The craze of “web apps” is waving high and every business wants to surf higher on these waves than their counterparts.
Why Web Apps?
Well, in a study conducted by the top 30 PWAs report, web applications boast over 35% higher conversion rate compared to native applications.
Despite the extensive time spent on mobile devices, desktops remain favoured for their perceived security and superior user experience.
But not every organisation is fortunate enough! Developing a web app requires extensive research, especially the right framework!
In the year 2022, Flutter, Google’s software development kit, emerged as the dominant force in cross-platform technology, surpassing its main rival, React Native, and officially claiming the leadership position.
Planning to use Flutter for web apps? Let’s dive in!
Overview of Flutter
Flutter, Google’s versatile UI library, allows developers to craft native, high-performance applications across various platforms including desktop, web, and mobile, all from a single codebase. Utilizing the Dart programming language, Flutter seamlessly blends Cupertino and Material Design to deliver visually appealing user interfaces that feel native and adapt effortlessly to any device.
One of Flutter’s key advantages lies in its code reuse capabilities. If you’ve already developed a mobile app using Flutter, you can leverage the same codebase to build your web application without the need for extensive rework. This means you can maintain consistency in logic, UI elements, and layouts across platforms, enhancing developer productivity significantly. Additionally, due to the inherently simpler nature of web applications compared to mobile apps, leveraging Flutter for web development can streamline the process and expedite time-to-market.
Speaking of popularity, Flutter has over 159K stars on GitHub (January 2024), and it’s one of the most popular mobile frameworks available.
Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?
Well, now that you have understood Flutter’s ins and outs, let’s understand its benefits for “Web App” development and then Flutter web tips.
Benefits of Flutter for Web App Development
Here is the list of the key reasons to consider Flutter for web app development.
1. Reduces Development Costs
Flutter for Web offers significant cost-saving benefits by enabling the creation of three distinct applications – for desktop, web, and mobile – using a single codebase. This streamlined approach allows development teams to work cohesively, maintaining a consistent pace and reducing the need for separate vendors specializing in different technologies.
While it’s true that Flutter eliminates the need to duplicate certain functionalities like payment processing or social media authorization across multiple platforms, the cost savings may not directly translate to a tripled amount. Other factors such as project complexity, maintenance requirements, and specific client needs must also be considered.
2. Enhanced User-Centric Experiences
According to the founders of Flutter’s Web platform, Flutter currently excels as a tool for integrating interactive experiences into websites. As a robust UI framework, Flutter offers app-centric services that make it an ideal solution for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), Single Page Apps (SPAs), and enhancing existing Flutter mobile apps.
3. Easy scaling Verification of Idea
Flutter’s cost and time efficiency make it an exceptional choice for Proof of Concept (PoC) projects and verifying product ideas. Within just a few weeks, developers can create a fully operational application that can be readily released to app stores and distributed via the web.
In the event of success, scaling both mobile and web applications is a viable option. For instance, extending cross-platform mobile apps to native solutions can offer even greater flexibility in tailoring the product to specific target audiences.
Many corporate giants including Airbnb, have followed this trajectory. After achieving success with their cross-platform mobile applications, Airbnb opted to transition to native solutions. This transition provided them with increased freedom to customize their product to better meet the needs of their target demographic.
4. Get Access to Native Features
Another prominent advantage of Flutter for web apps is its seamless access to native features. Essential functionalities such as geolocation and camera usage traditionally require implementation using native languages. However, with Flutter, developers can harness the power of Objective-C, Swift, or Java to integrate these native features seamlessly into their applications.
Furthermore, Flutter boasts performance that rivals native applications. Unlike many other cross-platform frameworks, Flutter does not rely on intermediate code representations. Instead, Flutter apps are compiled directly into machine code, ensuring optimal performance and indistinguishable user experience from native applications.
5. Robust Flutter Community
Flutter benefits from a robust and dynamic community of developers, fostering a thriving ecosystem. This community actively engages in knowledge-sharing, offers support, and collaborates on open-source projects, facilitating easier access to solutions and resources for developers.
The community-driven ecosystem ensures that developers have access to an extensive array of libraries, packages, and plugins. These resources can be leveraged to augment app functionality, expedite development, and streamline the overall development process, contributing to Flutter’s continued growth and popularity.
