Flutter for Freshers: A Step-by-Step Guide to Your First Mobile App

If you’re a fresher looking to start your career in mobile app development, Flutter is one of the best choices you can make.
Developed by Google, Flutter is an open-source UI toolkit that lets you build beautiful, fast, and cross-platform applications for Android, iOS, Web, and even Desktop — all from a single codebase.

The demand for Flutter developers has grown rapidly in recent years. Companies prefer Flutter because:

• It reduces development time.
• It delivers native-like performance.
• It works on multiple platforms without maintaining separate codebases.

Whether you’re a student, a fresh graduate, or switching careers, this guide will help you understand Flutter step-by-step and build your first app.

What is Flutter?

Flutter is,

• A UI framework – Helps you design visually attractive apps.

• Cross-platform – Write code once, run it on Android, iOS, Web, and more.

• Powered by Dart – The programming language used by Flutter.

• Widget-based – Everything in Flutter is a widget (buttons, text, layouts).

Example of platforms you can target with Flutter:

• Mobile: Android & iOS

• Web: Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

• Desktop: Windows, macOS, Linux

Why Flutter is Great for Freshers?

As a fresher, you want a technology that is:

• Easy to learn – Flutter’s Dart language is simpler than Java, Swift, or Kotlin.

• In-demand – Many startups and big companies use Flutter (e.g., BMW, Alibaba, Google Pay).

• Free and open-source – You can learn without paying for tools.

• Quick to build prototypes – You can create apps in hours instead of weeks.

Setting Up Your Flutter Development Environment

Step 1: Install Flutter SDK

• Go to Flutter official site

• Download the Flutter SDK for your OS (Windows, macOS, Linux).

• Extract it to a folder like C:\src\flutter (Windows) or /Users/yourname/development/flutter (Mac).

Step 2: Install an IDE (Code Editor)

• Android Studio – Great for beginners. Comes with Flutter plugin support.

• VS Code – Lightweight and fast. You’ll need to install the Flutter and Dart plugins.

Step 3: Install Android SDK

• If you use Android Studio, it will guide you to install Android SDK & tools.

Step 4: Set up a device

• Android Emulator: Create from Android Studio’s AVD Manager.

• iOS Simulator: Works only on macOS.

• Real Device: Connect via USB and enable “Developer Mode”.

Step 5: Verify your setup

Open terminal/command prompt and run:

flutter doctor

If everything is green ✅, you’re ready!

Understanding Flutter Project Structure

When you create a new Flutter project, you’ll see these main folders/files:

• lib/main.dart – The entry point of your app.

• pubspec.yaml – File where you define dependencies (packages) and assets.

• android/ – Native Android code and configurations.

• ios/ – Native iOS code and configurations.

• build/ – Automatically generated files.

Writing Your First Flutter App

Let’s create a simple “Hello World” app.

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

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

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(title: const Text("Hello Flutter")),
        body: const Center(
          child: Text(
            "Welcome, Fresher!",
            style: TextStyle(fontSize: 24),
          ),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

How it works

• main(): The starting point of the app.

• runApp(): Launches the Flutter app.

• StatelessWidget: A widget that doesn’t change during runtime.

• Scaffold: Basic page layout with AppBar and body.

Run the app with:
flutter run

Deep understanding about Widgets

Everything in Flutter is a widget:

• StatelessWidget: For static UI (e.g., labels, icons).

• StatefulWidget: For dynamic UI (e.g., form inputs, counters).

Example: Counter App (StatefulWidget)

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const CounterApp());
}

class CounterApp extends StatefulWidget {
  const CounterApp({super.key});

  @override
  State<CounterApp> createState() => _CounterAppState();
}

class _CounterAppState extends State<CounterApp> {
  int count = 0;

  void increment() {
    setState(() {
      count++;
    });
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(title: const Text("Counter App")),
        body: Center(
          child: Text(
            "Count: $count",
            style: const TextStyle(fontSize: 28),
          ),
        ),
        floatingActionButton: FloatingActionButton(
          onPressed: increment,
          child: const Icon(Icons.add),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Adding Interactivity

Example: Button click changes text

ElevatedButton(
  onPressed: () {
    setState(() {
      message = "You clicked the button!";
    });
  },
  child: const Text("Click Me"),
)

Using Packages from pub.dev

Flutter uses pub.dev for packages.

Example: Fetch data from API using http package:

1. Add in pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  http: ^0.13.5

2. Fetch data:

import 'package:http/http.dart' as http;

final response = await http.get(Uri.parse('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts'));

Hot Reload vs Hot Restart

• Hot Reload: Updates UI instantly without losing state.

• Hot Restart: Restarts app from scratch.

Building & Running Your App

• Run on emulator:flutter emulators --launch flutter run

• Build APK:flutter build apk

• Build for iOS: (Mac only)flutter build ios

Next Steps for Freshers

Once you know the basics:

• Learn Navigation (Navigator or GetX).

• Learn State Management (Provider, Riverpod, Bloc).

• Practice with small projects like:

  • To-do app

  • Weather app

  • Notes app

  • Expense tracker

Concluding now,

Flutter is a powerful yet beginner-friendly framework for building mobile apps. As a fresher, you can start small, build projects, and showcase them in your portfolio. With practice, you can land your first job or freelance project as a Flutter developer.

Jayesh Dankhara

Flutter & Android Developer

I'm Jayesh Dankhara, a Flutter & Android Developer at Omex Infotech with 6+ years of experience building scalable apps across industries. I've worked on AI-enhanced apps like PCFitment, Crane Management System, and am passionate about blending mobile with intelligent systems.