Flutter Basics: why use Flutter for mobile app development

Mobile app development is an ever-evolving space, and it can often be difficult to keep up with the latest trends. Flutter is a platform that has quickly gained in popularity as a tool for developing mobile apps. But why use Flutter? What makes it different than other mobile app development frameworks and platforms? In this blog post, we will dive into the basics of Flutter and discuss why developers are embracing the platform for their projects. We'll look at how Flutter works and the key benefits of using it for mobile app development. By the end, you should have a better understanding of what makes Flutter such an attractive option for your next project.

What is Flutter?

Flutter is an open-source mobile application development framework created by Google. It is used to develop applications for Android and iOS from a single codebase.

Flutter is based on the Dart programming language and uses the Skia graphics library. It was first announced at the Google I/O conference in May 2017, and its first stable release was in December 2018.

Flutter provides a fast and expressive way to develop native apps that look natural on each platform. Flutter's hot reload feature helps you quickly and easily experiment, build UIs, add features, and fix bugs faster. You can also extend your app with custom plugins written in Dart or use any of the existing plugins available on pub.dev.

What are the benefits of using Flutter for mobile app development?

When it comes to mobile app development, there are a few different approaches that you can take. You can develop native apps using the platform-specific SDKs provided by Apple and Google, or you can use a cross-platform framework like React Native or Flutter.

Flutter is a relatively new framework created by Google that allows you to create cross-platform mobile apps with a single codebase. In other words, you can write one app that will run on both iOS and Android devices.

Flutter has a lot of benefits over other frameworks, including:

• Increased Efficiency: With Flutter, you don't have to worry about maintaining two separate codebases for iOS and Android. This means that you can develop your app faster and more efficiently.
  

• Less Code: Because Flutter uses Dart - a language that is easy to learn and read - you can get away with writing less code overall. This makes your code more readable and easier to maintain in the long run.
  

• Hot Reload: One of the best features of Flutter is hot reload, which allows you to make changes to your code and see those changes reflected in real time on your emulator or device. This makes development faster and easier as you don't have to constantly rebuild your app every time you make a change.
  

• Beautiful UI: Flutter provides a set of pre-built widgets that allow you to create beautiful, responsive user interfaces with

How to get started with developing a Flutter app

If you're looking to get started with developing a Flutter app, there are a few things you'll need to do first. Firstly, you'll need to download and install the Flutter SDK. Once you have the SDK installed, you can then open up an IDE or text editor of your choice and create a new Flutter project.

Once you have a project set up, you'll need to add some code to it. The best way to learn how to code in Dart (the language used for developing Flutter apps) is by reading through the official Dart documentation. Once you feel confident enough in your Dart skills, you can start building out your app's UI using the Widget library provided by Flutter.

Building a Flutter app is relatively simple once you know the basics of Dart and the widget library. If you're looking for more guidance on how to get started, check out our other article on building a basic chat application in Flutter.

Alternatives to Flutter

Although Flutter is a great option for mobile app development, it is not the only option. There are a few other frameworks worth considering, each with their own set of pros and cons.

React Native is a popular framework created by Facebook. It uses JavaScript and React to create native apps for iOS and Android. One advantage of React Native is that it comes with a large amount of built-in components, which can save development time. However, some developers find React Native's syntax to be confusing.

Xamarin is another cross-platform framework that can be used to develop native apps for iOS, Android, and Windows. Xamarin uses the C# programming language, which may be more familiar to some developers than Dart (Flutter's language). However, Xamarin requires a license from Microsoft, which could make it more expensive to use than Flutter.

Ionic is a framework that can be used to create hybrid apps - apps that are not quite native but also not web-based. Ionic apps are developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript/TypeScript. Ionic has been around longer than Flutter and has more features and plugins available. However, Ionic apps can sometimes run slower than native apps developed with other frameworks.

Conclusion

Flutter is a powerful tool for building mobile apps, and its advantages make it an attractive option for developers looking to create cross-platform applications. Its speed and ease of use, along with its wide range of features, makes Flutter an ideal choice for app development. With more and more businesses turning to mobile apps as their primary platform for customer engagement and interaction, Flutter has the potential to revolutionize how companies build user experiences in the future.