Flutter 3.0- Discover the Cutting-Edge Advancements Shaping the Future of Web App Development
Flutter 3.0 introduces exciting new functionalities for mobile app development. Before diving into Flutter web tips, let’s understand the reasons why it truly stands out.
- Enhanced Image Decoding: Experience enhanced web app development with Flutter’s new APIs, designed to efficiently extract images from underlying strings. Enjoy a 2x speed boost in decoding without compromising the original string integrity or introducing any extraneous code.
- App Lifecycles: Flutter’s latest version introduces a dedicated web app lifecycle API, streamlining bootstrapping processes and enhancing efficiency. With the added capability to implement headless mode, developers can accelerate the creation of splash screens and loading indicators for web applications, leading to faster user experiences.
- New Dart Version: The latest release of Dart 2.17 brings significant enhancements to both web and mobile app development. With the introduction of super constructors and enhanced enumerations, Flutter for web & mobile versions empowers developers with advanced capabilities for building robust and versatile applications.
- Performance Enhancements: The latest updates have significantly enhanced animation performance in Flutter, resulting in improved overall app performance. These enhancements not only boost delivery speed but also substantially reduce memory usage, providing a smoother and more efficient user experience
- DevTools: When armed with a dependable framework, the search for valuable tools to amplify capabilities begins. In Flutter’s latest update, the network tab sees notable enhancements, while the addition of a dedicated plugin for the provider enables seamless tracking of notifiers, further streamlining development workflows.
How to Build Your First Flutter Web App Project?
To embark on your inaugural Flutter Web app project, it’s imperative to confirm that you have Flutter version 1.5.4 or later installed on your system. Furthermore, ensure you have Dart 2.3 for effective app development. Below are the essential flutter web tips to follow to install both components:
$ flutter channel stable
$ flutter upgrade
$ flutter config –enable-web
To ensure you’re updating to the correct version, execute the following command in your command line interface:
$ flutter doctor
To obtain the development tools necessary for Flutter Web, execute the following command. It will provide the installation status as well:
$ flutter packages pub global activate webdev
To ensure that the $HOME/.pub-cache/bin directory is included in the path, allowing you to use the webdev command directly from the terminal, follow these commands for macOS:
$HOME/flutter/.pub-cache/bin
These commands will append the necessary path to your .bash_profile file and then reload the profile to apply the changes immediately. After that, you will need to restart your system.
When selecting an IDE for developing a Flutter web app, you may opt for Visual Studio Code as it is easy and offers a quick web app development process.
To get started with VS Code, follow these steps:
- Install Visual Studio Code: The first step is to download and install Visual Studio Code. Ensure you do it from its official website.
- Opt for Flutter and Dart Extensions: Launch Visual Studio Code and navigate to the Extensions view by clicking on the square icon on the sidebar or pressing Ctrl+Shift+X. After that, you will need to look out for “Flutter” and “Dart” extensions and install them. These extensions provide essential tools and features for Flutter and Dart development within VS Code.
- Set Up Flutter SDK: If you haven’t already installed the Flutter SDK, download it from the official Flutter website. Extract the downloaded ZIP file and add the Flutter bin directory to your system’s PATH variable.
- Create a New Flutter Project: Open a new terminal within Visual Studio Code by pressing Ctrl+Shift+“. Use the Flutter create command to generate a new Flutter project. Navigate to the directory where you want to create the project and runflutter create <project_name>`.
- Open Project in VS Code: Once the project is created, open it in Visual Studio Code by selecting “File” > “Open Folder” and choosing the directory containing your Flutter project.
- Start Coding: You’re now ready to start coding your Flutter app using Visual Studio Code! Utilize the powerful features and tools provided by VS Code and the Flutter extension to streamline your development process.
This command will initiate the creation of a new Flutter web project directly within Visual Studio Code to streamline the development process.
The Bottom Lines
Flutter has emerged as a versatile and powerful framework that transcends traditional boundaries to build high-quality applications for various platforms, including web, mobile, and desktop. With its robust features, seamless performance, and vibrant community support, the framework continues to revolutionize the app development landscape.
Planning to consider Flutter app development services? Are you looking for professional assistance? If so, choose none other than Mobile App Experts!
Whether you’re a seasoned developer or a business owner seeking to elevate your digital presence, we leverage the right tools and capabilities to help you build performance-centric yet intuitive Flutter apps for both web and mobile.
Call us today at +44 (744)026-1268!