Using Flutter 2 For Production Quality Support in Building Web Apps

Author: Neeraj Charaya

Flutter 2 has readily transfigured from a mobile framework to a versatile platform, enabling the applications to function on an extensive range of devices with minimal changes. Currently, on the App Store, there are more than 150,000 Flutter apps and every app got a free update with Flutter 2 since it can now hit desktop and web without rebuilding. With stable web support, it is now convenient and safe to use for production-quality web projects.

What is new in Flutter 2.0?

The initial release of Flutter 2 focuses on three main app conditions:

  • SPAs or Single Page Applications load only once and send data from and to the internet.
  • PWAs or Progressive Web Apps merge the scope of the web with the features and elements of desktop applications.
  • Bringing the existing Flutter mobile apps to the internet, enabling all experiences to share codes.

In this article, we will discuss what Flutter 2 for the web entails.

Web-specific Features

Although Flutter is cross-platform, there are still a few aspects that are specific to each supported framework. This is mainly because some apps only exist on one platform or have a different working mechanism that needs a special API. In the same way, the web is no different.

Flutter 2 adds support for properties such as web-app deep linking, custom URL strategies, and proper PWA support. When you create a web project in Flutter 2, a web manifest as well as service worker templates will be generated for you.

Renderers

There are two primary ways how Flutter for Web can display your application in the browser. It can either be done using CanvasKit or by rendering it using CSS, HTML, or Canvas. Either of them has its own merits. Since HTML renderer uses more basic elements, it is faster to load and download. On the other hand, the CanvasKit is a bit heavier, however, it offers better performance when there is a lot on the display screen.

Based on the user device, by default, a web app in Flutter automatically chooses which renderer to use. While desktop devices will preeminently get CanvasKit, the mobile devices will be sent the HTML renderer. If you wish to use a specific renderer, Google provides options to use any of them.

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Plugins

Like any other performance-oriented language, Flutter supports libraries, or in this case, the plugins. For safety measures, plugins are required to specify their platform compatibility. Even though Flutter for Web is relatively the latest addition to the framework, a lot of available plugins including Google’s own did not support it.

With the release of Flutter 2.0, the entire stack of Google’s Flutter plugins including the Firebase suite is prompted as web-compatible.

Gestures & Keyboard

In order to truly be cross-platform, a framework should be target-driven. It is running on a desktop platform, it should be responsive to keyboard shortcuts. On mobile devices, it should respond to swipe and tap gestures.

The best aspect of Flutter 2 for Web is, it can perform both of these functions. Through the web, it significantly targets both mobile and desktop devices. With its release, there is production-quality support for native gestures in accordance with the user platform and input source.

Summing Up

While these features may not seem a lot, there are some remarkable properties of Flutter 2. A lot of work and effort has been put in to make Flutter for Web integrate seamlessly into the rest of the framework.

What do you think of Flutter 2 for building web applications? Let us know in the comments. If you are looking for cross-platform mobile app development services, feel free to talk to our experts.