Google’s Flutter was sharing consistent searches and demand until March 2018 when the beta version of Flutter was launched. You can see a little spike near March 2018.
So, why is it gaining so much attention?
Let’s discuss what it is and why developers are looking forward to using it:
What is Google Flutter?
At the Mobile World Congress of 2018, Google announced the launch of the beta version of Google’s Flutter – a cross-platform mobile app development framework.
Flutter is an open-source mobile app development SDK, which is used to develop mobile apps for both- Android & iOS.
Flutter is developed with the inspiration on React. But, after the Mobile World Congress 2018, you can see a great demand for Flutter compared to React.
Flutter is written in the Dart programming language.
Now, what is Dart? Haven’t heard of it? Let’s discuss.
What is Dart?
Dart is a programming language originally developed by Google. It is used to develop web, server and mobile apps, and also for IoT devices.
The Dart programming language has many benefits and that helps Flutter to flourish the mobile apps and IoT devices.
It is very easy to learn and compiles using JavaScript. Also, it is very similar to Java and C#. So, if you are a developer who loves Java and C#, it will be easy for you to learn and apply Dart programming language to your apps.
Now, let’s discuss why you should use Flutter.
What are the benefits of Flutter?
1. High Speed Development
Like we discussed in our last article on ways to grow enterprise leveraging React Native, most businesses find it difficult to get their high-quality mobile apps developed faster. But using React Native, they can.
And, as Flutter is inspired by React, it is mainly developed to speed up the mobile app development process for iOS and Android.
2. Hot Reload Feature
The most attractive benefit of using Flutter is its Hot Reload Feature. This is quite similar to what React Native does.
The Hot Reload feature helps the developers to inject the updated source code in the running Dart Virtual Machine (DVM). So now, you can see the updated features on the app within a second, which was not the case earlier with Android Studio.
So, if you are looking to fix the bugs or build UIs, all can be done quickly and easily with the help of Flutter’s Hot Reload Feature.
3. Built-in Material Components & Cupertino (iOS-flavor) Widgets
While talking about Flutter, Material Design is unavoidable.
During Google I/O 2018, the software engineers from Flutter and Material Design showcased how to develop the apps using both which are expressive, enhanced, and a delightful experience for the developers.
Material Design and Cupertino are set of visual, behavioral and motion-rich widgets that make the apps look beautiful both on Android and iOS devices respectively.
4. Built-in animation library
Nowadays, we all love animations in the apps as it looks beautiful and improves the user experience.
Flutter comes with an animation library that works on building well-designed animations that make the mobile app look a polished one.
5. Rich 2D GPU-accelerated APIs
Flutter uses 2D GPU-accelerated APIs which makes the app animations look faster, smoother and cleaner.
And, the rich 2D GPU-accelerated APIs offers rich UI and UX. So, when you look at the app developed using React Native and an app developed using Flutter, you can actually notice the difference of rich UI in the Flutter apps.
So, animations look awesome with Flutter compared to React Native.
6. Simpler setup process than React
The setup process of the apps takes a longer period of time usually.
But, using Flutter, it is easier, quicker, and simpler to set up the application compared to React Native.
7. Flutter Doctor- creating useful bug reports
Flutter Doctor is a command of Flutter that helps to find out the bugs or exceptions, an application is having.
So, using the following command, you can find out the problems with your actual application easily and quickly using the following command-
$ flutter doctor
8. Check compliance with design standards
Flutter takes complete control over each and every pixel on screen of the devices. This means, that Flutter uses widgets that make sure that the design of the app on a particular OS is up-to-date and conform to the design standards.
So, there are widgets for both the operating systems- Android and iOS which ensures the compliance with the respective OS design standards and the appropriateness of the design across all the devices.
Adding to this, Flutter allows developers to create their own custom widgets which help in mixing the design standards of both Android & iOS.
9. Powering experimental Fuchsia OS
Flutter comes with a framework to utilize Google’s Fuchsia OS.
What is Fuchsia OS?
Google calls the Fuchsia OS as the modular, compatibility-based OS. It is also said to replace Android and Chrome OS. So, soon you would be able to see Fuchsia OS running on Google’s smartphones and laptops.
Well, Fuchsia OS is written using Flutter SDK and soon we will be able to see a few chunks of it on our devices.
Why Should You Care About Flutter?
Flutter is an inspiration from React. But, it offers high-quality user interface and user experience compared to React.
So, it is expected to see more demand in the coming months as it has been announced grandly during the Mobile World Congress 2018.
Also, looking at the benefits, it seems that developing IoT devices that run on both the platforms will support Flutter to be successful.
Should You Learn Flutter?
Absolutely Yes!
Any new SDK needs to be tried and tested before giving them a review. Every developer should learn it and experience it on how better Flutter is, compared to its inspiration, React.
Learning, experiencing and sharing makes the development community better. So, you should definitely give it a try to learn if you are a developer.
And, if you are an organization looking to try Flutter in your app development project, let’s discuss your idea and make it a success.
