Flutter vs React Native: A Developer’s Perspective

04th Feb, 2020
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Flutter vs React Native

React Native by Facebook and Flutter by Google – two hot cross-platform app development technologies creating a buzz. during this post, we'll compare both of them intimately from a developer’s perspective.

Due to the growing popularity of mobile apps, almost every company needs a mobile app or apps to stay competitive within the market. And what's more, companies are trying to find an choice to build mobile apps, especially for iOS and Android, with faster speed and fewer resources. Apple and Google have provided native tools and technologies to create apps. iOS app developers can build apps using Xcode and Swift, while Android developers use Android Studio and Kotlin/Java. However, this needs engineers to find out two completely different sets of technologies. As a result, companies have began to adopt cross-platform solutions over the native solutions to create apps for both iOS and Android faster employing a single language.

What’s Flutter and React Native?
React Native may be a project started by Facebook internally that they open-sourced in 2015. On the opposite side is Flutter, a project started by Google which they need been heavily promoting since I/O 2017. Both of those technologies help app developers build cross-platform apps faster by employing a single programing language . React Native is already a mature tool and features a huge community, but Flutter also started seeing huge adoption rates since 2017. during this post, we'll compare each of them using ten criteria:

Programming language
Technical architecture
Installation
Setup and project configuration
UI components and development API
Developer productivity
Community support
Testing support
Build & release automation support
DevOps and CI/CD support

Now that we've defined all our criteria, let’s start exploring each of them intimately .

Programming Language
The key advantage of employing a cross-platform mobile app development technology is that the ability to use one programing language to develop apps for both iOS and Android.

React Native — JavaScript
React Native uses JavaScript to create cross-platform apps. JavaScript may be a very fashionable language within the web community at the instant . it's commonly used with React and other popular JavaScript frameworks. because of React Native, web developers can build mobile apps with a touch little bit of training. With this in mind, companies adopted React Native as a no brainer . JavaScript may be a dynamically typed language and anything are often through with JavaScript, which is sweet and bad at an equivalent time.

Flutter — Dart
Flutter uses Dart programing language which was introduced by Google in 2011 and is never employed by developers. Dart syntax is straightforward to know for JavaScript or Java developers because it supports most of the object-oriented concepts. It’s easy to urge started with Dart as there's great and easy-to-follow documentation available on the official Dart site here.

Technical Architecture
When choosing a cross-platform mobile app development framework, it’s essential to think about its technical architecture. By knowing the internals of the framework, we will make an informed decision and choose the one that's better for our project.

React Native — Flux
React Native architecture heavily relies on JS runtime environment architecture, also referred to as JavaScript bridge. The JavaScript code is compiled into native code at runtime. React Native uses the Flux architecture from Facebook. there's an in depth article on the core architecture of React Native here. In short, React Native uses the JavaScript bridge to speak with the native modules.

Flutter — Skia
Flutter uses the Dart framework which has most of the components inbuilt so it’s bigger in size and sometimes doesn't require the bridge to speak with the native modules. Dart has numerous frameworks, like Material Design and Cupertino, packed inside which give all the specified technologies needed to develop mobile apps. The Dart framework uses Skia C++ engine which has all the protocols, compositions and channels. The architecture of the Flutter engine is explained intimately in Github Wiki here. In short, Flutter has everything needed for app development within the Flutter engine itself.

Installation
The installation method should be straightforward without having too many complicated steps in order that it might be easily learned by developers that are just starting with it.

React Native — NPM
The React Native framework are often installed using the Node Package Manager (NPM). For developers that have a JavaScript background, installation of React Native is straightforward , whereas other developers would wish to find out the node package manager. The node package manager can install the packages locally or globally. The developers will got to understand where precisely the binary is found . Whilst installing React Native on macOS, we'd like to possess the HomeBrew package manager also .

Flutter — Binary Download from Source
Flutter are often installed by downloading the binary for a selected platform from Github. within the case of macOS, we've to download the flutter.zip file and add it as a PATH variable.
Flutter should improve the installation method by supporting package managers like Homebrew, MacPorts, YUM, APT, etc in order that users wouldn’t got to perform these extra steps during installation.

Setup and Project Configuration
The process of fixing the developer machine to use the new framework takes time. It requires many configuration of software installations. The technology should have proper documentation to urge users up and running.

React Native
The getting started guide of the React Native project assumes that the developer already has all the specified setup for developing for iOS and Android. there's little info on the Xcode instruction tools but it won’t be enough to urge going. The documentation directly jumps to the step of making a replacement project.

