What is Flutter?

What is Flutter?

About

• Flutter is an open-source UI software development kit by Google.
• Builds cross-platform apps from single codebase.
• Uses Dart programming language (optimized for UI).
• Implements reactive framework with widget-based architecture.

Main Topics

1. Cross-Platform Development

   • Definition: Single codebase for multiple platforms.
   • Example:

     // Same code runs on:
     // - iOS
     // - Android
     // - Web
     // - Desktop

2. Widget-Based Architecture

   • Definition: Everything is a widget.
   • Example:

     Center(
       child: Text('Hello World'),
     )

3. Dart Programming Language

   • Definition: Optimized for UI development.
   • Example:

     void main() => runApp(MyApp());

4. Skia Rendering Engine

   • Definition: High-performance graphics.
   • Example:

     // Renders directly to canvas
     CustomPaint(
       painter: MyPainter(),
     )

5. Native Performance

   • Definition: Compiled to native code.
   • Example:

     // ARM binary output
     // No interpreter bridge

How to Use

• Development: Write once, deploy anywhere
• UI Building: Compose widgets
• Testing: Single test suite
• Deployment: Platform-specific bundles

How It Works

1. Dart Code → Compiled to native
2. Widget Tree → Rendered by Skia
3. Platform Channels → Native interop
4. Hot Reload → Stateful updates

Example App Structure:

void main() {
  runApp(MaterialApp(
    home: Scaffold(
      body: Center(child: Text('Flutter')),
    ),
  ));
}

Conclusion

Flutter revolutionizes cross-platform development by combining high-performance rendering with a productive developer experience. Its widget-based architecture and single-codebase approach enable beautiful, native-quality applications across multiple platforms with unprecedented development speed.