“Flutter is awesome, but where do I start learning?”
Flutter is Google’s mobile app SDK for crafting high-quality native interfaces on iOS and Android in record time. Flutter works with existing code, is used by developers and organisations around the world, and is free and open source.
For a long time, I’ve been thinking about creating a list of awesome resources that would help anyone get started with Flutter. If you already know what Flutter is and why it is awesome, keep reading.
If you’d like to know more about Flutter, I’d recommend that you read about it here and here. Once you’re sold on the idea of Flutter, you can come back to this article.
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Update (20th September 2020):
- A couple of months ago, I launched my free Flutter course on Caster.io (dead link now as Caster.io was shutdown).
- 50 lessons, short and easy to follow, specifically targeted at beginners.
- This is for those of you who still feel lost in this huge universe of tutorials, just like I was, not so long ago.
This free course is also available on YouTube.
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I’ve tried out most of the resources mentioned below, and they’ve helped me get acquainted with Flutter quickly. A few others mentioned below are very popular in the Flutter community.
1. FragmentedCast
This one is gold 💛. Before you dive into coding Flutter apps, you should really go through the following two episodes. They’ll help you understand how Flutter came into existence and what it is capable of:
If I had not listened to these back in March, I probably wouldn’t have been excited to try out Flutter immediately. The two episodes include everything you need to know about the “What” and “How” of Flutter.
2. Flutter Docs
It may seem obvious, but the official documentation is really, really good and thorough. It includes easy to grasp examples for basic use cases. The best part is that it also includes documentation for seasoned Android, iOS, React Native and Web developers, so that you can easily relate Flutter to your current knowledge:
3. Google Codelabs
A step-by-step guide to building awesome Flutter apps? What kind of a beginner wouldn’t want that? These codelabs are a must go-through for every beginner.
4. awesome-flutter: Github repository
The ultimate guide to Flutter resources. A bit overwhelming for beginners, but have a look at the ‘Video Series’ section, ‘Blogs’ section, and the apps under ‘Templates’. You’ll utilise the other sections once you’ve begun your journey with Flutter!
5. TheAppBrewery Flutter Course
This course, as of 15th May 2019, is priced at $10. It has been built in collaboration with the Flutter team at Google. I haven’t gone through the whole content myself but I have heard some great reviews from other Flutter developers about this course.
Even if you don’t have prior experience with Dart, you can go ahead with this course as it is really easy to pick up, especially if you already have experience with Java or JS.
6. Flutter Weekly
Flutter Weekly is a newsletter that brings you the top Flutter posts, blogs, tutorials, and so on right to your inbox every week. So you don’t need to go around looking for the best blogs. Just practice hands-on throughout the week and learn from the latest Flutter resources on the weekend. You can also submit yours when you write one.
7. @r_FlutterDev: Twitter
This twitter bot tweets everything from the r/FlutterDev Flutter sub-reddit. To get the latest updates as soon as they are out, use the ‘Turn on mobile notifications’ feature on Twitter for this account.
8. MTechViral: YouTube
MTechViral is a YouTube channel that provides tutorials for mobile apps. The channel contains a playlist for Flutter tutorials. The tutorials are really good and a new one comes up quite frequently. There’s a corresponding Facebook group called ‘Let’s Flutter’ and you’ll find a lot of Flutter enthusiasts there answering queries for each other.
Wrapping up
If you already have an idea about Flutter and have been using it for a while, there are a few places that can provide you help immediately if you ever get stuck implementing a particular functionality:
- HumpDayQ&A: Seek live help from other Flutter devs all around the world
- Gitter Chat: You’ll find Flutter GDEs, Googlers, and other Flutter enthusiasts answering your queries here.
- Flutter Community on Medium: Tons of fantastic Flutter blogs
- Twitter: Follow Nilay Yener from the Flutter Developer Relations team, retweeting and spreading the Flutter love on Twitter and helping the Flutter community grow. Follow the official Flutter account for latest updates. Also, do not forget to search for #flutter tweets every now and then.
- Facebook: Flutter Mobile App Developers, Let’s Flutter
If you want to learn with a group full of Flutter enthusiasts, you can also connect with your nearest Google Developers Group and ask them to host a #FlutterExtended event.
So… how do you feel about Flutter?
Thought so.
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Update (15th May 2019): This post previously mentioned the Udacity Flutter course instead of the TheAppBrewery Flutter course. Even though the Udacity course was the first one to market, it seems a little rushed and confusing. Hence, I wouldn’t recommend that to beginners anymore.
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