Flutter
The getting started guide for Flutter has detailed information on IDE setup and platform setup for both iOS and Android. you'll read all the specified setup details on Flutter install for macOS here. On top of this, Flutter features a CLI tool called flutter doctor which may guide developers through the setup. It inspects which tools are installed on the local machine and which tools got to be configured. Once the flutter doctor command is happy, we will keep it up with creating a replacement Flutter app. there's a separate page on the way to configure the editors to urge going with Flutter.

Developer Productivity
Developer productivity is that the key to putting together apps faster. during this regard, it’s vital to be ready to specialise in app development with none quite wait or distraction.

React Native
If the developer is skilled in JavaScript, then it’s fairly easy to use those skills for cross-platform app development. React Native features a hot reload feature which saves tons of developer time while testing the changes within the UI. In terms of IDE support, developers are liberal to use any text editor or IDE of their choice.

Flutter
Flutter also features a hot reload feature and it’s very easy to urge started with the demo app. However, because the complexity of apps grows, developers would wish to find out and adopt the new Flutter concepts. additionally , Dart isn't a standard programing language and there's a scarcity of support for it in many IDEs and text editors.

React Native
React Native launched in 2015 and has gained in popularity ever since. there's a community of React Native developers on GitHub and much of meetups and conferences round the world. one among the foremost recent conferences on React Native was React Native EU held in Poland, but there are meetups happening in almost every major city within the world.

Flutter
Flutter has been around for a short time but it gained tons of attention when Google promoted it within the Google I/O conference in 2017. The Flutter community is growing rapidly lately , meetups and conferences are happening online. the most important event coming are going to be Flutter sleep in December. In short, the Flutter community is growing rapidly; yet, there are still not enough resources for developers to unravel common issues.

Testing Support
Writing tests may be a good way to urge quick feedback on the code. there's always a testing framework related to every mature technology to permit developers to make unit, integration and UI tests for the apps.

React Native
React Native may be a JavaScript framework and there are a couple of unit level testing frameworks available in JavaScript. The tools like Jest are often used for snapshot testing. However, when it involves integration or UI level testing, there's no official support from React Native. There are third-party tools like Appium and Detox which will be used for testing React Native apps but they're not officially supported.

Flutter
Flutter provides an upscale set of testing features to check apps at unit, widget and integration level. Flutter has great documentation on testing Flutter apps here, you'll also read the Nevercode blog on testing Flutter apps for detailed information on how Flutter apps are often tested. Flutter features a cool widget testing feature where we will create widget tests to check the UI and run them at the speed of unit tests.

Build & Release Automation Support
Releasing mobile apps to the App Store or Play Store may be a painful process. It involves the complex task of code signing all another application setup. When it involves cross-platform mobile app development, it gets even trickier.

React Native
The React Native official documentation doesn’t have any automated steps to deploy the iOS apps to App Store. However, it provides a manual process for deploying the app from Xcode. there's a piece of writing on the way to deploy React Native apps to App Store here but the whole process looks manual. However, we will use third-party tools like fastlane to deploy iOS and Android apps written with React Native. the method of using fastlane to ship React Native apps is described during this article. this suggests that React Native has got to believe third-party libraries for build and release automation.

Flutter
Flutter features a strong instruction interface. we will create a binary of the app by using the instruction tools and following the instructions in Flutter documentation for building and releasing Android and iOS apps. On top of this, Flutter has officially documented the deployment process with fastlane here.

DevOps and CI/CD Support
Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery practices are essential for any app so as to urge continuous feedback and avoid releasing buggy code.

React Native
React Native doesn’t have any official documentation on fixing CI/CD. However, there are some articles which describe CI/CD for React Native apps. there's a piece of writing which explains the method of fixing CI/CD for React Native apps with Nevercode.

Flutter
Flutter features a section on Continuous Integration and Testing which incorporates links to external sources. However, Flutter’s rich instruction interface allows us to line up CI/CD easily. Nevercode has inbuilt support for CI/CD for Flutter apps. The detailed blog post explaining the CI/CD process of Nevercode are often found here.

