Create a Cross-Platform Mobile Application in Just 5 Minutes with Flutter

Have you been thinking of developing a cross-platform mobile application for your business? You want it to be more available and accessible to your customers. But you also want it to run on both Android and iOS.

Well, there’s the catch! Today, every business wants mobile applications that run on a single codebase for Android and iOS. They don’t want to build a separate Android app in an Android-specific language, and then repeat the process for iOS. That becomes too hectic to manage and needs a lot more investment.

However, you cannot run your application on only one platform either. Your audience uses both platforms, so you must target both. Otherwise, you lose a significant share of the market!

So, a cross-platform mobile application is the best way to succeed. But can you really do that? Android and iOS are in a ceaseless battle. Is it really possible to have an application that works on both without a separate codebase?

Flutter App Development is one answer to these questions. You can also read about our mobile app development work.

What is Flutter?

Flutter is a software development kit (SDK) by Google. It helps you create a cross-platform mobile application on a single codebase using the Dart language.

With Flutter, you no longer need to work in different programming languages or write different code for the same business application. Your application runs with the same performance on several platforms at once, be it Android, iOS, web, or desktop.

So, with Flutter, you can ease the entire mobile app development process. You can create your own cross-platform mobile application in as little as 5 minutes.

How to Create a Cross-Platform Mobile Application in Flutter?

Creating your cross-platform mobile application on Flutter is easy. First, install the Flutter SDK on your system and set it up. Then run a simple command. That’s all! Once you finish, your application runs on your devices.

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial to make things easier for you.

Installing Flutter SDK

This is as simple as going to the Flutter website and installing the software on your system. However, there is more to it than that. Here’s what you need to do.

Step 1: Go to the Flutter website, look for the version that is compatible with your system, and install it.
The file is zipped when you download it. So, you need to unzip it and move it to a location where it can stay permanently.

Step 2: Open the zipped Flutter file in your Downloads folder, and select the option to unzip it. You can simply double-click on the file to unzip it.

Step 3: Create a new folder in the main user folder of your system and move the unzipped file into that folder.
Once the files are in a secure folder, you need to tell your system how to find them when needed.

Set the Path for Your Flutter SDK

Step 4: Open a terminal window and run the following command: vim .bash_profile
A user profile opens. There, you set the path for your Flutter files. Write the following code in that profile:
export PATH=”$PATH:/Users/username/Developer/flutter/bin”
In the code, replace “username” with the username you used when you unzipped and moved the Flutter SDK.

Your Flutter SDK is now set up. Next, go through some final steps to check that you did it all right.

Step 5: Run the below code to save the path and exit the terminal.
:wq!

Check Your Flutter SDK Setup

Step 6: Finally, quit the terminal, and then open it again to run the below code:
flutter –version
When you run the code, you get an output that looks something like this:
username@Usernames—MacBook—Pro Developer % flutter
Flutter 1.12.13+hotfix.9 • channel stable •
https : / /github . com/flutter/flutter.git
——version
Framework • revision f139b11009 (4 weeks ago) • 2020—03—30 13:57:30
Engine • revision af51afceb8
Tools • Dart 2.7.2
-0700
If you see the above result, you have set up the Flutter SDK correctly.

Now is the time to create your cross-platform mobile application.

Creating a Cross-Platform Application

All this needs is two simple commands.

Step 1: Navigate to the folder where you want to create your application and enter the following code:
flutter create my_crossplatform_app

Step 2: Move into the folder, find the application, and run it. Use the below command for the same:
cd my_crossplatform_app
flutter run

That’s it! Your application is created.

You can open the application on your devices and enjoy the experience.

Happy App Building!