As the world becomes more digitally focused with mobile applications increasing in popularity, there is a significant demand for software tools that can be used to build cross-platform applications quickly and effectively. Regardless of the operating system running on your device, a mobile application should provide you with a seamless user experience. This is where Flutter comes in.
Flutter is a user interface (UI) toolkit developed by Google that is used to develop mobile applications and design user interfaces that are compatible with various screen sizes, aspect ratios and operating systems, including iOS and Android. Flutter gives you the ability to create mobile applications from one codebase that can be applied across many different platforms.
Flutter makes use of prebuilt widgets allowing developers to easily integrate different features such as rows, columns, headers, into their application. These widgets are customizable and can be plugged together allowing for an easy deployment to any platform. Developers are able to adjust widgets according to their needs using only a few lines of code. Flutter consists of two different components, the software development kit (SDK) and the framework. The SDK is a collection of tools that helps a developer build out their application, allowing them to easily convert their code to machine code which is readable on iOS and Android devices. The framework consists of various UI components that can be used to customize an application based on the user’s needs and developer’s requirements.
Flutter uses a programming language called Dart to build applications. Dart is also developed by Google and is solely focused on front-end development for mobile and web applications. Dart is a typed object programming language that allows developers to use variables without defining them, prevents mixing of different variable types and optimizes code so that errors can be easily detected.
Let’s take a look at why Flutter can be beneficial to a front-end developer or product owner. Firstly, Flutter allows you to view changes to your code in real-time. This is known as HotReload. HotReload allows developers to quickly review any updates that they have made to an application. Flutter is an ideal toolkit for start-up businesses that are building minimum viable products (MVPs). Start-ups can save a significant amount of costs by building their applications in Flutter as they would not need to build and maintain an application for both iOS and Android environments separately. Flutter’s widgets can be used to create a meaningful UI for its users that is customizable according to their needs. This allows product owners to focus on user experience, using a noteworthy and flexible architecture regardless of the device that the application is running on. Flutter allows for quick development and time to market through widgets which are reusable and HotReload. HotReloading allows for quick bug fixes and updates in one codebase allowing you to get your application to the market as quickly as possible. If you already have existing business applications, with a quick onboarding, Flutter can be easily integrated with your applications using libraries and submodules. Flutter also comes with extensive documentation and community support.
There are only a few constraints in using Flutter, that being large file sizes, limited third-party libraries and the fact that dart is not as established as Javascript, which is another programming language that can be used for front-end development. However, the benefits to Flutter significantly outweigh its constraints.
If you are looking to build a mobile application, Flutter allows you to do so in the most effective and quick way possible. Meet the needs of your customers using an impressive UI suited to the device and platform that they are using. If you are looking to develop an application for both iOS and Android, Flutter can help you save a significant amount of costs and time since you are working with one cosebase. Regardless of your industry Flutter can help you build powerful applications well-suited to your end user’s needs.