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How to Boost Flutter App Performance: Tips and Tricks

Flutter's versatility, efficiency, and capacity to create high-performing apps for iOS and Android from a single codebase have made it one of the most widely used frameworks for mobile app development. Nevertheless, even with its effectiveness, developers frequently run across performance snags that might distract from the user experience. In this blog, we'll look at how to improve your Flutter app's speed, responsiveness, and resource usage by implementing a number of tips and methods. These tips will assist in making sure your app functions properly and efficiently, regardless of your level of experience with Flutter. 1. Increase Rendering Performance with Const Constructors Using const constructors is one of the easiest yet most efficient ways to improve the performance of Flutter apps. Const constructors allow Flutter to cache widgets, avoiding needless rebuilds. Performance is enhanced and the workload during the rendering process is decreased. For instance, to guarantee that a widget is only built once, you can declare it as const if it doesn't change over time. As a result, the framework has to put less effort into refreshing the user interface. const Text('This text is static and won’t change', style: TextStyle(fontSize: 20)); You may greatly increase efficiency, particularly for apps with intricate widget trees, by designating widgets as const, which allows Flutter's rendering engine to avoid rebuilding them. 2. Avoid Unnecessary Widget Rebuilds Flutter uses a reactive framework, and widgets rebuild every time their state changes. However, unnecessary rebuilds can be costly in terms of performance. To minimize unnecessary widget rebuilding, here are a few tips: a. Use const Widgets As discussed earlier, const widgets prevent unnecessary rebuilds because they are cached. This is particularly useful for static widgets that do not change over time. b. Leverage Keys to Preserve State When building dynamic lists or complex UIs with changing data, Keys can help Flutter preserve widget states efficiently. Keys can be used to help Flutter distinguish between widgets and optimize the rendering process. ListView( children: List.generate(100, (index) { return MyCustomWidget(key: ValueKey(index), index: index); }), ); c. Use shouldRebuild with Custom InheritedWidget If you are using InheritedWidget to manage the app-wide state, make sure you override the shouldRebuild method to prevent unnecessary widget rebuilds. 3. Optimize Images and Assets Large images and assets can have a major impact on the performance of your Flutter app. Here are a few strategies to improve the handling of images and assets: a. Use Image Caching Flutter’s CachedNetworkImage package allows you to cache images so that they don’t need to be fetched from the network each time. Caching images helps improve performance by reducing network calls and speeding up the loading time of images. CachedNetworkImage( imageUrl: "https://example.com/image.jpg", placeholder: (context, url) => CircularProgressIndicator(), errorWidget: (context, url, error) => Icon(Icons.error), ); b. Resize Images for Different Screen Sizes Instead of using a single large image for all screen sizes, Flutter allows you to use flutter_svg for vector images or Image.asset with different resolutions for different screen sizes. This will ensure that the image loading time is minimized, especially on devices with lower resolutions. c. Use flutter_image_compress for Compression You can compress images before displaying them using packages like flutter_image_compress. Image compression improves performance by lowering load times and memory use. 4. Optimize List Views and Scroll Performance If your app involves displaying long lists of data, improving list view performance is crucial. Flutter provides several ways to make this process more efficient: a. Use ListView.builder() Always use ListView.builder() rather than ListView() when working with huge lists.The builder method creates only the visible items in the list, reducing memory usage and improving scroll performance. ListView.builder( itemCount: items.length, itemBuilder: (context, index) { return ListTile(title: Text(items[index])); }, ); b. Lazy Loading with GridView and ListView If you have a large collection of images or data to display, consider implementing lazy loading. Flutter’s GridView.builder or ListView.builder can load data on demand as the user scrolls, which reduces the initial load time of the app. c. Use Slivers for Custom Scroll Effects Flutter provides powerful Sliver widgets, such as SliverList and SliverGrid, that allow you to create custom scroll effects while still maintaining smooth performance. 