Installation

Set up Flutter development environment on your machine.

What is it?

Flutter installation involves downloading the Flutter SDK, setting up environment variables, installing platform-specific dependencies (Android Studio, Xcode, etc.), and verifying everything works correctly.

Why does it exist?

Installation exists to:

Provide the Flutter framework and tools on your machine
Set up platform-specific build tools for Android and iOS
Configure your development environment for Flutter development
Enable running Flutter commands from terminal
Prepare your system for creating and building Flutter apps

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

For Windows:

Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
8 GB RAM (recommended)
4 GB available disk space
PowerShell 5.0 or later

For macOS:

macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or later
8 GB RAM (recommended)
4 GB available disk space
Xcode 12 or later (for iOS)

For Linux:

Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or later (64-bit)
8 GB RAM (recommended)
4 GB available disk space
GCC, G++, and other build tools

Installation Steps

Windows

Download and install Flutter SDK on Windows

# 1. Download Flutter SDK
# Go to: https://docs.flutter.dev/get-started/install/windows
# Download the latest stable release zip file

# 2. Extract to desired location (e.g., C:\flutter)
# 3. Update PATH environment variable
# Add C:\flutter\bin to your PATH

# 4. Run Flutter doctor
flutter doctor

# 5. Install Android Studio for Android development
# Download from: https://developer.android.com/studio

# 6. Install Visual Studio for desktop development
# Download from: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/

What's happening here? - flutter doctor checks your setup and reports issues - PATH allows running Flutter commands from anywhere - Android Studio provides Android SDK and emulator - Visual Studio provides C++ build tools for Windows apps

macOS

Install Flutter SDK on macOS

# 1. Install via Homebrew (Recommended)
brew install flutter

# OR manual installation
# 1. Download Flutter SDK
# Go to: https://docs.flutter.dev/get-started/install/macos
# Download the latest stable release zip file

# 2. Extract to desired location
cd ~/development
unzip ~/Downloads/flutter_macos_*.zip

# 3. Add to PATH (add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc)
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/development/flutter/bin"

# 4. Install Xcode (for iOS development)
# Download from Mac App Store

# 5. Install CocoaPods
sudo gem install cocoapods

# 6. Run Flutter doctor
flutter doctor

What's happening here? - Homebrew simplifies Flutter installation - Xcode includes iOS SDK and simulator - CocoaPods handles iOS dependencies - PATH updated permanently via shell config

Linux

Install Flutter SDK on Linux

# 1. Install dependencies
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y curl git unzip xz-utils zip libglu1-mesa

# 2. Download Flutter SDK
cd ~/development
wget https://storage.googleapis.com/flutter_infra_release/releases/stable/linux/flutter_linux_*.tar.xz

# 3. Extract the SDK
tar xf flutter_linux_*.tar.xz

# 4. Add to PATH (add to ~/.bashrc)
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/development/flutter/bin"

# 5. Run Flutter doctor
flutter doctor

# 6. Install Android Studio (optional but recommended)
# Download from: https://developer.android.com/studio

What's happening here? - System dependencies installed via apt - Flutter SDK downloaded and extracted - PATH updated for command access - Android Studio recommended for UI development

Flutter Doctor

The flutter doctor command checks your environment and shows issues that need fixing.

flutter doctor

# Output example:
# Doctor summary (to see all details, run flutter doctor -v)
# [✓] Flutter (Channel stable, 3.16.0, on macOS 14.0)
# [✓] Android toolchain - develop for Android devices
# [✓] Xcode - develop for iOS and macOS
# [✓] Chrome - develop for the web
# [✓] Android Studio (version 2023.1)
# [✓] Connected device (2 available)
# 
# ! Doctor found issues in 1 category.
# Run 'flutter doctor -v' for more details.

# Common fixes from flutter doctor:
flutter doctor --android-licenses  # Accept Android licenses
flutter doctor --verbose           # Get detailed output

What's happening here? - flutter doctor checks all components - ✓ indicates installed properly - ✗ or ! indicates missing or requires action - Follow the suggestions to fix issues

IDEs and Editors

Android Studio

The most popular IDE for Flutter development

# Install Flutter and Dart plugins
# 1. Open Android Studio
# 2. Go to Preferences > Plugins
# 3. Search for "Flutter" and click Install
# 4. The Dart plugin will be installed automatically
# 5. Restart Android Studio

# Create new Flutter project:
# File > New > New Flutter Project
# Choose Flutter Application
# Configure project settings
# Click Finish

Benefits: - Flutter project templates - Hot reload and hot restart buttons - Advanced debugging and profiling - Auto-completion and suggestions - UI inspector for widgets - Built-in emulator support

VS Code

Lightweight editor with excellent Flutter support

# 1. Install Flutter and Dart extensions
# Open VS Code
# Click Extensions icon (Ctrl+Shift+X)
# Search for "Flutter"
# Click Install on "Flutter" extension
# Click Install on "Dart" extension (if not auto-installed)

# Create new Flutter project:
# View > Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
# Type "Flutter: New Project"
# Enter project name
# Choose project location
# Wait for project creation

Benefits: - Lightweight and fast - Excellent code completion - Hot reload with keyboard shortcuts - DevTools integration - Built-in terminal - Git integration

Updating Flutter

Keep Flutter up to date for the latest features and fixes.

# Check for updates
flutter upgrade

# Switch to specific channel
flutter channel stable      # Recommended
flutter channel beta
flutter channel dev
flutter channel master

# Check current version
flutter --version

# Get specific version
flutter downgrade 3.16.0

What's happening here? - flutter upgrade fetches latest stable version - Channels offer different stability levels - Stable is recommended for production - flutter --version shows current version

Common Installation Issues

PATH Not Set Correctly

Wrong:

# Error: 'flutter' is not recognized

Correct:

# Windows
setx PATH "%PATH%;C:\flutter\bin"

# macOS/Linux
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/development/flutter/bin"

# Verify
flutter --version

Android Licenses Not Accepted

Wrong:

# Error: Android licenses not accepted

Correct:

flutter doctor --android-licenses
# Follow prompts and accept all licenses

Xcode Command Line Tools Missing

Wrong:

# Error: Xcode not installed

Correct:

# Install Xcode from App Store
# Then install command line tools
sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer
sudo xcodebuild -runFirstLaunch

Best Practices

Use stable channel for production apps
Update Flutter regularly for security patches
Keep Android Studio and Xcode updated
Use flutter doctor after installation
Set up environment variables permanently
Install both Android Studio and VS Code
Use a package manager when possible

Summary

Flutter installation requires downloading the SDK, setting up PATH, installing platform-specific tools (Android Studio, Xcode), and running flutter doctor to verify everything. The process varies by platform but is well-documented and straightforward.

Next Steps

Did You Know?

Flutter SDK is about 1 GB in size
Flutter can build iOS apps on Windows (via CI/CD)
You don't need Android Studio - you can use any editor
Flutter includes a built-in HTTP server for debugging
Flutter doctor also checks emulator availability
You can install multiple Flutter versions using FVM