These days, the mobile app market is leaning toward a powerful user experience app development process. However, one of the biggest obstacles always remains with the division in iOS and Android app development. Users of both these operating systems are scattered across the world. Therefore, enterprises must be mindful of this while targeting their large audiences to ensure their brands do not suffer negative consequences.
Flutter app developers can build cross-platform apps. It’s for this reason that Flutter app development is considered a solution to this problem.
I hope this post will shed light on Flutter and its benefits. Use it as a step-by-step guide on its use for enterprise app development.
Let’s start with a brief introduction to the framework.
Flutter-an introduction
Flutter is Google’s open-source UI toolkit for creating multiple apps from a single codebase. The fact that it does not use JavaScript sets it apart from other frameworks. Flutter applications are written in Google’s article-situated programming language called Dart.
Developer productivity, faster allocation, object orientation, and high performance were the four criteria that Google considered when selecting Dart.
Flutter allows developers to create native apps that run smoothly on iOS, Android, and web platforms.
When designing the same app for multiple platforms, developers need help with security tests, source code maturities, UI performance, and functionalities. Such issues are unaffected by Flutter app development and are extremely simple to resolve.
Let’s now take a quick look at the development of mobile enterprise apps.
Enterprise mobile app development
For the sole purpose of coordinating or maintaining a smooth workflow, mobile enterprise apps are created. Mobile applications are developed for businesses using a robust framework that guarantees high performance due to the need for numerous features and increased security.
With this, let’s examine the specific requirements for building enterprise apps and see if Flutter and its library package ecosystem are ready for the task.
Requirements of an enterprise mobile application
Because each enterprise has a different set of expectations, requirements for full-featured front-end and robust back-end technologies vary from business to business.
When discussing mobile applications for enterprises in general, the following requirements must be met.
Layered architecture
Enterprise apps need to have architectures that allow for clear separation of concerns into layers to allow for, among other things:
- large teams of developers to work on the codebase simultaneously
- use of well-documented design patterns
- easier understanding of a wide range of app features
This point leads to better productivity across the various skill levels of a diverse team of developers.
Flutter for enterprise app development assists developers by giving access to secure networking to storage systems (SQL and local database), web resources, and library plugins for improved hardware accessibility following these development requirements:
- Code Detachment: Dependency injection is required to make your code compatible with various native platform processing. Using GetIT Locator, which is a DI library that works near the state management framework to assure application code layer detachment can do it quickly in Flutter.
- Simple State Control: It is the core of Flutter because it works with open-source equipmentlike the Provider libraries and frameworks like setState, Redux, BLoC, and others. For state administration. Furthermore, RxDart is the best decision for the Vacillate and State. The executive’s apparatus mix and meets nonconcurrent programming needs.
- Improvedenterprise app performance, RESTful client and user experience through JSON serialization and deserialization.
- Message pop-ups: Uni Links and Firebase Messaging (for push notifications and correct navigation to establish specific apps – for instance, Flutter libraries – can be used to implement backend integration for enterprise apps to remind client-side apps about services and recent updates.
- SQLite for ample structured database storage and processing. It provides limited local storage for key and value storage to ensure that the enterprise app continues functioning even after Flutter stops processing foreign databases.
Flutter provides simple and secure networking for web resources, local storage, Sqlite databases, and access to hardware via library plugins.
Customized development environment
Developers can choose between Android Studio/IntelliJ and Visual Studio Code for their Flutter IDE as all three are well supported on Mac, PC, Linux, and Chrome book. Building, device deployment, debugging, and performance profiling, can all be achieved within these IDEs, as well as, from the command line. Native iOS platform development/deployment requires Xcode on a Mac.
- Flutter apps are inherently scalable because they are based on the Dart ecosystem which imports Dart packages to provide the functionality of external libraries.
- Every Flutter widget and non-UI code artifact can be tested using one of the three test frameworks provided with Flutter: Unit Test, Widget Test, and Integration Test. This allows for maximum test coverage, limited only by available time and resourcing.
- Flutter uses the underlying Android and iOS tool set to deploy apps to Google Play or Apple App stores, so it coexists with any current enterprise mobile CI/CD set up.
It’s important to note that knowledge of building and signing apps and provisioning profiles is essential to implementing a successful Flutter app. Debugging in each native platform and learning how to read the two different platforms’ stack traces, is another essential Flutter developer skill.
Get a feel for how Flutter can be used with your enterprise mobile app requirements
Interactive UI
Enterprise mobile apps should be focused on providing an excellent user interface. Flutter comes with a comprehensive set of highly accurate renditions of both Android (Material widgets) and iOS (Cupertino widgets).
- Animations are an easy way to begin the learning process, yet, can scale up to different levels of complexity, including Flare, a full-fledged 2D vector animation library.
- Page transition is an example of how navigation between animated app pages can be achieved for maximizing UI pop.
- Paging/infinite scrolling list views are a common requirement when vast sums of data need to be displayed without using large amounts of device memory.
- Image loading/caching library provides an easy way to handle multiple images if the basic image or SVG image is not sufficient.
- Access to Google Maps and Apple Maps is available.
- You can acquire scrollable functionality by utilizing the ListView widget and the EndlessPaginationGridView and EndlessPaginationListViewlibraries for unlimited pagination following your scroll and page view necessities.
Not only that, but it has also developed thanks to today’s comprehensiveFlutter libraryopen-source and base dev community significantly. With that, picture caching is now possible for faster app loading, calendar view, neuromorphic view,timelines, and other features. Using their personalized packages as library codes is all that is required.