5. Optimize Animations and Transitions Animations can add a lot of visual appeal to your Flutter app, but if not optimized correctly, they can degrade performance. Here are a few strategies for animation optimization: a. Use AnimatedBuilder Instead of using setState() to rebuild the entire widget tree during an animation, consider using AnimatedBuilder. It only rebuilds the part of the widget tree that is animated, improving efficiency. AnimatedBuilder( animation: animationController, builder: (context, child) { return Transform.translate( offset: Offset(0, animationController.value * 100), child: child, ); }, child: SomeWidget(), ); b. Limit the Use of Opacity and Transform Widgets Widgets like Opacity and Transform are often used for animations but can be costly in terms of performance. If you need to animate these properties, try to use AnimatedOpacity and AnimatedTransform, which are optimized for performance. c. Reduce the Use of Hero Animations While Hero animations provide a seamless transition effect, they can be resource-intensive. Use them sparingly, especially for complex or large UI elements, to avoid performance degradation. 6. Avoid Blocking the Main Thread User interactions and UI rendering are handled by the Flutter main thread. Blocking it with long-running tasks, such as network requests or database queries, can result in laggy and unresponsive apps. Here’s how to avoid it: a. Use Isolates for Expensive Operations For long-running or CPU-intensive tasks, consider using Flutter’s Isolate class to run the task on a separate thread. The main thread will continue to be responsive and unblocked as a result. Future<void> expensiveTask() async { await compute(expensiveFunction, data); } b. Use async and await for Network Requests When making network requests or performing I/O operations, use async and await to keep the app’s UI responsive and prevent blocking the main thread. var response = await http.get('https://example.com/data'); 7. Use the Flutter DevTools for Performance Profiling Flutter provides a set of powerful developer tools, known as Flutter DevTools, that allow you to profile your app’s performance. With DevTools, you can inspect memory usage, CPU performance, and more to identify bottlenecks in your app. a. Analyze the Widget Tree DevTools provides a widget inspector to analyze the widget tree and identify unnecessary widgets that might be causing performance issues. b. Profile CPU and Memory Usage Use the performance tab in Flutter DevTools to profile your app’s CPU and memory usage. Look for spikes in CPU usage, excessive memory consumption, or any other issues that could affect performance. 8. Use flutter run --profile for Profiling Builds When developing a Flutter app, always use the flutter run --profile command to generate a profile build. This will give you insights into the performance of your app on a real device, allowing you to identify potential bottlenecks that might not be apparent in debug mode. flutter run --profile 9. Optimize App Size A large app size can also affect performance, particularly on devices with limited storage or lower-end specs. Here’s how to reduce the size of your app: a. Remove Unused Assets Remove any unused images, fonts, or assets from your project. Use the flutter build apk --split-per-abi command to generate smaller APKs for different architectures. b. Use Proguard for Android On Android, you can use Proguard to shrink and optimize your app’s code. This can reduce the size of your APK and improve the app’s loading time. 10. Use Flutter’s App Bundles for Optimized Distribution Instead of distributing APKs, consider using App Bundles for Android, which can significantly reduce the size of the APK for end users. Flutter supports app bundles out of the box. flutter build appbundle Optimizing the performance of your Flutter app is essential for providing a smooth and responsive user experience. By applying these tips and tricks—such as using const constructors, optimizing images, managing state effectively, and leveraging the powerful features of Flutter DevTools—you can significantly improve your app’s speed, responsiveness, and overall performance. Always remember to profile your app regularly and test on real devices to ensure that your optimizations are effective. By keeping performance in mind from the start of your project and applying these strategies, you can deliver high-quality, efficient apps that users love to interact with.

