Mobile app development is a challenging task that requires expertise and skillset along with the latest frameworks that work wonders in terms of speed and performance. With the increased competition of mobile apps in the market, developers adapt mobile app frameworks that help to create the latest apps with quick time to market. Out of which, Flutter is one of the top leading choices among mobile app development company in India.
Now, let’s explore what basically is Flutter before diving deep into the main talk.
What is Flutter?
In 2017, Google developed Flutter, an open-source UI Kit to help developers build cross-platform apps with the use of a single code base. Flutter uses the Dart programming language which is the most simple, fast, and easy to compile. It supports multiple platforms including Linux, Android, macOS, iOS, Windows, and Google Fuchsia. The code is written once and used everywhere for creating different mobile, web, embedded, and desktop applications. Developers can quickly create flawless applications with the help of Flutter SDK which incorporates pre-written codes, ready-to-use, and customizable widgets, libraries, tools, APIs, and documentation.
Flutter contributes towards building today’s modern and advanced apps that are on-trend including gaming apps, on-demand apps, photo editing apps, speech, and face recognition apps, and much more. Many good firms such as Google, eBay, Alibaba group, Emaar, Sonos, BMW, etc. have utilized Flutter for building their mobile apps.
What are the top 9 advantages of Flutter?
The following are the top nine advantages of Flutter for mobile app development.
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Multiple open-source packages
Flutter offers numerous free open-source packages that enable developers to add creative features and functions of their choice to the mobile app. Different open-source packages such as Flutter Ecommerce, path_provider, image_picker, firebase_core, Frideos_flutter, loading animations, and many other packages are available on the Flutter platform. Flutter helps many organizations and developers to learn and grow with the ever-emerging population of developers who actively contribute to the platform. The extensive documentation and community support provided by Flutter help developers with any issues they encounter during the development.
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Single codebase
Organizations choose a framework with a short development time in order to get their app launch faster on the market quickly. As a cross-platform framework, Flutter saves a lot of time, development cost, and developer’s effort when developing new code versions. The code is only written once and can be used on a variety of platforms. Because of a single code base, the application’s design, speed, and quality can be swiftly upgraded. Developers may witness their app’s UI altering in less than a second by using the one-click or file-saving option. The Flutter framework’s functions and fields allow developers to rapidly see the results of their modifications.
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Custom-rendered widgets
Flutter provides native interfaces with many custom-rendered widgets. Flutter offers two sets of widgets: Material Design and Cupertino widgets, which ensure a smooth experience across all platforms by working together. Apple-styled icons are used to create the default icons asset for Cupertino widgets. By utilizing flutter widgets, developers can easily include all critical platform differences such as navigation, fonts, icons, and scrolls. The widget-based technology of Flutter allows developers to easily apply the OOP concept to any element and customize or modify widgets. You can create apps with modern UI, fascinating styling, and animated user interfaces by managing each visual detail.
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Hot-reloading
The most trending and unique feature offered by Flutter is known as hot-reloading, where developers can see changes made to code instantly. The changes or updates made in the app are available on both the designer side and developer sides. The code changes are presented to both the developer and designer sides. They can view the new code changes without restarting the app, which allows them to focus on scalability while working on a cross-platform application. One of the most important advantages of hot reload is that it allows developers to make changes to parts of the app that don’t fit in with the rest of the app.
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Easy testing
As flutter uses a single codebase across different platforms, the testing is much easier and quicker as compared to other frameworks. Testing is used to ensure compatibility across different devices. Flutter runs tests on various browsers versions to identify defects or bugs in the apps. The testing process of Flutter is easy, firstly the flutter test dependency is added. Secondly, the unit test file and widget test file are created, and lastly, the commands are used to run the test. Widget testing is essential for ensuring that UI components are functioning properly. The use cases are created once and then used across all platforms, including iOS, Android, and the web.
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Pixel rendering
The pixel rendering functionality of Flutter allows developers to convert a hierarchy of widgets into actual pixels painted on a screen. A layer of abstraction is created over the underlying native iOS and Android UI libraries in order to clear up pixel rendering on each device. Flutter aids in the reduction of abstractions. Furthermore, Flutter’s visuals are created by compiling Dart code into native code. Skia, a 2D open-source graphic package, is also used for pixel rendering.
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Community support
Flutter has powerful community support from Google and other well-known firms because of its consistency and reliability across different development platforms. Flutter is used by Google itself for creating beautiful robust apps that show that it’s here to stay for a long period. Flutter constantly publish codes and videos that assist developers in creating next-generation cross-platform applications. Beginners can also effortlessly learn and code on the Flutter platform with the help of the help from the team.
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Easy integration with firebase
Firebase is a NoSQL Backend-as-a-Service platform that allows you to create a cross-platform API with little setup. Developers may quickly establish a customized server for secure communication using Firebase. Because the flutter platform is very compatible with BAAS, it can be readily connected with Firebase. Integrating flutter with firebase allows developers to quickly manage analytics, crash reporting, and databases.
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Supporting MVP
Minimum Viable Products (MVP) is a small and easy-to-launch product that mainly represents the basic functions and features of an application. It is used to collect feedback and test the concept of the app. Flutter supports MVP for medium-sized apps that need to be updated and changed frequently. Moreover, an MVP built on Flutter offers an exceptional user experience and is compatible across various platforms. This will attract a large number of investors, allowing them to support your business.
Final words
Flutter is making a huge contribution to the success of mobile apps. Mobile apps built on the Flutter platform have excellent performance, speed, and efficiency. Moreover, the app has amazing features, functionality, and a native look like feel and appearance. Flutter has emerged in the mobile app industry as one of the top leading app development frameworks that have numerous advantages. It’s the best choice for building outclass cross-platform applications with a single codebase.