Enhancing Your Flutter App with Shorebird: Performance, Stability, and OTA Updates

For Flutter developers, maintaining app performance and delivering updates quickly is critical. Shorebird is a tool designed specifically for Flutter apps, enabling developers to monitor performance, manage over-the-air (OTA) updates, and analyze crashes effectively.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the key features of Shorebird and show you how to integrate it into a Flutter project with code examples.

Getting Started with Shorebird

1. Install the Shorebird CLI

Shorebird provides a command-line interface (CLI) for managing OTA updates and other features. To install it:

curl -sS https://get.shorebird.dev | bash        

Once installed, verify the installation:

shorebird --version        

2. Create a Shorebird Account

Head over to Shorebird's website and create an account. After logging in, you can link your app to Shorebird.

3. Initialize Shorebird in Your Project

Navigate to your Flutter project directory and initialize Shorebird:

shorebird init        

This command sets up Shorebird with your app and generates the necessary configuration files.

Integrating the Shorebird SDK

To enable OTA updates and performance monitoring, add the Shorebird SDK to your Flutter project.

1. Open your pubspec.yaml file and add the following dependency:

dependencies:
  shorebird_sdk: ^0.1.0        

• Run flutter pub get to fetch the package.
• Import the SDK in your main Dart file:

import 'package:shorebird_sdk/shorebird_sdk.dart';        

• Initialize the Shorebird SDK in the main function:

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();

  // Initialize Shorebird SDK
  await Shorebird.start();
  
  runApp(MyApp());
}        

Using OTA Updates with Shorebird

With Shorebird, you can push updates to your app without requiring a full app store release.

Deploying an OTA Update:

• Make changes to your Flutter app code.
• Build a Shorebird release:

shorebird release        

• The Shorebird CLI uploads the update to the Shorebird servers. Users will automatically receive the new code when they reopen the app.

Example: Rolling Out Updates Gradually

Shorebird allows you to control the rollout of updates. For instance, you can release an update to only 50% of your users:

shorebird release --rollout=50        

Crash Reporting with Shorebird

Shorebird’s crash reporting feature helps you identify and fix app issues quickly. You can capture unhandled exceptions by enabling crash reporting in the app.

Example Code for Crash Reporting:

import 'package:shorebird_sdk/shorebird_sdk.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();

  await Shorebird.start();

  // Capture unhandled exceptions
  FlutterError.onError = Shorebird.recordFlutterError;
  PlatformDispatcher.instance.onError = Shorebird.recordError;

  runApp(MyApp());
}        

When a crash occurs, the details will be sent to Shorebird’s dashboard, where you can review stack traces and debug the issue.

Monitoring App Performance

Shorebird also helps monitor your app’s performance, such as frame rates and memory usage.

Example: Recording Custom Events

You can record custom performance metrics in your app:

void loadData() async {
  final timer = Shorebird.startPerformanceTimer("data_load");

  // Simulate data loading
  await Future.delayed(Duration(seconds: 2));

  timer.stop();
}        

These metrics are visible in the Shorebird dashboard, allowing you to track and optimize critical operations.

Conclusion

Shorebird is a powerful companion for Flutter developers, making it easier to manage app performance, diagnose issues, and deliver updates seamlessly. By integrating Shorebird into your Flutter project, you can reduce downtime, improve user experience, and ship better apps faster.

Next Steps

• Visit the Shorebird Documentation to explore more features.
• Try deploying your first OTA update today!

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