State Management in Flutter: Choosing the Right Approach for Your App.

Understanding Different State Management Approaches, their Pros and Cons, and Tips for Choosing the Best One.

Flutter is a popular mobile app development framework that has gained immense popularity among developers because of its ease of use, high performance, and hot-reload feature. One of the most critical aspects of building an app in Flutter is managing the app’s state effectively. State management refers to the technique of storing, manipulating, and sharing data between different parts of your app. Flutter offers several state management approaches, each with its own set of pros and cons. In this blog post, we will explore the different state management approaches available in Flutter, and help you choose the right one for your app.

1. Stateful Widgets: The simplest way to manage the state in Flutter is by using Stateful Widgets. Stateful Widgets are used to build parts of the UI that can change dynamically. The state is stored within the widget and can be updated using the setState method. This approach is ideal for small apps with minimal state requirements.

Pros:

• Simple and easy to understand.
• Requires minimal setup.
• Ideal for small apps.

Cons:

• Not suitable for large or complex apps.
• Can become difficult to manage when there are multiple widgets that need to share state.

2. InheritedWidgets: InheritedWidgets are another way to manage the state in Flutter. They allow you to share data between widgets without having to pass it down through the widget tree. InheritedWidgets are used when you have multiple widgets that need to access the same data.

Pros:

• Ideal for apps with a moderate amount of state.
• Easy to use once you understand the concept.
• Good performance.

Cons:

• Not suitable for complex apps with a large number of widgets.
• Can be difficult to manage when there are multiple InheritedWidgets that need to share state.

3. Provider: Provider is a popular state management library in Flutter that is based on InheritedWidgets. Provider provides a simple and elegant way to manage state by using a combination of InheritedWidgets and ChangeNotifier.

Pros:

• Ideal for apps with a moderate amount of state.
• Easy to use and understand.
• Good performance.

Cons:

• Not suitable for large or complex apps.
• Can be difficult to manage when there are multiple Providers that need to share state.

4. Redux: Redux is a state management library that has gained immense popularity in the React community. It is based on the Flux architecture and provides a simple way to manage the state in large and complex apps. Redux uses a single store to hold the app state, and all updates are made using actions.

Pros:

• Ideal for large and complex apps with a lot of states.
• Provides a clear separation of concerns.
• Easy to test.

Cons:

• Steep learning curve.
• Requires a lot of setups.
• Can be overkill for small apps.

5. Bloc: Bloc is another popular state management library in Flutter. It is based on the BLoC pattern, which stands for Business Logic Component. Bloc provides a simple and elegant way to manage the state by separating the UI from the business logic.

Pros:

• Ideal for large and complex apps.
• Provides a clear separation of concerns.
• Good performance.

Cons:

• Steep learning curve.
• Requires a lot of setups.
• Can be overkill for small apps.

I’m not discussing GetX here, but that is because I will discuss that in a separate post very soon (Writing in progress), and after that probably will discuss others thoroughly. Comment your thoughts.

Some Use cases for the state management Approaches :

here are some examples of how each of the state management approaches can be used in Flutter:

1. Stateful Widgets: Stateful Widgets are used to manage the state within the widget itself. For example, you can use Stateful Widgets to manage the state of a checkbox or a slider.
2. InheritedWidgets: InheritedWidgets are used to share data between multiple widgets without having to pass it down through the widget tree. For example, you can use InheritedWidgets to share a theme or localization data across your app.
3. Provider: Provider is a state management library that allows you to manage states in a simple and elegant way. For example, you can use Provider to manage the state of a shopping cart or a user profile.
4. Redux: Redux is a state management library that provides a single source of truth for the app state. For example, you can use Redux to manage the state of a social media app, including the user’s profile, posts, and comments.
5. Bloc: Bloc is a state management library that separates the UI from the business logic. For example, you can use Bloc to manage the state of a weather app, including the user’s location, temperature, and weather forecast.