A Complete Guide to Publishing Your First Android App on Google Play

For any developer, releasing an Android app on Google Play is a thrilling achievement. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced programmer, the process can seem overwhelming at first. However, once you understand the steps involved, it becomes straightforward and manageable. Everything from getting your app ready for release to submitting it to the Google Play Store will be covered in this guide. Table of Contents Prerequisites for Publishing an Android App Step 1: Get Your Android App Ready for Publication Step 2: Create a Developer Account Step 3: Create an account on the Google Play Console Step 4: Create an App Bundle or Signed APK Step 5: Optimize Your App's Listing Step 6: Upload Your App to Google Play Step 7: Set Pricing and Distribution Preferences 1. Prerequisites for Publishing an Android App Before you begin the process of submitting your app to the Google Play Store, there are a few prerequisites you need to meet: Functional and Bug-Free App: Ensure your app works as intended and is free from critical bugs. Test it thoroughly on various Android devices and versions. App Versioning: Make sure your app’s version code and version name are updated. The version code is an integer value that must increase with each new version. The version name is a string that users see in the Play Store. Google Play Developer Account: To publish apps on the Play Store, you need to have a Google Play Developer Account. A $25 one-time payment is needed for this. Legal Compliance: Ensure that your app complies with Google Play’s policies, including privacy laws and terms of service. Your app must have a privacy policy if it gathers user information. App Icon and Screenshots: Prepare assets like an app icon, promotional images, and screenshots of your app in use. These will appear on the Play Store listing for your app. 2. Step 1: Get Your Android App Ready for Publication Before publishing your app, it’s crucial to ensure that it’s ready for the Play Store. Follow these steps to prepare: Remove Debug Code: Make sure that all debug code and logging statements (e.g., Log.d()) are removed. These can slow down the app and expose sensitive information. Minify Your Code (Optional): Use ProGuard or R8 (the new default in Android) to shrink your app’s code and remove unused classes. This will reduce the size of your APK or app bundle and make the app more efficient. Testing: Test your app on real devices and use tools like Android’s adb (Android Debug Bridge) for debugging. For real-time crash reporting, think about utilizing Firebase Crashlytics. App Permissions: Ensure that your app only requests permissions that are absolutely necessary. Google's Play Store policies are stringent when it comes to asking for extra permissions. 3. Step 2: Create a Developer Account You must have a Google Play Developer account in order to publish an Android app on Google Play. Here's how to create one: Using your Google account, log in to the Google Play Console. Agree to the Google Play Developer distribution agreement. Pay a one-time registration fee of $25. To develop and maintain your apps on the Google Play Store, you must pay this charge. Complete your developer profile by adding details like your name, address, and phone number. This will be visible to users. Once your account is set up, you’re ready to start publishing apps. 4. Step 3: Create an account on the Google Play Console The Google Play Console is the dashboard where you’ll manage your app's submission, track performance, and interact with users. Here's how to set it up: Log in to the Google Play Console: After creating your developer account, log into the Google Play Console using your Google credentials. Create a New App: Select “Create Application” from the left menu. Choose the Default Language: Select the language that will be displayed in your app’s Play Store listing. Enter Your App Title: This is the name that users will see on the Play Store. Complete Your App’s Details: You’ll be asked to provide a description of your app, categorization (e.g., education, games), and tags. 5. Step 4: Create an App Bundle or Signed APK For security reasons, Android requires your app to be signed before publishing it. You’ll need to create a signed APK (Android Package) or App Bundle (AAB). Here’s how to sign your APK: Create a Keystore: Open Android Studio, navigate to Build > Generate Signed Bundle / APK. Android Studio will ask you to build a keystore if you haven't already. Generate the Signed APK: After selecting your keystore, choose whether to generate an APK or an App Bundle. App Bundles are now preferred for new apps. Build the APK: After selecting the build variant (usually release), Android Studio will generate the APK or AAB. Remember, once your app is signed, you cannot change the keystore. Keep it safe to avoid issues with updates. 6. Step 5: Optimize Your App’s Listing Your app’s Google Play Store listing plays a significant role in attracting users. Here’s how to optimize it: App Title and Description: Use clear, descriptive language in the title and description. Be concise, but include relevant keywords that users may search for. The title should also be catchy to grab attention. App Icon: Your icon should be unique, simple, and visually appealing. It’s the first thing users see, so make sure it stands out. Screenshots: Provide high-quality screenshots showing key features of your app. Screenshots can include text overlays explaining functionality. Feature Graphic: Include a promotional graphic (1024 x 500 pixels) to highlight your app’s main features. Privacy Policy: If your app collects personal data, include a link to your privacy policy, as it’s a requirement by Google Play. 7. Step 6: Upload Your App to Google Play Once your app is ready and your listing is optimized, you can upload your APK or App Bundle to the Google Play Console. Choose your app in the Google Play Console, then go to the Release management area. Click on App releases and select either Production, Beta, or Alpha depending on which phase you want your app to be in. Upload your APK or App Bundle and fill out the necessary release notes. Provide an overview of the new features or modifications in this version. Review and confirm the details of your release. 8. Step 7: Set Pricing and Distribution Preferences You may publish your software to several nations and areas via Google Play. You also need to set your app’s pricing model. Here’s how: Pricing: Choose whether your app will be free or paid. You cannot change a paid app to a free one after it’s published, but you can do the opposite. Distribution: Decide which nations you would like your app to be accessible in. 9. Step 8: Submit and Closed Test for 14 days After uploading your app and setting your preferences, the next step is to submit your app for a closed test: A closed test with at least 20 testers who must opt-in for 14 days in a row is required by the present policy. This presents a problem for independent developers, particularly those creating feature-light apps. Here are some steps to make a closed test: Creating Closed Testing Setup the Closed Testing Track Add Testers to Test Your App Create New Release License Testing You can apply for production access after fulfilling the conditions for closed testing. Simply click Apply for production on your Dashboard. After that, you have to respond to questions regarding your app, your closed test, and its production readiness. If your app is approved, it will go live on the Google Play Store. If rejected, Google will provide feedback explaining why it didn’t meet their policies. Once your app is live, you can start tracking its performance through the Google Play Console. You’ll receive insights into downloads, ratings, reviews, and crash reports. Use this data to make improvements and push out updates. Additionally, engage with users by responding to their reviews, fixing bugs, and rolling out new features based on feedback. Publishing your first Android app on Google Play is an exciting achievement. By following these steps, you’ll be able to navigate the entire process from preparing your app for release to submitting it to the Play Store. Remember to continually monitor your app’s performance and make updates as necessary. Good luck with your Android development journey!