Modularizing Flutter Apps with Dependency Injection

Introduction

Modular architecture and dependency injection (DI) are key patterns in large-scale Flutter mobile development. By dividing your codebase into feature modules and injecting dependencies instead of instantiating them directly, you gain improved testability, clearer separation of concerns, and easier maintenance. This tutorial guides you through breaking a Flutter app into modules and wiring them with a DI container using get_it.

Exploring Modularity in Flutter

Modularity means grouping related UI, business logic, and data access into cohesive units. In a monolithic Flutter app, you might see widgets, services, and repositories intertwined in a single folder. Splitting your app into modules prevents tight coupling: each module owns its routes, view models, and data sources. Modules become reusable across projects or teams. When a feature requirements change, you can work inside one module without side effects elsewhere.

Choosing a Dependency Injection Library

Flutter offers several DI libraries—get_it, injectable, and provider are popular picks. get_it is a service locator: you register instances or factories at startup and resolve them anywhere in the widget tree. It has minimal boilerplate and no code generation by default, making it a great starting point. For larger apps, you can layer injectable for annotations and code generation, but direct get_it usage remains a clear, hands-on way to learn DI principles.

Architecting Feature Modules

Each module consists of:

• A domain layer (entities, use cases)

• A data layer (repositories, API clients)

• A presentation layer (widgets, view models)

Create a folder per module (e.g., lib/features/auth). Inside, define subfolders: data, domain, presentation. Keep module internals private by only exporting public APIs in an index file. This enforces encapsulation. Other modules import an auth module’s public interface instead of its private implementation details.

Implementing get_it for Service Registration

In a central file (e.g., lib/locator.dart), initialize get_it and register all services from each module:

import 'package:get_it/get_it.dart';
import 'features/auth/auth_module.dart';

final getIt = GetIt.instance;

void setupLocator() {
  // Register module-specific services
  AuthModule.register(getIt);
}

Inside each module, define a static registration method:

class AuthModule {
  static void register(GetIt locator) {
    locator.registerLazySingleton<AuthService>(() => AuthService());
    locator.registerFactory<LoginViewModel>(() => LoginViewModel(locator()));
  }
}

This pattern ensures all modules plug into a single DI container without tight coupling.

Bootstrapping Modules on Startup

In your main.dart, call setupLocator before runApp:

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

Within widgets or view models, retrieve services via getIt():

final authService = getIt<AuthService>();

You can also use get_it_mixin or injectable to integrate smoothly with provider or hooks for reactive updates.

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

Modularizing Flutter apps with dependency injection unlocks maintainable, testable, and scalable codebases for mobile development. By defining feature modules, selecting a DI framework like get_it, registering services per module, and bootstrapping them at startup, you achieve clear boundaries and streamlined team workflows. Start small, grow your module catalog, and enjoy a more robust architecture as your app evolves.