Flight with Flutter: Chapter 1 – Introduction to Flutter

When Flutter first appeared, my reaction was immediate: “I need to learn this now.” Over time, I’ve learned not to think of myself as a “React Developer” or a “Swift Developer” or even a “[insert latest trend] Developer.” I just want to be a developer. If you focus on strong foundations, moving from one technology to another becomes natural. Flutter proved that to me. Transitioning from Swift to Dart felt surprisingly smooth—like hopping onto a different plane but flying the same skies.

What is Flutter?

Flutter is Google’s open-source UI toolkit for building beautiful, natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase. It’s powered by the Dart programming language and is famous for:

• Fast development: Hot reload, rapid iteration
• Expressive, flexible UIs
• Native performance on both Android and iOS
• Single codebase for multiple platforms

Why Choose Flutter?

• Productivity: Write once, run anywhere (Android, iOS, web, desktop)
• Rich UI: Built-in Material & Cupertino widgets mimic native look/feel
• Strong ecosystem: Growing community, tons of packages
• Backed by Google: Used in production by major companies (Google Ads, Alibaba, BMW, eBay)

Flutter vs React Native vs Native

Setting Up Your Flutter Environment

Getting Flutter ready on your machine is simple. Here’s how to prepare your runway for takeoff:

• Install Flutter SDK: Follow the official guide for your OS.
• Install a Code Editor: VS Code with Flutter & Dart plugins is recommended, or you can use Android Studio.
• Run Flutter Doctor: Open your terminal and type flutter doctor to check dependencies.
• Create Your First App:

flutter create hello_flutter
cd hello_flutter
flutter run

Your First Flutter App: “Hello World”

When you create your first Flutter project, you’ll see something like this:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MyApp({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      title: 'Hello Flutter',
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(
          title: const Text('Welcome to Flutter'),
        ),
        body: const Center(
          child: Text('Hello, world!'),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Key Concepts

• Everything is a widget: From text, images, and buttons to layout and navigation.
• Hot Reload: Instantly see changes without restarting the app.
• Declarative UI: Build interfaces with code, not XML or Storyboards.

Next Up: Widgets and Layouts

In Chapter 2 of Flight with Flutter, we’ll dive into the basics of widgets and layouts—the real wings that help your apps take flight.