Flutter App Server – A complete guide

This article will explore five of the best Flutter server side services. The list includes companies like Back4App, Parse, Firebase, etc.  

Modern developers depend on software development kits (SDKs) to develop feature-rich apps and websites. SDKs contain tools, libraries, sample codes, along with guides and documentation that enable the developer to use them efficiently. 

One of the leading modern SDKs is Flutter. It offers many useful features and makes Backend as a Service integration straightforward.  That is why many developers and businesses are adopting Flutter technology for their development projects. 

In this article, we shall be reviewing the top Flutter Server-Side options for developers. 

An Overview of Flutter? 

Flutter is an open-source user-interface toolkit that empowers developers to build apps for the web, mobile, and desktop from the same code. In essence, Flutter developers can use a single code to develop apps for multiple platforms. 

Dart programming language is the language used exclusively by Flutter for building and deploying apps on multiple platforms. Features like hot-reload make Flutter app development straightforward and faster. 

The hot-reload feature allows developers to see changes they make on the app code immediately.  Another excellent feature of Flutter is the ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation technology that elevates app performance on mobile devices. 

Flutter uses a C++ engine which combined with the Google Skia library, facilitates a low-level rendering. This portable runtime is commonly referred to as the Flutter Engine which powers all Flutter apps. 

The Flutter engine powers app functions like compilation toolchain, animation, graphics, plugin architecture, accessibility support, core libraries, and many more.  Flutter also integrates with Android and iOS SDKs without hassles.

The Benefits of Flutter

Below are the main advantages of Flutter.

Better performance: Dart native code compilation is a vital factor that enhances the performance of Flutter apps. Developers can use the more responsive native Flutter widgets rather than the OEM options.  Since there is less communication between app and platform, Flutter apps are more stable and responsive.

Open-Source: Given its open-source nature, Flutter is more positioned to cater to existing and emerging business needs.  Flutter and Dart are open-source and free. The active community of Flutter developers and enthusiasts offers support, documentation, and other resources that enhance development assignments. 

More Compatible: The in-built Flutter widgets prevent compatibility issues developers experience with other frameworks. Flutter widgets work smoothly on all operating systems. 

The enhanced compatibility negates the need for extensive testing on older operating system platforms. Updating Flutter widgets is straightforward and works well on new and older OS versions.

Cross-Platform: The Flutter development tool works well for developing apps on Android, iOS, mobile, and the Web with the same code.  This fact makes Flutter resource-efficient and faster for app development.

What is server-side? 

As discussed earlier, the server-side, also known as the back-end refers to the processes that occur on the server.  However, the backend often depicts the type of process while the server-side tells you the location where the process is running.

Formerly, almost all business logic like authentication, database interaction, push notification, page-rendering, and the likes take place at the back-end. This approach causes latency since each request must travel from the client to the server. 

To resolve the latency challenge, modern apps attempt to reduce the server load by running some of the code on the client side. A typical example is the use of scripts that generate dynamic web pages within the browser.  So, the content the user sees changes without the need to communicate with the server-side. 

The best 5 Flutter Server-Side Services

Let’s get down to the best Flutter server-side options. We have listed the top 5 server-side platforms to host your Flutter apps.

Back4app

The service of Back4app is powered by several open-source technologies allowing developers to host and scale Flutter apps without hassles.  Whether you want to build a web or mobile app on Flutter, Back4app provides all the tools and resources you need.

The suite of services within this platform allows you to build, host, and manage your web, mobile, and IoT apps. Back4app is one of the top Flutter server-side options for your web or mobile app.

Here are the core features of Back4app

Read the  Flutter Docs to learn more about Back4app features.

Parse

Parse an en effective server-side framework you can use for developing and hosting your Flutter apps for the Web, Mobile, and IoT platforms. You can use multiple frontend technologies with Parse, including Xamarin, Swift, Java, React Native, and Ionic.

Firebase

Firebase is a Google-powered backend service that works excellently as a Flutter server-side. This platform provides several development tools that expedite mobile and web development assignments. It is well-known for its JSON-enabled NoSQL database that stores and syncs data in real-time. 

Backendless

Backendless is another Flutter server-side platform that provides several tools that make app development simpler and faster.  You can access user-defines APIs and choose between cloud-based, dedicated, and managed servers. 

AWS Amplify

The secure and agile features of AWS Amplify make it one of the most popular backend services globally.  This Flutter compatible server-side offers fast and reliable servers with advanced features for app development.

Conclusion

In this article, we explained the benefits of Flutter for app development and the top 5 Flutter server-side options.  These options include AWS Amplify, Backendless, Parse, Firebase, and Back4app.

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