an internal HDD to booting from and using an external SSD.

Maybe Xcode > Preferences > Source Editing > Editing > Code Completion > [all off] ?

The Google apps are not known for sipping system resources, either. Remove those.

Options: clean off everything you absolutely don’t need including the Google apps, any add-on VPN apps, add-on anti-malware apps, add-on cleaner apps, etc., switch off continuous compilation, switch your boot device to an SSD (see link), and see whether this Mac distantly approaches adequate performance.

MrDJ26 wrote:

This is becoming very frustrating because I’m very much trying to focus on app development right now and I’m nowhere near financially ready to purchase a new computer.

Unfortunately, that computer is woefully inadequate for a modern version of Xcode.

Can I do something to get better performance? Am I just wasting my time with this old Mac? If it is able to get the newest software why is it crashing?

To be honest, you are wasting your time with that particular machine. It is notoriously slow. You didn't specify what kind of hard drive you have in it. In addition to having a particularly slow processor, it has an exceptionally slow mechanical hard drive. To add insult to injury, it is one of first modern non-upgradable models. 8 years later, this model keeps on giving - pain.

It doesn't even support Thunderbolt 3, so if you wanted an external boot SSD, you are limited to USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 2.

Plus, the newer models are quite inexpensive. Don't be fooled by just comparing numbers. You could probably get an external, 256GB SSD for about $75. That would be noticeably faster than what you have now. But it would also be 50-100 times slower than a new Mac mini. For $1099 US, you can get a 16 GB mini with 500 GB SSD. How much is each hour of suffering worth?

If the HDD was swapped for an SSD, the bottlenecks are now the processor and the available memory. Particularly if you have the Core i3 that was common. Offloading the load—disabling compilation features, and ~everything else installed—is the remaining path, and it'll still be slow.

Why won't Safari work?

If you have a PC available, can you run the tutorial on the PC and sneakernet the code across?