When it comes time to build a new application/system or enhance existing features, companies or developers will seek suitable and affordable technical solutions. Considering different technologies, costs, budgets, and other situations, some companies that have their own R&D team will develop apps/systems based on their own technologies while others may choose some open-source frameworks. Among all the frameworks, Flutter stands out for its significant advantages. This guide is going to introduce the core principles and concepts of Flutter, and you can get to know what Flutter can do and why you should choose Flutter.
What Is Flutter and What Can It Do
Flutter is an open-source and cross-platform UI toolkit created by Google. It allows developers to create apps from one codebase using a single programming language. To put it simply, Flutter consists of two crucial parts - SDK and UI Library. Flutter supports iOS and Android as its primary platforms, and so far, it also offers support for Web, Windows, macOS, and Linux. Therefore, Flutter simplifies the process of creating consistent, appealing UIs for an application across the six platforms it supports.
Cross-platform Frameworks VS Native Development
Cross-platform development frameworks are different from native development. The former allows developers to use one programming language and one codebase to build an application for multiple platforms, while the latter codes an application for one specific platform. Aside from Flutter, there are other frameworks that also support cross-platform, like Electron and React Native. You can look through the comparison table below to find the differences among Flutter, Electron, React Native, and native development.
Advantages of Flutter
After comparing native development and cross-platform development frameworks - Flutter, React Native, and Electron, it is not hard to conclude the advantages of Flutter. Here are the reasons that you may choose Flutter as your development framework.
- Flutter has the highest platform compatibility which allows you to build cross-platform apps without limitations.
- Dart, the programming language of Flutter, is relatively easy to learn for those who are proficient in languages like Java, JavaScript, or C#.
- Flutter allows developers to reuse most of their codes and only need to make minimal modifications for each platform, which saves time and money.
- Flutter uses its own rendering engine to draw UI elements and offers high performance and smooth animations, which means that the apps look and feel native on each platform.
- When using Flutter to fix bugs and implement a new update, there is no need to go to each platform-specific version of your app.
What Is ComPDFKit Flutter SDK and What Can It Do
Now, if you decide to use Flutter as a development framework to build your application and need to add PDF functions to it, ComPDFKit Flutter SDK could facilitate the process of creating this feature.
ComPDFKit Flutter SDK is a Flutter-based toolkit, which offers cross-platform frameworks for your Android and iOS apps. It also has the ability to customize PDF viewing and editing functions for your application and provides abundant Flutter PDF libraries so that you can customize the UI optionally. According to your needs, standard features like Viewing, Annotations, Edit, etc., and advanced features are all available on ComPDFKit Flutter SDK.
Standard PDF functions that ComPDFKit Flutter SDK can provide are listed below for reference.
Note: Conversion, Redaction, Compare Documents, and Compress are not supported in the Demo of our ComPDFKit Flutter SDK. If you would like to add these kinds of advanced features, please contact our sales for more details and service.
The Bottom Line
Flutter, a free and open-source framework, allows developers to build apps across all platforms, including iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS, and Linux. By using only one programming language, Dart, developers can customize features from a single codebase. Flutter provides a better user experience on account of its high performance and smooth animations, in the meantime, it helps developers to save time and money for its reusable code.
ComPDFKit Flutter-based PDF SDK is specifically designed for developers who need to create a new PDF reader & editor or want to add multiple PDF functions to their Flutter apps. In case you have a requirement for adding PDF-related functionality to the Android and iOS versions of your software, ComPDFKit Flutter SDK provides powerful PDF libraries to save you a lot of time. Try to explore more features that ComPDFKit SDK can offer, also, welcome to contact our sales for Demo and detailed quotes.