Building a mobile app with Flutter and connecting it to a MySQL database using a PHP
backend requires a solid understanding of each technology. The following is a brief roadmap
to guide you through the process.
1. Foundations: Dart and Flutter 🎯
Before you can build an app, you need to learn the core technologies.
Learn Dart: Start with the fundamentals of the Dart programming language. This
is the language used to build Flutter applications. Focus on:
o Basic syntax, data types, and control flow.
o Functions and object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts (classes, objects,
inheritance, polymorphism, etc.).
o Asynchronous programming with async and await to handle tasks like
fetching data from an API without blocking the app's UI.
Master Flutter UI: Once you're comfortable with Dart, dive into the Flutter
framework. It's all about widgets!
o Understand the difference between StatelessWidget and StatefulWidget.
o Learn about the widget tree, layouts (like Row, Column, Stack), and navigation
between screens.
o Practice building various UIs and learn about responsive design.
2. Backend: MySQL and PHP 💾
Your app needs a place to store data. You'll use MySQL for the database and PHP to create a
bridge between your app and the database.
Learn MySQL: Get familiar with a relational database.
o Understand database concepts: tables, columns, rows, primary keys, and
foreign keys.
o Learn SQL (Structured Query Language) commands for database operations,
including CREATE, INSERT, SELECT, UPDATE, and DELETE (often referred to as
CRUD operations).
o Install a local server environment like XAMPP or MAMP, which includes
Apache, MySQL, and PHP.
Build a PHP REST API: Your Flutter app cannot directly talk to a MySQL database
for security reasons. Instead, you'll create a RESTful API using PHP.
o Learn how to set up PHP on your server.
o Create PHP scripts to handle requests from the app. For example, one script
might fetch all products, another might add a new user, and so on.
o Connect your PHP scripts to the MySQL database.
o Ensure your API returns data in a standard format, most commonly JSON.
3. Putting It All Together 🤝
This is where you connect the two halves of your project.
State Management: In Flutter, you need to manage the "state" of your app (the data
that changes the UI). When you fetch data from your PHP API, you need a way to
update the UI. Consider using a state management solution like Provider, Riverpod,
or BLoC. For smaller apps, setState might suffice initially.
API Integration: Use the http package in Flutter to send requests to your PHP API.
o Learn to make different types of HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
o Handle the JSON data you receive back from the API, converting it into Dart
objects.
This roadmap provides a logical progression from learning the individual components to
integrating them to build a full-stack mobile application.
For a tutorial on using PHP and MySQL for a Flutter backend, check out the Flutter and
MySQL with PHP backend video. This video is relevant because it provides a step-by-step
guide on how to integrate a Flutter app with a MySQL database using a PHP backend.
How to Use PHP & MySQL In Flutter For Backend & Database - YouTube
Dear Programmer · 2.3K views
