Developers have been betting on Flutter. This framework, created by Google, delivers important tools to simplify and accelerate the creation of native applications for various platforms. But what is Flutter anyway? Below, I will explain more details about this software development kit.
Applications built in Flutter have their code compiled into the base language of an operating system. This means that they become native and are naturally able to access device resources without needing intermediaries, offering better performance.
Apps also use the same codebase. So, if the developer is creating an application for Android and iOS, for example, there is no need to make major changes, saving time and resources.
In addition, Flutter’s native widgets are optimized to decrease time spent testing, ensuring there are little to no compatibility issues with different versions of an operating system.
Google’s software delivers a number of important tools, such as a mobile-optimized 2D rendering engine; an icon library based on Material Design and iOS style; and a command-line editor for building, building, testing, and compiling applications.
Advantages of Flutter
- Cross-platform: Developers can build applications for multiple operating systems;
- Access to native resources: as the applications are native, it is possible to access various device resources more easily (camera, Wi-Fi, storage, etc.);
- Higher performance: Apps deliver higher performance as the source code is transformed into native code;
- Easy to learn: Flutter’s interface is intuitive, allowing developers to build apps without using a lot of code, something that makes learning easier;
- Cost-effective: building applications with the same code base lowers costs, as the developer can create versions for different systems with just one base.
Disadvantages of Flutter
- Relatively new: Flutter brings interesting features, but it is relatively new on the market, having been released in 2017. Frameworks like Xamarin and React Native, for example, are still more consolidated and offer a greater amount of tools;
- The language is not very popular: Dart is a great programming language, but developers often consider other options such as Java or Kotlin;
- Feature Incompatibility: Since Flutter is a Google software, some features are only available for Android. This means that developers of this system are usually more interested in using the framework than iOS developers.
Okay, now you know what Flutter is and you know its advantages and disadvantages.
