Question 1

How does go-flutter compare to Flutter's official desktop support?

Accepted Answer

go-flutter is an unofficial embedder using Go and GLFW, offering a simple cross-platform solution, while Flutter's official desktop support is integrated into the SDK with Google backing. go-flutter may have more consistent tooling but can lag in updates and plugin compatibility.

Question 2

Is go-flutter stable enough for production desktop apps?

Accepted Answer

It's community-maintained and follows Flutter's beta channel, making it viable for many projects, but its unofficial status means it lacks the guaranteed stability and support of official Flutter releases, so testing is crucial.

Question 3

How to package a Flutter app for Windows using go-flutter?

Accepted Answer

Use the hover tool included with go-flutter to build and package apps into MSI installers for Windows, as mentioned in the distribution formats section, ensuring proper configuration for desktop-specific settings.

Question 4

Can I use existing Flutter mobile plugins with go-flutter on desktop?

Accepted Answer

Some popular plugins are adapted in the go-flutter-desktop/plugins repository, but not all mobile plugins work out-of-the-box; you may need to check compatibility or develop custom plugins for desktop-specific functionality.

Question 5

What are the performance trade-offs of go-flutter vs native desktop frameworks?

Accepted Answer

go-flutter uses GLFW for rendering, which is efficient, but it adds a Go runtime layer, potentially increasing startup time or memory usage compared to native C++ embeddings, though it benefits from Flutter's optimized UI toolkit.

Question 6

How to handle advanced desktop features like menu bars in go-flutter?

Accepted Answer

Basic input is supported, but advanced desktop UI elements often require custom plugins or workarounds, as the focus is on Flutter's widget system; the wiki provides guidance on plugin implementation for such needs.

Question 7

go-flutter or Electron for cross-platform desktop apps?

Accepted Answer

go-flutter allows using Flutter's UI with a Go backend, potentially being lighter than Electron's Chromium-based approach, but it's less mature and has a smaller ecosystem, so choose based on team expertise and feature requirements.

Golang Desktop Embedder

What is Golang Desktop Embedder?

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