Flutter: Cross-Platform Apps in Open Source
In light of the fact that apps have become the central element in any mobile device, Google decided to create a framework that would allow for relatively easy development of apps for all existing types of systems. Flutter was founded in 2017 by Google, and since its official launch in 2018, it has been used as a framework for creating mobile, web, and desktop apps.
Flutter allows developers to create apps for a variety of platforms simultaneously, including Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS and Mac, Microsoft’s Windows, Linux, and more. In addition, Flutter comes with full support for Google’s future operating system, which is expected to replace Android, Fuchsia.
Native applications
The word “Native” means an application that is separately compatible with each of the app stores, Google or Apple (it is “natural” for the standards required in each store). This requires double investment to create an application that meets the conditions of each store.
Cross-platform applications
Cross-platform applications allow you to create a user experience similar to that of a native application – but using one code, instead of working in a dual way. Flutter is an application development interface that works on the basis of this method, as well as other interfaces (see below).
Hybrid applications
In this case, we are talking about web sites that are dressed on top of the structure of a mobile app, and thus the site looks and behaves like an app for all intents and purposes. However, in the end it is a website with the same limitations of a site compared to an application.
PWA
Progressive Web Apps – just as their name suggests – are also not real mobile applications (like hybrid applications). These are more advanced sites compared to regular sites, and this is because they look and behave exactly like an app when used on mobile. It is worth knowing that Google itself has been promoting the use of PWA for some time.
From the short comparison we made here, it follows that the most efficient and economical thing to do, in order to build a real application that will fit all types of systems in the shortest possible time – is to use the Cross-platform method. We will explain why right away.
Flutter: Built-in Cross-Platform Development
In the past, developers were forced to create separate applications for Google and Apple. Today, we are light years away from those medieval times. No longer do we have to develop separately for separate systems with different requirements, which also resulted in double development time and double financial investment. Instead, we have interfaces that allow us to “inject” the application into any system from a single source (such as Flutter, for example).
Since its inception, Flutter has gone through several stages and versions. The latest version was Flutter 2.0, which was released on March 3, 2021. Flutter allows you to develop applications in a dedicated programming language called Dart, also developed by Google in 2011. Dart was developed to replace JavaScript for application development, and it allows developers to create native, beautifully designed, and super-fast applications for mobile and desktop.
Additional Cross-Platform Development Frameworks
Today, there are a number of older and dedicated frameworks for developing cross-platform applications, including React Native from Facebook, Xamarin from Microsoft, and Ionic. These frameworks are all well-established and do the job, but the main difference between them and Flutter is that the latter was designed from the start as a cross-platform development framework.
For example, the development foundation in Flutter is based on pre-built widgets that were programmed by Google. The widgets are pre-adapted to each of the different development environments – Android, Apple, Windows, and so on – and essentially save you the trouble of dealing with the issue. This way, you get cross-platform capabilities that are already built into the framework, and all you have to do is build on them.
Another difference between React Native and Flutter (besides the fact that the latter was designed from the start for cross-platform development) is that the first framework requires you to maintain three types of files (HTML, JS, CSS), while the second framework only requires you to maintain one file (Dart). This is a significant time savings, including a variety of specially built test environments – Unit Tests, Widget Tests, Integration Tests. These testing environments (which do not exist in Facebook or Microsoft) allow you to test the application effectively and quickly, in order to release a finished product in record time.
In order to make it worthwhile to work with Flutter, Google has ensured that it has a number of clear advantages in the performance department. The first advantage is the development of mobile and desktop applications at half the usual development costs, as they are reflected in other frameworks. This is in addition to the fact that development costs are also significantly saved, as already mentioned earlier.
Another advantage is real-time development through an innovative feature called Hot Reload. This feature allows you to instantly reflect any change in the code in a visual, easy-to-understand way (instead of having to wait for an update and reload every time). The platform also provides high quality design, graphics, and animation at 60 frames per second (60 FPS), unlike other Cross Platform technologies that force developers to compromise in this regard.
Open Source Community
It is not for nothing that Flutter has become the preferred platform for many developers, as well as the Dart language, which is one of the programming languages that is developing at the fastest pace today. This is evidenced by the abundance of projects being carried out in the framework, as well as the communities that have been created around it and around the Dart language. Just like in open source sites such as WordPress and others, Flutter’s open source community offers ready-to-use plugins that are updated frequently and significantly shorten the way to creating native applications.
One of the most prominent communities in Israel is “Flutter Israel”, which also operates a dedicated website, a Facebook page, and a YouTube channel. In addition, of course, you can find the original Flutter from Google on the flutter.dev website, including a YouTube channel with tutorials and explanations, alongside another community on GitHub.
