The need for seamless app development tools is increasing daily in this fast-paced digital environment. Flutter is a renowned open-source UI (SDK) built by Google that transformed into a robust substitute for creating native apps across platforms. It has gathered many eyeballs since its anticipated release.
In this post, we drive into the Flutter world by understanding its core features, benefits & why it has acquired such focus in the app community.
So, let’s get the ball rolling.
With the increase in mobile app development, Flutter has emerged as a vital success element for many businesses worldwide. This cross-platform UI toolkit was 1st launched by YC in 2013, but Google formally acquired & relaunched it for public usage in May 2017.
With its Google roots, Flutter quickly gained popularity and support from one of the most vibrant developer groups. Flutter is open-source, which adds to the positive response it has received since its inception.
As said, “Flutter is an open-source model built by Google for creating native, appealing, multi-platform apps via sole codebase.”
It enables developers to build cross-platform programs that function smoothly across multiple operating systems & devices. Flutter now allows you to create natively compiled Android & iOS apps that use the same codebase. It lowers the need for app developers to write platform-specific code.
Back then, the primary mobile app development languages were Objective C/Swift and Java/Kotlin, and creating an app was both difficult and expensive. For enterprises targeting the two dominant mobile operating systems, the client had to commission the development of two apps, one for Android and one for iOS. It meant not just double the sweat work but also double the costs.
Flutter has effectively resolved this problem. Several cross-platform frameworks exist, but Flutter remains the framework of choice for tech-savvy client developers, corporations, users, and entrepreneurs.
In brief, Flutter is a gold mine of cross-platform app development tools, APIs, frameworks, libraries, and documentation for creating a fully functional app.
As Rich Hyndman and Eric Windmill said, “Firebase and Flutter provide many tools that ‘just work,’ which all apps need. You’d be hard-pressed to search for another match of front-end framework & back-end services that enable creators to build apps quickly without compromising quality.”
As depicted, “Flutter code compiles to ARM or Intel machine code & JavaScript, for enhanced performance on any system.” What are other notable reasons?
In a nutshell, Flutter has quickly gained traction in the app development environment due to its ability to speed cross-platform development while providing excellent user experiences.
The drawbacks of Flutter app development are small when compared to its benefits. They may, however, wreak some havoc if not addressed on time. Let's go over some of the biggest issues you could encounter while developing apps with Flutter:
As Jonathan Johnson writes, “Flutter is a cross-platform creation tool that enables a developer to create one section of code & deploy on the web, iOS & Android.“
Getting started is simple, especially with a few extra tips and tricks. Let’s get to it.
The Flutter installation guide is really helpful, with extensive instructions on how to install Flutter on each operating system:
You must choose the operating system for installing Flutter & adhere to the next steps as mentioned.
It’s a renowned IDE for any programming language, including Flutter. The Flutter addon for VS Code offers multiple Flutter commands to run using VS Code. They are processed through a command line.
On the VS Code marketplace, Flutter assists in speeding up the development methods. It includes:
To build your first Flutter app, open your Android Studio IDE & choose Start a new Flutter project.
After that, click the project type as Flutter app, as shown below -
Next, double-click the Flutter SDK location, mentioning the SDK's path & give a project name.
Then click Next.
Finally, choose Finish & wait for Android Studio to finish your project.
After creating a file, tweak the dart code of apps to portray the desired output.
Flutter is one of the exciting cross-platform for mobile app creation due to its impeccable features & popularity. Let's understand how it looks in 2024!
The flutter community is contributing to the Hummingbird project. A single Android & iOS application development codebase is available if all goes well as decided.
They are working to widen Flutter's abilities beyond mobile apps. The community is planning to create Flutter app features on desktops as well.
The Flutter community has enabled more stable updates in 2023. You can expect advanced IoT tech to be merged with this framework.
The stable Flutter 3.10 version was released on 10 May 2023, with Dart 3.0 assistance. But after 3 months - Flutter is back with the 3.13 version with 55 new contributors & 724 pull requests. It assures exhaustive framework options, from bug resolves to performance modifications.
Besides notable updates, Flutter is compatible with Android 14/API 34. While the latest features are being added to the Android 14 version, Flutter 3.13 has been tested to function seamlessly under varied circumstances.
Recent updates enable greater change, adaptability & advanced possibilities! When you work on app creation using the latest Flutter 3.13, remember that you aren’t coding lines but creating tales, engaging relationships & shaping Flutter trends.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing our way of life & its working. AI is used in mobile development to produce more personalized, engaging, and efficient apps. Being merged with Flutter, AI has the latest transformation occurrence in the developer arena.
Integrating AI in Flutter can improve user experience and allow for the creation of tailored apps with features such as chatbots and voice assistants. It enables data analysis to uplift decision-making. AI in Flutter is incorporated by developers for innovation & stay ahead in the race.
They may create engaging consumer experiences by incorporating AI into Flutter apps. Here are some ways AI is being implemented in Flutter apps:
These are some examples of AI in Flutter apps. We will see even more imaginative and groundbreaking future implementations as AI evolves.
Flutter is unique because it provides iOS and Android development capabilities without requiring a separate codebase for each OS/platform. It is undoubtedly one of the greatest cross-platform frameworks for creating smartphone-compatible apps that act as native apps.
Given Google's ongoing backing and its meteoric rise in popularity in a few years, we can confidently predict that Flutter is here to stay. Flutter is the preferred cross-platform development framework in the new normal, with companies and individual developers wanting to add it to their tech quiver.
Want to start your new project with Flutter? Reach out to MarsDevs. Book a slot today with us!
Flutter is a cross-platform user interface toolkit that allows code reuse between operating systems such as iOS and Android while letting applications interact directly with underlying platform functions.
Flutter is a cross-platform application development framework. Because it works on a single codebase and renders it into native code on each device, Flutter engineers can create native-like applications faster and at lower development costs.
Flutter can be employed to create frontend & backend apps. Most Flutter developers imply them for the former. It’s because Flutter builds visually appealing & interactive UIs.
Flutter is a free, open-source SDK from Google for cross-platform mobile apps.
Widgets are vital in the Flutter framework's hierarchy. It’s got a challenging outline of a UI component & can be infused into elements that overview the render tree.