Hardware accessibility
Even if your application has a lot of features, it still needs to operate on your hardware, which is your mobile device. Therefore, a feature-rich application with good optimization of hardware is only practical. In addition, no app on the market functions flawlessly without hardware optimization. The use cases and application determine the device hardware access permissions. It’s oftentimes a crucial requirement for an enterprise’s mobile app to be able to access device features, such as:
- Camera
- Biometric authentication including fingerprint and Face ID
- GPS
- Accelerometer
- NFC. Note that only a subset of NFC tags is supported, and NFC application usage is highly restricted by design on Apple’s iOS platform. This is not caused by a Flutter glitch.
Security
Security is paramount in Enterprise apps. This is a broad topic that I will narrow down to a few specific points to keep this blog to a manageable size.
With the assumption that Flutter builds on the Android and iOS app sandbox environments, each Flutter app has the inherent security of native Android and iOS apps, as well as, the ability to securely communicate with external websites via https.
Essential requirements like authentication are well catered to with the Flutter app. Simple Auth supports integration with the following authentication providers:
- Azure Active Directory
- Amazon
- Dropbox
- Github
- Microsoft Live Connect
- Any standard OAuth2/Basic Auth server
Amazon also provides its own Cognito SDK.
And Flutter supports SSL certificate pinning which reduces the possibility of man-in-the-middle attacks on secure web (https) requests. Let us now discuss some of them in detail:
Compliances
Because of the significance of the intellectual property of digital users, all governments and global sectors have established internet regulatory systems that require app developers to adhere to internet cybersecurity standards. Examples include ISO standards for manufacturing services providing applications, DSS-PCI for fintech applications, HITECH and HIPAA for healthcare enterprise applications, and so on.
Countries and continents also change the regulatory bodies for internet security. As a result, when developing any enterprise application tailored to a particular industry, you must examine and abide by applicable regulatory requirements.
Authentication Provides Cyber security for Your Flutter Enterprise Application
When developing an enterprise app, several things need to be considered, such as safeguarding against SQL injection, encrypting data, validating data before making changes, controlling access, logging, detecting intrusions, etc. Due to inadequate cyber security implementation, you want your app’s devoted users to continue using it.
It is now possible to protect your business app because Flutter is compatible with native Android and iOS sandbox environments. Additionally, Flutter’s Simple Auth safeguards biometric, password and pin accesses to protect app access authentication.
Are you in need of top-notch Flutter application development services?
With SSL pinned, the Flutter app is safe
Enabling an SSL certificate to protect your enterprise app also helps provide basic internet security. You will also have the advantage of establishing your web-based Flutter enterprise application as a trustworthy resource.
- Code obfuscation is another method for protecting your Flutter applicationfrom application code invert engineering by a third party with malicious intentions. It allows you to conceal API keys in your Dart code.
- Secure the Flutter application storage by utilizing the Flutter_Secure_Storage plugin.
- Flutter employs the RootBear plugin to prevent jailbreaking of Android-optimized apps and DTTJailBreakDetection for iOS-optimized apps to restrict users to jailbroken app settings.
Miscellaneous support
Following are some other unrelated requirements that are important by themselves, but don’t fit neatly into any of the above categories.
- Analytics: Adobe and Firebase analytics libraries are available
- Error/Crash reporting: Sentry library
- Third-party/open-source libraries: List third-party libraries and licenses. Usage of
third-party libraries often require the app to publicly acknowledge library usage and provide a way to view those library licenses.
- Generate and scan QR codes
- Access to personal contacts list
- Share details with social media
- Send SMS and MMS messages. Receive SMS for one time pass codes
- Receive payments via an attached card reader using the Square Reader SDK
- Make in-app payments using the Square In-App payments SDK
- Other in-app payment libraries are still in development
- Play audio/music/video
- Read user’s health information
- TensorFlow Lite and ML Kit for machine learning on devices and in the cloud
Role of flutter in building enterprise mobile apps
Applications built with Flutter are well-known for their high performance. Flutter is beginning to become famous for developing mobile applications for businesses to take advantage of all the exciting features it offers. Flutter can help build mobile enterprise apps in several ways, including the following:
- Dart programming language along with ReactiveX, async, streams, and RxDart reconciliation.
- SetState, Redux, BLoC, and other state management components integrate with iOS Cupertino widgets and Android Material for interactive UI development.
- For building UI, high accessibility, internationalization, and smooth page transitions are all important.
- Deserialization and serialization of JSON.
- Using Dependency Injection, making code independent and reusable.
- Native Android and iOS environments have a high level of inherent security.
- SQLite when dealing with a lot of data.
- Android Studio, IntelliJ, or Visual Studio as the development environment.
- Provides Solutions for the delivery and continuous integration are provided.
Why does Flutter App Development extend beyond Android and iOS?
Flutter mobile app development companies must devote the most time to app deployment on iOS and Android platforms. To successfully implement a Flutter app, it is necessary to understand the building, signing apps, and provisioning of profiles.
From Android and iOS, Flutter for enterprise app development is expanding to include support for the web, Windows, Linux and macOS platforms. It works well and makes app deployment across platforms seamless with a single code.
If you want to take advantage of Flutter’s potential, you already have many widgets. The idea is to make them responsive across screens and platforms using the same code.
Wrap up
As can be seen from the information provided, there is a Flutter library or solution available for many requirements that apply to enterprise mobile apps.
With a healthy and growing Flutter library package ecosystem, maybe it’s time to consider hiring Flutter App Developer for your next Enterprise app!
