Getting Started with Flutter

Flutter has become one of the most popular frameworks for building cross-platform applications. In this guide, we'll walk through everything you need to get started.

Setting Up Your Environment#

First, you'll need to install the Flutter SDK. The easiest way on macOS is through Homebrew:

brew install flutter
flutter doctor

Run flutter doctor to check your environment and fix any missing dependencies.

Flutter SDK setup — Running flutter doctor verifies your environment and lists any missing dependencies.

Creating Your First App#

Once Flutter is installed, create a new project:

flutter create my_app
cd my_app
flutter run

Understanding Widgets#

Everything in Flutter is a widget. Your entire UI is built by composing widgets inside other widgets — similar to React components.

In Flutter, everything is a widget — from a simple text label to complex layouts. This composability is what makes Flutter so powerful and flexible.

Stateless widgets are immutable and built once. Stateful widgets can update their appearance in response to user interaction or data changes.

If it's UI, it's a widget. Flutter's widget-first philosophy means you never fight the framework — you compose it.

— Flutter Team

class MyWidget extends StatelessWidget {
  const MyWidget({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return const Text('Hello, Flutter!');
  }
}