The Flutter SDK is one the toolkit that develop by Google. Flutter released for the first time on May 2017. One of the advantages by using Flutter is you can use it to develop an application for mobile Android or iOS, web apps, and desktop in just one base code. So, it’s really going to help us as a developer to maintain the base code.
What is Flutter?
Before we going in depth about Flutter, let’s talk a little bit about development process of the application especially in mobile apps.
Imagine that you are the developer or programmer mobile for Android. Right now, you have an application that popular on Google Play Store with users more than 10 million. Because your application is really popular there a lot people who use iOS that requested your application to available in their platform.
“When is it available in iOS?”. That’s the question you are going to hear as a developer. To answer their question maybe you are going to learn first about how to develop application for iOS or using an outsource. After a while, your application now available for iOS devices. So, right now you have 2 base code one for the Android and the other for the iOS.
Now, have you ever heard Bug before? Bug is an error that happen is application because there is a problem within the logic in the code. Bug can make your application is not working as you expected. For example, the display button not on the expected position or the login button not working as you wish.
So, what happen when a bug is occurred. When a bug is occurred, you as the developer have to make an update on both base code for Android and iOS. What about if there is a lot of bugs, that it’s going to be a daunting task and consume a considerable amount a time for each base code.
Another the crucial problem that always happen to a developer especially in mobile is the screen size. Smartphone manufacture is coming with a lot of different size. As you can see right now, both Android and iOS are coming with different size each year. So, what is the problem?
Screen size on a smartphone is really matter for the developer because you have to think about position of button, text, and a lot of function that will show up on the screen. Not only in the smartphone, the screen also installed on our everyday things for example watch, embedded device even to the refrigerator or our mirror. Screen is everywhere.
Meet Flutter SDK
To solve that problem let’s meet Flutter SDK. Flutter is Google UI toolkit that we can use develop an application based on mobile (Android or iOS), web, and desktop apps with just one base code. This is one the most feature that you as developer is really going to like it.
The simplicity and flexibility to maintenance in base code. Another advantage of using Flutter is about widget. “It’s all widget”. There is a whole of catalog that available that you can use from animation, layout, text, etc. You can learn more about widget by going into their documentation.
Dart is a programming language that develop by Google. Learn dart is mandatory before you diving deep into Flutter. If you familiar or experience with Java or C++ before than learn Dart is going to easy. Below is example using Flutter and Dart to make some simple application using column, text, and centered layout.
Conclusion
Flutter SDK is one the framework that develop by Google. We can say that one the favorite by the developer right now. At the beginning 2021 it has already more than 100k stars on GitHub. The next question is, how is Flutter at the future? I think this framework is going to growing big because of the simplicity and flexibility feature that it has for the developer. Okay then see you in the next article 😊
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