Flutter
Build native apps from one codebase
Created
2017 by Google
Language
Dart
Platforms
Android, iOS, Web, Desktop
Rendering
Custom canvas (Skia/Impeller)
Hot reload
Yes — sub-second
Popularity
160k+ GitHub stars
Used by
Google, BMW, Toyota, Alibaba
Best for
Cross-platform mobile apps
What is Flutter?
Flutter is Google's open-source UI toolkit for building cross-platform applications from a single Dart codebase. Unlike React Native or native development, Flutter renders its own pixels through the Skia/Impeller graphics engine — meaning your UI looks identical on every device.
Why Flutter?
| Feature | Flutter | React Native | Native |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code sharing | All platforms | Most platforms | None |
| Performance | Near-native | Bridge overhead | Native |
| UI consistency | Pixel-perfect | Platform-dependent | Platform-dependent |
| Hot reload | Yes (sub-second) | Yes (Fast Refresh) | Partial |
| Community | Growing fast | Large | Platform-specific |
What powers Flutter?
- Dart — A client-optimised language by Google. Compiled to native ARM code (AOT) for release, interpreted for development (JIT) enabling hot reload.
- Impeller — Flutter's new rendering engine, replacing Skia for more consistent performance on all platforms.
- Widget library — Hundreds of Material Design and Cupertino (iOS-style) widgets out of the box.
Who uses Flutter?
Google (Google Pay, Stadia), BMW, Toyota, Alibaba, eBay, ByteDance, Philips Hue, and thousands of startups. Flutter is the fastest-growing cross-platform framework.
What you'll learn in this course
Each chapter includes short explanations and practical examples. Work through them in order, or jump to the topic you need:
Start with the setup chapter to install Flutter on your machine.