LITSLINK provides top mobile app development services and creates only high-quality, functional solutions. For those companies who keep an eye on high tech, we have been developing mobile applications based in Flutter.
It is beneficial to use Flutter for business. This framework will save a big part of the budget. Software engineers write just one codebase for your 2 apps– covering both Android and iOS platforms. Flutter apps will run on older versions of each platform OS. Native apps start up faster and, most importantly, are smoother and less likely to suffer from jerkiness or stutter. Native apps also give the developer more control over the behavior of the app.
As with any new system, people want to know what makes Flutter different. That is a reasonable question, and in this interview with our Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Viacheslav Petrenko, we will try to answer it from a technical perspective.
Viacheslav Petrenko, CTO at LITSLINK, has a programming spirit and proven results, and he will be sharing some insights with us in this interview.
How would you contrast the advancement of the web to the advancement of mobile application platforms?
Today, different platforms such as the web, iOS, and Android have their own design constraints, their own toolsets, and their own programming languages, as well as a completely different approach to developing apps with reactive principles in mind.
What has led you to create a new Flutter project?
I was curious about a new player in the world of cross-platform mobile development. Like React Native, Flutter also provides reactive-style views. Flutter uses Dart as an object-oriented programming language and takes a different approach to avoid performance problems caused by the need for going through the JavaScript bridge. Dart is compiled into native code for multiple platforms.
Is the Flutter framework free?
Yes, it’s an open source framework. Flutter is Google’s mobile app, which works with existing code, and it is free.
What is the benefit of using the Flutter framework?
The development process resembles one for native platforms. For software engineers, Flutter means faster and more dynamic mobile app development. We can make changes in the code and see them straight away in the app! Software engineers write just one codebase for your 2 apps– covering both Android and iOS platforms. Flutter doesn’t depend on the platform, because it has its own widgets and designs.
Is the Flutter framework better than React Native?
Flutter framework is better than React Native for those who have come from native platforms and like an imperative approach, while React Native is more familiar for web software engineers and those who like the declarative approach.
How to write a Flutter app that looks natural on both iOS and Android?
The Flutter framework makes it easy to build user interfaces. We use a theme and UI components that resemble native ones. Flutter widgets adapt to the design guidelines for each platform automatically.
How to customize your user interface for iOS and Android?
Flutter is aimed at building apps that look same for both platforms; customization could be done via developing particular parts individually for each platform and then selecting certain components at runtime.
Why are there Android and iOS folders in the Flutter project?
A Flutter project has always had lib (Dart files), Android, and iOS folders to create IPA/APK files for the host platform-specific plugins. The folders exist to actually build an app on Android and iOS platforms with the Dart files running on them.
Does Flutter work like a browser? / How is it different from a WebView based application?
Flutter doesn’t work like a browser. In essence, it is similar to the native or “Xamarin” approach. Flutter apps run faster than WebView based applications.
What is most important in cross-platform development?
To my way of thinking, a cross-platform framework provides all the tools to help you create cross-platform apps easily. For mobile software engineers, the most important skill for cross-platform development is resolving platform-specific building issues.
What’s the developer experience for working with Flutter?
Our development team at mobile development agency LITSLINK has been providing Flutter services since 2017 and delivered a number of projects for customers all over the world (to the USA and other countries).
If I am writing my app in Flutter, do I ever need to duck down into the native IOS or Android code?
In most cases, you don’t need to duck down into the native IOS or Android code unless you’re going to develop your platform-specific module or plugin.
It’s been really great talking to you about Flutter. A huge thank you for your app development long-term vision. Best of luck with your new projects, Viacheslav! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions.