Hello everyone. Today I came to you with an application I just discovered from the Flutter world. As you know, we Flutterers write mobile applications and publish them on various platforms and the work does not stop there. We continue to work on it afterwards. Bug fixes, improvements, updates, etc. We report the changes we make to the platform where we install our application, and it passes their approval. At this point we have to wait a bit. Then the user receives a notification that there is an updated version of the app, and the user updates. But after that, the process goes back to the beginning. The same procedure for new updates and changes.
A platform has been created to prevent this situation. Its name is Shorebird. I have prepared an article about it for you today. As soon as the update I made in my own published application is completed, I will use it. I will also give feedback on the result. Now let’s talk about what I found as a result of my research…
What is Shorebird ?
Shorebird is a CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) and deployment platform designed to accelerate Flutter projects and provide a seamless experience for your users. This means faster updates and faster delivery to users. You don’t have to re-upload your app to the stores to fix bugs or add new features. This is a great convenience for both developers and users!
Highlights of Shorebird
- Hotfix Support:
Let’s say a live bug is affecting users. Thanks to Shorebird, you can fix this bug immediately and deliver it to your users instantly. For example, if there is a payment system bug, you can fix it without waiting for store approval. - Fast Update Deployment:
You’ve added a new feature but you’re waiting for your users to update to see it? No, no need! Shorebird pushes the update to the user device in the background. - Specially Optimized for Flutter:
Shorebird is customized for Flutter developers. This gives you an advantage in both performance and integration. - CI/CD Integration:
It tests, compiles and publishes your code. This minimizes manual errors. - Version Control and Reporting:
You can track in detail which update reached how many users and how successful it was.
How to Install and Use Shorebird?
The first thing we need to do to start using Shorebird is to add the SDK to our project. Here’s how we do that:
We install the SDK from the terminal:
dart pub global activate shorebirdWe add Shorebird CLI to our project and run the following command in the main directory of our project:
shorebird initThis will integrate our project with Shorebird.
Now we can make any changes we want to our project. After making changes to our code, we install the update with the following command:
shorebird patchThis command packages the changes in our app and sends them to Shorebird servers.
Our users can access these updates without reinstalling the app.
Likewise, when we detect an error, we can quickly complete the process by following these steps:
- We fix the area with the error.
- Create a new patch (with the shorebird patch command)
- And we’re distributing the update through Shorebird.
Usage Areas of Shorebird
If the application we are writing is not the kind of application that receives constant updates, if there are rarely errors, there is not much need to use Shorebird. But when I thought about where we can use this platform the most, the following application areas came to my mind. If you have other types of applications that come to your mind, we can discuss them in the comments.
- E-Commerce Applications:
Imagine an error with stock information or the payment system. Users can get impatient waiting for confirmation in the store. With Shorebird, you can fix the error in minutes and send the update. - Education Applications:
When you need to make a change to course content, you can deliver new content instantly without waiting for users to update the app. - Game Applications:
If there’s a game bug or balancing issue, you can quickly release a fix instead of disrupting the player experience.
Shorebird’s Contribution to the Flutter Ecosystem
Flutter is already a powerful framework for cross-platform development. However, tools like Shorebird make Flutter apps faster, easier and more user-friendly. For developers who want to speed up the coding process, minimize bugs and increase user satisfaction, Shorebird is a great solution.
Just a Small Note:
While researching Shorebird, I also discovered that there is a similar platform called Codemagic, but Codemagic offers a general CI/CD solution, whereas Shorebird is specific to Flutter, so I thought it would offer a better experience and be a more compact solution for us Flutterers.
Points to Consider
As with any technology, this platform is not a completely thornless rose garden. As far as I have seen in my research, there are some points to be considered when using it or to be considered at the point of preference. Let me talk about them briefly.
Platform Dependency
The first thing I want to say is that as soon as we integrate our application into Shorebird, we make it dependent on the Shorebird platform. If for some reason Shorebird discontinues its service or support is cut, moving the project to another system may require extra effort. It is useful to take this into consideration.
User Security and Updates
Another point is that with Shorebird we can push app updates instantly, yes, but this can lead to some security and user experience issues. For example, when pushing fast updates, we might be pushing code that hasn’t been sufficiently tested, which is a serious risk on the fly.
In addition, the App Store and Play Store’s manual review process for app updates acts as a security filter. With Shorebird, we bypass this filter, which is also a kind of risk.
Pricing and Cost
Shorebird is currently in beta and free of charge, but may move to a paid model in the future. If we integrate more than one of our apps, the cost can add up quickly.
It will be in our best interest to make a decision by thoroughly examining such situations. At this point, it would be better to summarize Shorebird’s target audience.
Should I Use Shorebird?
Who should use Shorebird?
- Large projects that need constant updates and hotfixes.
- Teams that want to update quickly but are looking for a tool to optimize their CI/CD processes.
Who might not prefer Shorebird?
- Developers who rarely update or have simple projects.
- Applications subject to strict store policies where user data and security are at the forefront.
As a result, as far as I have researched, Shorebird is definitely a tool that should be tried in order to speed up the update problem in Flutter projects and provide faster service to users, after deciding by paying attention to the details that we can call the above handicap. It is easy to integrate, fast to use and offers us great flexibility. I think it will make our work easier in terms of using time more efficiently.
Resources:
Thanks for your reading.
Selin.
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