Code Examples :

Here are code examples for each of the state management approaches in Flutter:

1. Stateful Widgets:

class CheckboxWidget extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  _CheckboxWidgetState createState() => _CheckboxWidgetState();
}

class _CheckboxWidgetState extends State<CheckboxWidget> {
  bool isChecked = false;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Checkbox(
      value: isChecked,
      onChanged: (bool newValue) {
        setState(() {
          isChecked = newValue;
        });
      },
    );
  }
}

2. InheritedWidgets:

class LocalizationData extends InheritedWidget {
  final String languageCode;

  LocalizationData({Key key, this.languageCode, Widget child})
      : super(key: key, child: child);

  static LocalizationData of(BuildContext context) {
    return context.dependOnInheritedWidgetOfExactType<LocalizationData>();
  }

  @override
  bool updateShouldNotify(LocalizationData oldWidget) {
    return oldWidget.languageCode != languageCode;
  }
}

3. Provider:

class CounterModel extends ChangeNotifier {
  int _count = 0;

  int get count => _count;

  void incrementCounter() {
    _count++;
    notifyListeners();
  }
}

class CounterWidget extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    final counterModel = Provider.of<CounterModel>(context);
    return Text('${counterModel.count}');
  }
}

4. Redux:

enum ActionType { Increment, Decrement }

class CounterState {
  final int count;

  CounterState({this.count});

  CounterState.initialState() : count = 0;
}

class CounterAction {
  final ActionType type;
  final int amount;

  CounterAction({this.type, this.amount});
}

CounterState counterReducer(CounterState state, action) {
  if (action.type == ActionType.Increment) {
    return CounterState(count: state.count + action.amount);
  } else if (action.type == ActionType.Decrement) {
    return CounterState(count: state.count - action.amount);
  }

  return state;
}

void main() {
  final store = Store<CounterState>(
    counterReducer,
    initialState: CounterState.initialState(),
  );

  runApp(MyApp(store: store));
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  final Store<CounterState> store;

  MyApp({this.store});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return StoreProvider<CounterState>(
      store: store,
      child: MaterialApp(
        home: CounterWidget(),
      ),
    );
  }
}

class CounterWidget extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return StoreConnector<CounterState, int>(
      converter: (store) => store.state.count,
      builder: (context, count) {
        return Text('$count');
      },
    );
  }
}

5. Bloc:

class CounterBloc {
  int _count = 0;
  final _counterController = StreamController<int>.broadcast();

  Stream<int> get counterStream => _counterController.stream;

  void incrementCounter() {
    _count++;
    _counterController.sink.add(_count);
  }

  void dispose() {
    _counterController.close();
  }
}

void main() {
  final bloc = CounterBloc();

  runApp(MyApp(bloc: bloc));
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  final CounterBloc bloc;

  MyApp({this.bloc});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return BlocProvider<CounterBloc>(
      create: (BuildContext context) => bloc,
      child: MaterialApp(
        home: CounterWidget(),
      ),
    );
  }
}

This blog is getting very big, so I'm not going to explain them here much, but I will very soon create separate posts for each of them, to get them ASAP I publish them, please follow my profile and get an email notification by clicking the subscribe icon next to it.

MD. Sad Adnan - Medium

How to Choose the Best State Management Approach for Your App:

Choosing the right state management approach for your app depends on several factors, such as the app’s complexity, the amount of state, and your personal preference. Here are some tips to help you choose the best approach:

• Start with Stateful Widgets or InheritedWidgets for small apps with minimal state requirements.
• Use Provider for apps with a moderate amount of state that needs to be shared across multiple widgets.
• Choose Redux or Bloc for large and complex apps that require a clear separation of concerns and a single source of truth for the app state.
• Consider your team’s experience and familiarity with different state management approaches when making your decision.

Tips and Tricks for Learning State Management in Flutter:

Learning state management in Flutter can be challenging, but here are some tips and tricks to make the process easier:

• Start with the official Flutter documentation, which provides a comprehensive guide to state management in Flutter.
• Watch video tutorials and read blog posts that provide examples of different state management approaches in action.
• Experiment with different state management approaches in sample apps to get a feel for how they work.
• Join Flutter communities, such as Reddit or Discord, to get help from experienced developers.

In conclusion, state management is a critical aspect of building a successful app in Flutter. Understanding the different state management approaches available, their pros and cons, and how to choose the right one for your app are essential. With the right knowledge and approach, you can effectively manage the state of your app and create an excellent user experience.

I’m attaching some of the links for your better understanding and learning,

If you already use state management in your app, do let me know which ones you know, you like, and when you like to use which state management approaches.

provider | Flutter Package

flutter_redux | Flutter Package

flutter_bloc | Flutter Package