Flutter, an open-source software development kit, is a creation of Google. First released as Sky which ran on the Android OS, it was later released as Flutter two years later in 2017. This application framework based on Dart language is the preferred choice for cross-platform app development dominating with 40% of the market share.
What makes Flutter popular?
Even though React Native is popular among developers, Flutter app development has managed to solve some pressing problems left unresolved for long. With the reusable UI interfaces, the ready-to-use widgets, the Hot Reloading, the Dart language ease-of-use, a robust rendering engine, Flutter has everything going right in the field of hybrid app frameworks.
What makes it the popular choice? Here, we have listed ten Flutter app development benefits.
Flutter app development benefits for developers.
1. Open source single codebase language
Flutter, by Google, is an open-source software development toolkit that allows developers to code once and use them on different platforms. This means the same code can be used both in iOS and Android using frameworks that will be compiled into native mobile apps. Flutter is a layered system comprising the framework, the engine, and platform-specific embedders. The backbone of its graphical capabilities is the Skia library. The Flutter applications are written in Dart programming language and the engine in C/C++.
What makes Flutter better than other cross-platform frameworks such as React Native and Xamarin is that its User Interfaces are also platform-agnostic (due to the Skia rendering engine) and don’t require any platform-specific UI components.
2. Easily accessible tools and extensions
Flutter uses Dart language for programming. Google has used it to replace JavaScript. So, if any developer is experienced in JS, Dart is easy to pick up. The default toolchain already has the functional plugins. You can also find a library in the pub.dev to use in your project. And more importantly, it is easy to create plugins required for the project to expand its functionality
3. Easy development through Hot Reload
Its Hot Reload feature helps developers to make changes in the code and see its results immediately. Though most of the code changes can be quickly hot reloaded, some of them may require a restart. Nevertheless, with Flutter app development, coders can fix bugs and errors with ease. They can coordinate with the designers and testers on the UI/UX to eliminate the possibility of errors thus reducing the development time. On the contrary, native mobile app development needs to be built from scratch, and implementing changes requires time and effort.
4. Rendering engine for a stable framework
Flutter has its own rendering engine that allows developers to create similar user interfaces on both iOS and Android platforms. Also, any updates in the operating systems or system customization don’t affect the Flutter apps.
Flutter has a fast-growing toolkit, but its API and development approach still remains the same. This allows developers to reuse the old codes to create new apps without having to worry about version compatibility.
5. Reusable custom widgets
Flutter is actually a combination of ready-to-use widgets that are used by developers for Flutter app development. These widgets in the form of fonts, colors, buttons, menus, and other elements can be mixed and matched to create complex or custom apps. In short, widgets help developers to build the app without having to write code from scratch. Flutter has an array of ready-to-use widgets which can be used to create different designs following the best practices. Developers can never go wrong in using these pre-designed widgets and it helps them save time.
Flutter app development benefits for businesses
6. Flutter app development benefits for businesses
Flutter’s built-in widget catalog has visually exciting application elements that focus on delivering high-performance user interfaces. Creating them is easy with these widgets as you can mix any of the multiple components to create complex or unique interfaces. Moreover, Flutter is directly compiled into native code with no interpretation steps. Whereas other frameworks such as React Native require bridges between their code and native elements, Flutter does not require additional processing steps thus increasing load speed and performance.
7. Native feel and performance
A benefit of going for Flutter app development is that businesses generally do not need complex apps when compared to apps such as gaming. They do not need complex logic modules, high computational speed, or exceptionally high-quality graphics. So with Flutter, you design a simple, stable, and fast mobile app.
Flutter has the Skia 2D graphics library that aids in good-quality UI app designs. Similarly, server requests, platform API, and file handling in Flutter do not affect its performance. Also, Dart and hot reloaded compilation ensure the speed and performance match that of native apps.
8. For scalability
Flutter uses Google’s Firebase application in the backend. It provides real-time database updates and ensures that the data syncing is fast. It also optimizes the number of updates required for syncing by minimizing it thus not overtly impacting its loading speed or performance. Flutter allows developers to add features in the app or increase the user base in the future and it still performs great. This feature helps businesses to easily scale their apps whenever needed.
9. Cost-effective
Flutter allows creating one code for both iOS and Android operating systems which significantly reduces the time taken to develop separate apps. Businesses do not have to spend on hiring resources to write codes separately for different operating systems. You can hire reliable Flutter app development services thus saving time and money. Also, you can look forward to creating an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to try and test it on the audience before you commit to a comprehensive native or cross-platform app.
10. Faster deployment
As we have mentioned earlier, a cross-platform app means you have the benefit of a single code for different mobile operating systems. But what makes the Flutter app development stand out from other frameworks is that it accelerates the app creation process further. It has its own rendering engine, its toolkit is efficient, and it uses the Dart programming language for coding that is easy-to-use making the Flutter framework the preferred choice for hybrid apps. All these contribute to quick app building and deployment. Thus businesses can launch their apps faster to the market to get value out of it.
Conclusion
Google created Flutter to resolve the intricacies and inconveniences of JavaScript. It is the preferred choice today for businesses when they require a cross-platform app. For sure, Flutter app development benefits both developers and businesses.
At Houston IT Developers, we provide Flutter app development services complete with app design, development, testing, and deployment. If you want to give your customers the delight of better shopping experiences, it is high time you use the Flutter app development kit for your mobile app.
