Introduction
As per a 2022 developer report by Statista, Flutter is the most popular cross-platform mobile framework worldwide. Around 46 percent of software developers use Flutter. Also, as of January 2023, there are more than 700,000 apps in the Play Store made with Flutter. Out of every five new apps on the Play Store, one is built using Flutter. It’s more popular than all other cross-platform frameworks combined.
What is Flutter?
Created by Google, Flutter is a free, open-source user interface software development kit. Flutter is used to build beautiful, natively compiled, cross-platform applications from a single codebase. It is compatible with all browsers including any web browser, Fuchsia, Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. First described in 2015, Flutter was released in May 2017.
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Flutter Architecture
Flutter architecture is a combination of layers and components that help developers create cross-platform applications. Its layered system has many independent libraries built upon the layer below. Next, Flutter apps are packaged like native applications for the underlying operating system. Further, Flutter offers two sets of widgets: Material Design (for Android) and Cupertino Style (for iOS). Its rendering model ensures high-quality visuals across platforms. Moreover, Flutter embraces a reactive user interface approach. The components of Flutter extend their reach to the web, allowing developers to build web applications using the same codebase. Flutter architecture enables developers to create expressive, performant apps across platforms and at the same time, maintain code reusability and flexibility.
What is Flutter used for?
Flutter is used to develop web, mobile, and desktop applications. It is a flexible framework that enables you to create high-performance apps for different platforms from a single codebase. Moreover, with Flutter, you can create native-looking user interfaces, handle networking, and include various appealing features such as camera, location, and sensors. Its efficiency to provide same experiences across platforms makes it in demand for cross-platform app development. Additionally, Flutter has a faster development cycle and features like hot reloading which makes it effective for prototyping and iterating on app designs. Flutter is used for various applications, such as:
- Developing mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Web apps used on different browsers
- Desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) for improved web experiences
- Embedded systems and Internet of Things (IoT) applications
- Interactive gaming experiences
- Large-scale business and enterprise applications
- E-commerce sites
Flutter Use Cases for Entrepreneurs
| App | Industry |
|---|---|
| Google Stadia | Gaming |
| Google Ads | Campaign Management |
| Google Assistant | Voice Assistant |
| Reflectly | Meditation |
| Alibaba’s Xianyu | E-commerce |
| Groupon | Deals |
| eBay Motors | Vehicle Marketplace |
| Tencent apps | Various Apps |
| Hamilton Musical | Entertainment |
| Philips Hue apps | Smart Home Lighting |
| inKino app | Movie Showtimes |
| Cryptomaniac Pro | Cryptocurrency |
| Flydirekt app | Flight Search |
| Birch Finance | Financial Management |
| NuBank | Digital Banking |
| Coach Yourself | Meditation |
| Insight Timer | Meditation |
| Hookle | Social Media Management |
Features of Flutter
- Fast and Real-time Decentralized Exchanges: Flutter’s speed and real-time capabilities make it ideal for building decentralized exchanges like Cryptograph. These exchanges require quick transactions and instant sharing of data across the blockchain, and Flutter excels in delivering such features.
- Simplified Payment Methods: Google’s own Google Pay uses Flutter to create affordable payment apps. It can drastically lessen development time and maintenance efforts.
- In-built Widgets for Journaling Applications: Flutter has widgets make it easy to create user-friendly journaling apps like Reflectly and PUSH Pro, allowing developers to quickly deploy and customize interfaces.
- Smart Home Interconnectivity: With Flutter, developers can build apps that offer seamless customization and control of internet-connected devices in a user’s home, similar to the Philips Hue app.
- Music Platforms: Flutter provides packages like flutter_audio_query and audio_manager for building music platforms with functionalities like music playback and volume control.
- Captivating Booking Apps: Flutter’s flexibility allows developers to create adaptive designs that look great on any screen size, making it perfect for booking and travel applications.
- Reliable Games Development: Flutter’s cross-platform capabilities make it a reliable choice for game development, helping developers save time and effort while delivering continuous updates.
- Efficient Banking and Mobile Wallet Apps: Flutter enables feature parity, streamlined UI, and rapid development, making it suitable for creating secure and user-friendly banking and mobile wallet apps.
- Innovative Social Networking Applications: Flutter can be used to build social networking platforms with shared Dart codebases, cutting down on development time and costs.
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Conclusion
Despite being a relatively new framework, the demand for Flutter has surged due to its cross-platform development capabilities. As businesses increasingly focus on mobile app development, the demand for skilled and proficient Flutter developers has risen substantially, pointing to a promising future for Flutter’s growth in the industry. If you are a Flutter Developer looking for jobs that match your talent, sign up with Olibr now to learn more!
FAQs
Flutter is primarily used for front-end development. It is a UI toolkit that allows developers to build natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop platforms.
In Flutter, form validation can be implemented using the TextFormField widget. The validator property of the widget helps define a function that validates the user input.
No, Flutter is not only for UI. While its core strength lies in building beautiful and responsive user interfaces, Flutter also offers access to native device features and APIs, allowing developers to implement complex functionalities beyond UI.
Flutter and Java serve different purposes. Flutter is a UI toolkit for building cross-platform applications, whereas Java is a general-purpose programming language. The choice between them depends on the specific requirements of the project and the target platforms.
Flutter uses Dart as its programming language. Dart is developed by Google and is designed for building high-performance, scalable applications with a focus on ease of use.
Flutter uses Dart as its programming language. Dart is developed by Google and is designed for building high-performance, scalable applications with a focus on ease of use.
Flutter online compilers are tools that help you to write and run Flutter code directly in your web browser. DartPad, CodePen, CodeSandbox, and Replit, are some Flutter online compilers and editors. You can also use FlutLab, a modern Flutter online IDE, to create, debug, and build cross-platform projects.
There are many top Flutter app development companies that hire developers for Flutter app development. Some of these are Cleveroad, Droids on Roids, Cheesecake Labs, JPloft Solutions, Hyperlink Infosystem, and Konstant Infosolutions.
