Flutter is a popular open-source framework for mobile app development, and it is the best option for creating a Minimum Viable Product - MVP for a mobile app.
Reasons for choosing Flutter for an MVP (short version)
Faster development: Flutter's "hot reload" feature allows developers to make changes to the app and see the results immediately, which speeds up the development process.
Cost-effective: Flutter uses a single codebase for both iOS and Android platforms, which reduces the cost of development.
Good performance: Flutter's widgets are rendered directly by the GPU, which results in smooth and responsive apps.
Large community: Flutter has a large and active community of developers, which means there is a wealth of resources and support available for developers.
Great UI: Flutter's widgets are customizable, which allows developers to create beautiful and unique user interfaces for their apps.
In our article about what are the pros of MVP in Flutter we are making a detailed overview, so you are welcome to read!
Code comparison
Let's compare simple Android app code in Java, Kotlin and Flutter
java
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
TextView textView = findViewById(R.id.textView);
textView.setText("Hello World");
}
}
kotlin
class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
val textView = findViewById<TextView>(R.id.textView)
textView.text = "Hello World"
}
}
And here is an equivalent example of a simple "Hello World" program written in Dart for Flutter:
class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return MaterialApp(
home: Scaffold(
body: Center(
child: Text("Hello World"),
),
),
);
}
}
As you can see, the Kotlin and Java code for Android both use the standard Android framework and follow a similar structure, however Kotlin is more concise with less boilerplate code. On the other hand, the Flutter code in Dart uses the Flutter framework and is structured differently, it uses the MaterialApp widget and Scaffold widget to create the layout and it's more declarative.
Flutter's syntax is more functional but Java and Kotlin coding is more about plain old good OOP
Performance
Flutter is known for its high performance, which is achieved through its unique architecture. Flutter uses a reactive programming model and a reactive-style framework, which allows for smooth and responsive apps.
One of the key features that contribute to Flutter's performance is its use of the Skia graphics engine. This engine is used to render the widgets in the app, and it is able to perform the rendering directly on the GPU, which results in smooth and responsive apps. Additionally, Flutter's widgets are drawn by the engine, which eliminates the need for a bridge between the app and the device's native UI components.
Another aspect that contributes to Flutter's performance is its "lazy loading" feature. This feature allows the app to load only the widgets that are currently visible on the screen, which helps to improve the app's overall performance. Additionally, the framework's "hot reload" feature allows developers to make changes to the app and see the results immediately, which speeds up the development process and allows for quick iterations.
UI
Flutter's UI is one of its key features, it allows developers to create beautiful and unique user interfaces for their apps.
Flutter's UI is built using widgets, which are the basic building blocks of the framework. These widgets are highly customizable, which allows developers to create custom designs and layouts for their apps. Additionally, Flutter provides a large collection of pre-built widgets that can be used to create common UI elements, such as buttons, text fields, and menus.
One of the key benefits of using widgets in Flutter is that they are rendered directly by the Skia graphics engine, which results in smooth and responsive UI. This allows developers to create apps that feel native on both iOS and Android platforms, without the need for a bridge between the app and the device's native UI components.
Flutter also provides a rich set of animations and motion APIs, this allows developers to create smooth and fluid animations that enhance the overall user experience. That allows you to create absolutely custom software - a unique one
In addition, flutter has an extensive collection of pre-designed and customizable widgets and tools for creating responsive layouts, this helps developers to adapt their apps to different screen sizes and orientations.
Key Features
Here are some code examples for some of the key features of Flutter:
Hot Reload:
class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return MaterialApp(
home: Scaffold(
body: Center(
child: Text("Hello World"),
),
),
);
}
}
You can make changes to the code above, such as changing the text of the Text widget, and then press the "hot reload" button in the development environment to see the changes in the app immediately.
Customizable widgets
class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return MaterialApp(
home: Scaffold(
body: Center(
child: Container(
width: 200,
height: 200,
decoration: BoxDecoration(
color: Colors.lightBlue,
shape: BoxShape.circle,
),
child: Center(
child: Text(
"My Custom Widget",
style: TextStyle(
color: Colors.white,
fontSize: 22,
),
),
),
),
),
),
);
}
}
This code creates a custom widget by using a Container widget with a BoxDecoration set to a light blue color and a circular shape. You can customize this widget as you need, change the color, shape, text, etc.
Animations
class MyApp extends StatefulWidget {
@override
_MyAppState createState() => _MyAppState();
}
class _MyAppState extends State<MyApp> with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {
AnimationController _controller;
@override
void initState() {
super.initState();
_controller = AnimationController(
duration: Duration(seconds: 2),
vsync: this,
);
}
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return MaterialApp(
home: Scaffold(
body: Center(
child: AnimatedBuilder(
animation: _controller,
builder: (context, child) {
return Transform.scale(
scale: _controller.value,
child: child,
);
},
child: FlutterLogo(size: 100),
),
),
floatingActionButton: FloatingActionButton(
onPressed: () {
if (_controller.isAnimating) {
_controller.stop();
} else {
_controller.repeat();
}
},
child: Icon(_controller.isAnimating ? Icons.pause : Icons.play_arrow),
),
),
);
}
}
This code uses the AnimationController class to create an animation that scales a Flutter logo. A floating action button is added to the app to control the animation, it can be used to play and stop the animation.
Summary
Flutter is a popular open-source framework for mobile app development that allows for fast development, cost-effectiveness, good performance, a large community, and beautiful user interfaces. It allows developers to create high-performance apps with smooth and responsive UI using its unique architecture, built with a reactive programming model and a reactive-style framework. It also has features such as Hot Reload, Customizable widgets and rich set of animations and motion APIs that make it easy to create beautiful and unique user interfaces. It uses a single codebase for both iOS and Android platforms which reduces the cost of development.