Developer's Guide to Flutter in 2023
Tags: flutter, mobile, softwareengineering, devops
Published: 2023-05-23 08:02:49

In the midst of the first quarter of the 21st century, we witness an abundance of mobile apps. It’s hard to choose the right framework to build your case as there are so many in the market. In this developer’s guide, we will talk about one framework that has gained acceptance by many businesses and that is [Flutter](https://addevice.medium.com/whats-new-in-flutter-3-3c225eb41d51).
This guide to Flutter covers the following topics:

- Why is Flutter a good choice?
- Advantages of using Flutter
- Drawbacks of using Flutter
- How to become a Flutter developer?

## Why is Flutter a good choice?
Here I mention a couple of points. As you work with Flutter, you may notice other advantages that Flutter puts you in a position of.
Firstly, think about this. Why do developers even need to make the effort to learn Flutter? Simply because they want to get hired! Today a lot of businesses prefer Flutter because of the single codebase. So, chances are high that they will get an offer.
Secondly, there is big community support. Flutter’s documentation is also a helpful source of support.
Thirdly, it’s just easy. Flutter is rich with plugins and packages that help developers in their work.
Fourthly, Flutter development is more convenient because of the single codebase.
Finally, it’s just cost-effective. The [cost of the Flutter app](https://www.addevice.io/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-build-a-mobile-app) is much lower than of most other frameworks.

## Advantages of using Flutter
Let’s explore the advantage of using Flutter.
1. **Fast Flutter development**: it’s fast because developers see the changes without having to recompile the entire app. They can quickly experiment with UI/UX changes, fix bugs, and more.
2. **Single codebase**: this means that developers do not need to write separate code for iOS and Android which reduces time and effort.
3. **Native-like performance**: Thanks to its Dart programming language, Flutter has a native-like performance.  Flutter's rendering engine also enables developers to create custom UI components and animations.
4. **Rich set of widgets**: Flutter comes with an extensive set of widgets that can be customized and create complex UI layouts.
5. **Customizable design**: Flutter is rather flexible when it comes to app design. It has an extensive set of widgets and styling options that allow customizing the apps.
6. **Strong community support**: developers use forums, documentation, and online resources for support.
7. **Cost-effective**: naturally, Flutter is more cost-effective than developing separate native apps for iOS and Android.

## Drawbacks of using Flutter
Despite being a super useful choice for mobile application development, Flutter has its own drawbacks. Let’s explore some.

1. **Complex and heavy animations**: Flutter’s rendering engine may struggle with complex and heavy animations.
2. **Challenging for multiple device sizes**: Flutter can be challenging to optimize performance for multiple device sizes. This is especially true for lower-end hardware. So, Flutter development may be problematic for multiple device sizes.
3. **Large application size**: Flutter’s application size can be a concern. This is because the Flutter applications tend to be larger than their native counterparts due to all widgets and libraries which are included in the application’s package.
4. **Platform-specific UI customizations**: It can be challenging to customize the user interface to match the native look. Eventually, this may affect user experience.
5. **Limited tooling support**: Flutter is still a young framework. The development tooling support is still not as mature as with other platforms. As an example, you might think of debugging and testing tools that are not as robust as those with other native development frameworks.

So, if you are a developer or a business that consider using the framework, think about both cons and pros and choose the technology that best fits the needs of your project. In this short guide to Flutter, we mentioned at least some of them.

## How to become a Flutter developer
The good news is that you don’t have to spend tons of money to become a Flutter Developer. For example, you can learn Flutter on a YouTube [channel](https://www.youtube.com/flutterdev). There is now also a good book available that you can use - the [Flutter Apprentice Book](https://www.amazon.com/Flutter-Apprentice-Second-Learn-Cross-Platform/dp/1950325482). Another resource that you can find is the package manager - Pub, where developers from all over the world share their solutions.
So, if you are serious about becoming a Flutter Developer, here are the steps you should take as a starter.

_Step 1:_ **Learn Dart**: The first thing in learning Flutter is to learn its programming language, Dart. Dart is closest to C#. So, if you know, learning the Dart language becomes easier. Dart uses Object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts, so you also need to know these concepts.
_Step 2:_ **Install Flutter and set up your environment**: Flutter’s official website has comprehensive instructions for installing and setting up Flutter on your preferred operating system.
_Step 3:_ **Study material design concept**: If we want to create user-friendly interfaces, it is very important to read [material design rules](https://m3.material.io/). 
_Step 4:_ **Study widget**: Widgets are an indispensable part of Flutter so you need to know them.
_Step 5:_ **Make API calls and add database integration**: As developers, we often create applications that require a backend side. The Pub provides great packages to perform HTTP requests. 
_Step 6:_ **Start building Flutter apps**: There are many resources available online to help you get started.
_Step 7:_ **Join the Flutter community**: Joining the Flutter community is an excellent way to learn from other developers and stay up-to-date with the latest news and trends in the Flutter ecosystem.
_Step 8:_ **Publish your Flutter app**: Once you have built a new Flutter app, you can publish it on the app store. This will also give a valuable experience in the app publishing process.

## Summing up
So, you went through this quick guide to Flutter in 2023. Now it’s time to get more serious and take up the task of learning this incredible framework that will give you not just one job in the market. If you are in search of resources, we have provided some but the good news is that you can find an abundance of such resources on the internet. Happy working with Flutter!