How do you start the development of your new mobile app project?

Abdurrahman Yiğit
24 replies
I use Flutter and my own boilerplate spesifically but wanted to see what is the community's approach on this.

Replies

Rick Fan
Sider for iOS 2.0
I like having a fresh start.
Abdurrahman Yiğit
@rick_fan Got it! I am trying to understand the developers' perspective on this. Why don't you use a boilerplate to speed up your development process? You don't think there is such a boilerplate? Do you believe that boilerplates turn into a headache over time? Do you think there is no need for that? Or any other reason that I haven't mentioned? I would like to hear your idea in more detail. Personally, I like to use boilerplates. I developed my own since there was none that was exactly what I wanted. I believe it speeds up the process by eliminating cumbersome tasks such as setting up router, architecture, folder structure etc. I even modularized some utils such as Push Notification, analytics, revenue cat etc. I even went further and created common pages such as splash, onboarding, authentication etc. What is your story?
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Vaibhav
Learnt Swift in July, Built the app in August and Launched in September!
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Abdurrahman Yiğit
@vaibhavdwivedi Which one of you is faster? The Flash or you?
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Vaibhav
@apodebana Haha, I love The Flash. I try to catchup with him!
Matt El Mouktafi
I built it from scratch every time :) Do you find it useful to start with a boilerplate ?
Abdurrahman Yiğit
@melmouk Personally I do. I don't like to spend time building the same features again and again. For example router, architecture, folder structure etc. It helps me with two things: 1- It saves time (only if you know how things work, since I developed my own boilerplate I know how things work) 2- It ensures it's functionally bug-free. Since it has been developed and tested for a lot of scenarios. Rather than building it from scratch and dealing with the bugs I build it once, use it countless times. I believe this should work with one-product only companies as well, since the main goal is launching the product quickly and bug-free. What do you think about that? I think that there is a prejudice against using boilerplate in the community. I think this is because people don't know how the underlying code works, and over time boilerplate becomes more of a headache than a help.
Anbang Xu
built it from boilerplate and ai like cursor helps me a lot right now
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Abdurrahman Yiğit
@anbangx That's a solid combo right there. Boilerplate + AI = Lightning Speed May I ask: What is your stack? And also which boilerplate you used? Personally I use Flutter. From my perspective, no boilerplate on the market was exactly what I wanted, so I developed my own over time.
Kathleen Edwards
To start a new mobile app project, define your goals, target audience, and platform. Then, create a clear roadmap, choose the right tech stack, and assemble a skilled development team.
Prince Virani
It is good to start from scratch but it depends on your development purpose, and timeline, in that you will get a good template then it's not bad
Abdurrahman Yiğit
@prince36 Got it! In which cases do you think starting from scratch is good? I developed my own boilerplate overtime and am using it in every app I start. I believe it reduces the "legwork" For example I don't like to build the router structure every time or architecture or localization etc. I even modularized some utils and pages. Push Notification, Analytics, Splash Page, Onboarding Pages etc.
Prince Virani
@apodebana in that case you can use the module because it's the same for every application. If you are talking about Push notifications, Analytics, etc then you can use it. When trying out new ideas or paradigms, a fresh start can allow you to explore without constraints from existing code. If the project has very specific needs or a unique architecture that doesn't fit then go for new one
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Abdurrahman Yiğit
@prince36 Good point right there. Thanks!
Mason Derek Holloway
I usually start mobile app projects by sketching out the UI/UX flows and key screens. Then I dive into coding the frontend views and getting navigation working. For the backend, I tend to use Firebase or a simple Node.js + MongoDB setup to get something up and running fast. I've heard good things about very_good_cli for generating boilerplate code and project structure. Might be worth checking out to speed up your dev process!
Emily Rose Johnson
I haven't used very_good_cli myself, but I've heard good things! Personally, I start by mapping out the app architecture and key features. Then I set up the dev environment, pick a tech stack I'm comfortable with (e.g. React Native, Flutter), and start building the UI. For the backend, I usually go with a BaaS like Firebase to save time. Curious to hear other devs' approaches though!
Abdurrahman Yiğit
@emilyrosejohnson A very solid planning right here! Personally I use a boilerplate which I developed myself. I have built +35 app in 2 years thanks to that boilerplate. It speeds up the process! I don't like to build the repetitive features again and again. For example Auth, Onboarding, Mixpanel, RevenueCat etc.
Nicole Park
Sunrise: Guided Journaling & Mindfulness
Sunrise: Guided Journaling & Mindfulness
I've developed everything from scratch so far. I've heard of very_good_cli, but I haven't tried it yet. :)
Abdurrahman Yiğit
@nicolepark Definitely! That was the case for me! I built +30 apps in 1.5 years thanks to my boilerplate. It definitely speeds up the process. I will launch my boilerplate in PH in developer tools category. I will also be sure to write detailed docs and record explaining videos for shortening learning curve. Let me know if you are interested and I will notify you when it is ready!
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Abdurrahman Yiğit
@nicolepark I see, so can I ask you a question? I'm trying to understand the developers' ideas. Why don't you use a boilerplate to speed up your development process? You don't think there is such a boilerplate? Do you believe that boilerplates turn into a headache over time? Do you think there is no need for that? From my perspective, no boilerplate on the market was exactly what I wanted, so I developed my own over time. And in this way, I can handle the ‘legwork’ parts of a new project very quickly. For example setting up the router, localization, architecture, folder structure etc. And even some utilities such as Push Notifications, Analytics etc. Also some common pages like splash or onboarding or authentication etc. What is your story?
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Nicole Park
Sunrise: Guided Journaling & Mindfulness
Sunrise: Guided Journaling & Mindfulness
@apodebana When I first started building an app, I found that starting from scratch gave me more control and flexibility. I also felt that pre-built solutions could often increase complexity. However, after building several apps, I noticed that I end up repeating the same tasks. I definitely feel the need to create my own boilerplate when I have some free time!
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Nicole Park
Sunrise: Guided Journaling & Mindfulness
Sunrise: Guided Journaling & Mindfulness
@apodebana That's impressive! I'm definitely interested in learning more about your boilerplate. Let me know when you launch on Product Hunt! :)
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SaaS. Steven as a Service
Get you ideas on paper, when you do that and read it through you can see if it makes sense or not and whether it is feasible
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