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.