Flutter is an open-source UI SDK (software development kit) created by Google.
Released in May 2017, Flutter was designed to allow developers to develop native applications which can run on mobile devices and even on web browsers using a single codebase. This approach allows for faster development times as it allows developers to focus on developing a single application as opposed to the traditional app development approach which requires a separate codebase for IOS & Android versions.
Having a single codebase also means app maintenance is much easier as developers don’t need to maintain two mobile apps.
Flutter compiles the codebase into native code so it will look and work the same as apps which were developed natively.
Flutter consist of two key features:
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- An SDK which is a set of tools that help you build your application which includes tools to compile the code into native machine code for both IOS & Android.
- A UI Framework which is a collection of reusable user interface(UI) elements which you can reuse and expand on to personalise the app to suit your exact needs.
New technologies often fall short when it comes to documentation which can make developing a slow and arduous process.
The Flutter documentation is great. It’s simple to follow and runs through the entire app development cycle in easy to follow, step by step instructions.
Flutter also has a great developer community which is growing rapidly.
Overall, Flutter is set to become a key player in the app development world.
The beauty of Flutter is the fact that you won’t notice the difference between a Flutter app and a natively developed app.
You will however notice the time saved by developing using a single codebase. Time which you can now spend focusing on other important facets of your business.