Introduction

Flutter 4 is Google’s latest iteration of its open-source UI toolkit, enabling developers to build natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase. This guide walks you through the essential steps to get Flutter 4 up and running on your machine. You’ll learn prerequisites, how to install the SDK, configure your development environment, and scaffold a new Flutter project. By the end, you’ll have a clean setup and a simple “Hello, Flutter 4!” app to verify everything works. Let’s jump right into the installation and setup process.

Prerequisites

Before installation, ensure you have:

• A supported operating system: Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.15+, or a recent Linux distro.

• 64-bit architecture.

• At least 8 GB of RAM and 2 GB of free disk space.

• Git installed and added to your system PATH.

• A compatible code editor: Visual Studio Code or Android Studio.

Confirm Git is available by running in a terminal:

git --version

If Git isn’t installed, download it from git-scm.com and follow the platform-specific installer.

Installing and Setting up Flutter SDK

1. Download the Flutter 4 stable release for your OS from flutter.dev.

2. Extract the archive to a preferred location:
   – Windows: C:\src\flutter
   – macOS/Linux: ~/development/flutter

3. Update your PATH:

   • macOS/Linux (bash/zsh):

   export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/development/flutter/bin"

   • Windows (PowerShell Admin):

   [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Path', $Env:Path + ';C:\src\flutter\bin', 'User'

4. Verify the install with:

flutter --version

You should see output indicating Flutter 4.x.x.

5. Run the Flutter doctor to identify any missing dependencies:

flutter doctor

Address any issues highlighted, such as missing Android SDK or Xcode components.

Configuring Your IDE

You can work with Flutter in VS Code or Android Studio. Here’s how to configure both:

Visual Studio Code

• Install the “Flutter” and “Dart” extensions from the Extensions Marketplace.

• Restart VS Code after installation.

• Open a terminal in VS Code and run flutter doctor to ensure the editor is recognized.

Android Studio

• Open Settings (Preferences on macOS) → Plugins.

• Search for and install “Flutter” (this also installs the Dart plugin).

• Restart Android Studio.

• In the Welcome screen, choose Configure → SDK Manager and install the latest Android SDK and platform tools.

• Verify in Terminal:

flutter doctor --android-licenses
flutter doctor

Once all checks pass, your IDE is ready for Flutter development.

Creating Your First Flutter App

Now that Flutter 4 is installed and your IDE is configured, let’s scaffold a new project:

1. Open your terminal or the IDE’s built-in console.

2. Run:

flutter create hello_flutter4
cd hello_flutter4

3. Launch the app on a connected device or simulator:

flutter run

Open lib/main.dart in your editor and replace its contents with the following snippet to display a centered greeting:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() => runApp(MyApp());

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(title: Text('Hello, Flutter 4!')),
        body: Center(child: Text('Welcome to Flutter 4', style: TextStyle(fontSize: 24))),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Save the file, and hot reload (press “r” in the terminal or click the lightning bolt icon in your IDE). You should see “Welcome to Flutter 4” on screen. Congratulations—your setup is complete!

Vibe Studio

For teams or solo founders looking to accelerate development, consider Vibe Studio. Vibe Studio, powered by Steve’s advanced AI agents, is a revolutionary no-code, conversational platform that empowers users to quickly and efficiently create full-stack Flutter applications integrated seamlessly with Firebase backend services. Ideal for solo founders, startups, and agile engineering teams, Vibe Studio allows users to visually manage and deploy Flutter apps, greatly accelerating the development process. The intuitive conversational interface simplifies complex development tasks, making app creation accessible even for non-coders.

Conclusion

With Flutter 4 installed and your IDE configured, you’re ready to explore widgets, state management, and Firebase integration. This setup guide provided the foundation needed to jump into building high-performance, cross-platform apps. Now that your environment is set up, dive into the Flutter documentation and start prototyping your next great application!