Key Features of Flutter
There was a time when cross-platform mobile app development used to be a problem that was hard to resolve, but with the Flutter UI framework, it all became easy, fast, reliable, and quite flexible. Flutter SDK (Software Development Kit) is Google’s other open-source project. This mere fact allows developers to develop out-of-the-box, dynamic, and native-looking web, mobile application, and desktop applications by incorporating only one codebase. Yes!, you heard that right. Flutter uses the same codebase to develop apps for various platforms. Be it iOS, Linux, Android, or Windows.
Flutter has evolved in several ways, making everyone wonder who will be the ultimate ruler of the cross-platform application market. Since its launch a few years back, it has received appraisals from the world mobile app development community. This community is growing at a rapid pace. Business enthusiasts are making unprecedented efforts to make their presence in the market concerning both Android and iOS in a cost-efficient manner. Hence, there seems to be no other viable choice other than using Flutter. In this article, you are going to be introduced to a bunch of amazing features of Flutter.
Flutter targeted numerous prevailing technological and market challenges and provided up-to-the-mark solutions. All of these happenings encouraged Flutter to emerge as an ideal cross-platform framework for mobile apps development in no time. Not only this, it entered into the list of technologies that top brands work with. Flutter offers a layout of features and functions applicable not only for iOS and Android but also for Linux, Windows, Mac, and Google Fuchsia. And as well as for the WWW (World Wide Web). Let us see what features are there for us to discuss.
Easy to Learn: The website of Flutter offers well-documented and easy-to-understand learning resources for developers or anyone who is beginning to develop apps using Flutter SDK. It is the main reason why flutter remains so popular among the world dev community. Well researched and written documentation that is backed by a massive community makes learning easy, even for a child. For those who have a background in “java” for android app development or most probably “.net” or “c# (c — sharp), getting started with the flutter UI framework is going to be much easier. Because, Flutter uses a “C” like language called “Dart”. Thus, development activities are going to be very similar to developments on “java”.
One codebase: With Flutter, there is no need to write code each time. Meaning, one codebase in Dart is all needed for different platforms. That’s because it offers higher productivity time and an equally robust object-oriented build for both iOS & Android apps. Dart is an object-oriented programming language that is similar to the C language. There is no need to code an entirely new program for slight changes (if any) since it uses hot reload functionality. This feature puts Flutter side by side to the react native framework. Hence, Flutter is reactive and declarative.
Efficient Code Writing and App Testing: Testing features in Flutter are pretty much straightforward. Be it your unit, widget, or integration test. Flutter is best at all levels. Besides that, Flutter also got a cool widget testing functionality where you can create your own widget and test its UI, and then run them at the speed of unit tests. This feature makes Flutter much faster as compared to other native app development environments.
Hot Reloading: This feature is one of the many cool features of Flutter which is making Flutter way popular than other cross-platform SDKs. With this feature, you can view changes in the code instantly. Meaning, you can see your progress side-by-side and fix bugs or make changes within seconds. It also increases your productivity as a software developer. Hot reloading not only allows you to make quick changes but also allows better collaboration between developers and designers.
User-Friendly Interface: User-friendly UI is what one needs in today’s time. It makes things pretty much easy, right? We know. Flutter has an amazing UI where customization of almost anything visible on your startup app is very very easy. From shadows, shapes, and clipping to colors, clipping, or transforming elements, Flutter allows seamless execution of all. Hence, without adding any extra load, it is very easy to develop apps with Flutter.
Easy Set-up and Maintenance: Developing apps with a cross-platform app development process is not as easy as you might hear of or think. It requires more care, attention, and maintenance. But with Flutter, you have nothing to worry about any of those things. Because Flutter uses only one codebase in Dart that is comparatively easy to develop and maintain. And there is no need to run back and forth on the codes. Also, this particular feature of Flutter easily cuts down extra time and costs. Hence, all you have to do is collaborate with developers and build a team to start developing apps.
Google Firebase Support: Google’s Firebase is another web, mobile app development platform. Its integration with Flutter allowed developers to add backend facilities into the development environment very easily.
Rich Widgets and Interactive Materials: Flutter has got many features. This one is the best and important because widgets are what make apps interesting. Flutter has natural-looking, fast to load, and easily customizable widgets to make dynamic designs for an impressive user interface.
Best Suited For MVP App Building: Sometimes it is very hard to put your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) before the interested parties or you can say your investors. With Flutter and its amazing features, your worries are somewhat at their minimum. Because there is no need to develop two separate applications (one for Android and the other for iOS), rather a single codebase will do an awesome job for both. It also cuts down both the time and resources involved. Also, Flutter has no compatibility issues with Firebase and favors backends to build simple MVPs. Thus, Flutter is an ideal choice for the MVP development process if you want to launch apps quickly and show them to your prospective investors. And it takes less time to build a native-looking app for both iOS and Android. This will allow your investors to see value in your MVP and what it looks like. Hence, you will not be wasting much time developing apps for two different platforms.
Serverless Apps: Building serverless apps is a pretty hot topic in recent years. And the hottest thing is that Flutter allows it. You can develop serverless startup apps in record time using Google’s firebase that enables back-end support to Flutter.
User-Friendly Interface
Some Other Benefits of Flutter UI Framework
Fast code development
No need to change the UI and code logic
Flexibility to speed up product development to make a quick entry into the market
Apps built with flutter are the same as native apps
Flutter has its own rendering engine
Incorporating Flutter in the app development process reduces the risk of losing your valuable business information.
Bottom Line
The bottom line here is that there are numerous possibilities with Flutter. From the ease of developing apps to compete in the global app development market. Flutter is the best choice if you are:
In a need to develop iOS and Android apps that are fast, reliable, and with dynamic UI with a wonderful user experience.
Looking to bring a unique Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for budding startups.
Spinning your head around to launch your mobile app in the market quickly.
Whichever is the case, developing mobile apps with Flutter will make you fall in love with it as well. Right from the start, Flutter allows having complete control over various pixels on the device, including widgets offering pixel-perfect interactions on both Android and iOS.
Because of all such benefits, features, and amazing functionalities listed above, bringing your creative ideas into the world is now easy like never before. If budding mobile app development companies or startups opt for Flutter as one of the cross-platform development frameworks, it’s the best thing to do. Because Flutter put aside the struggle of time constraints and tight budgets before startups tried their best to release apps across multiple platforms. And the best thing is that it is powered by Google’s technologies. So, the quality of your product will always be there without worrying much.