Flutter is an open source framework from Google based on the programming language dart based. It enables the development of natively compiled apps for ios- and android-Devices, web and desktop applications from a single code base.
How Flutter works
The widget as a basic component
A Flutter app is basically a widget, which in turn can consist of many other widgets. In addition to its presentation, a widget itself also contains the logic that defines its behavior. Basic widgets, such as buttons or input elements, are provided by Flutter itself.
A unique rendering technique
Unlike other frameworks, Flutter completely renders its user interfaces with its own engine, which enables better performance and faster development.
To achieve this, Flutter takes up the screen area when you start the app and then draws each widget onto the canvas with its individual status. This process is repeated every time the state of a widget changes. In this way, there is an immediate response to the user's actions.
Using your own engine has many advantages:
Key features of Flutter
Flutter inherently offers simple approaches for implementing impressive animations in apps.
Flutter inherently offers simple approaches for implementing impressive animations in apps.
Hot Reload allows developers to see their changes in real time without having to recompile all code. This significantly speeds up the development process.
Flutter uses its own engine, which ultimately results in better performance, faster development, and fewer errors.
Flutter enables platform-specific design through native widgets for iOS and Android, which enables seamless integration and impressive user experience.
Flutter offers a variety of pre-made widgets to quickly and easily create a user-friendly interface.
Benefits
With its modular widget architecture, Flutter enables the development of small, reusable components, which leads to better structuring and faster development of apps.
Flutter is written in Dart, a modern and typified programming language that enables high speed and efficiency.
One of the key benefits of Flutter is that it compiles to native code, resulting in powerful apps that provide a smooth and responsive user experience.
Flutter allows developers to build apps for multiple platforms, such as Android, iOS, and web, using a single code base.
Flutter offers high development speed through Hot Reload, Dart as a programming language, custom widgets, active community, and comprehensive documentation.
Through open source, the entire source code is public and can be viewed, modified and used free of charge.
Drawbacks
Flutter is a relatively new technology and there are fewer plugins and libraries compared to more established technologies like React Native.
For a cross-platform framework, Flutter runs very well thanks to compilation to native code. Compared to native apps, very complex use cases or animations can still cause performance issues more quickly.
Currently, web support is still in its infancy and has several weaknesses, such as content indexing. However, Flutter gives this feature a high priority, and should they make a breakthrough, it could in turn become one of their biggest strengths.
For developers who aren't familiar with Flutter, there can be a steep learning curve as they get used to the new technology.
Our Conclusion
In summary, Flutter provides a modern and efficient solution for mobile app development that offers unique benefits such as modular and structured architecture, efficient language, and hot reload. While there are some restrictions, such as a smaller community and limited support for third-party libraries, we're convinced that Flutter should be seriously considered for tech-savvy companies looking for a solid app framework or even considering a cross-platform development strategy.