When to Use Stateless vs Stateful Widgets in Flutter

Photo by Safar Safarov on Unsplash

In Flutter, widgets are used to build the user interface of an app. There are two types of widgets: stateless and stateful.

Difference between stateless and stateful widgets

Stateless widgets are widgets that do not have any internal state. They are called with a set of arguments and return a widget tree that depends solely on those arguments. Because they don’t have any internal state, they are very simple and easy to understand. Stateless widgets are best suited for static content that doesn’t change, or for content that is regenerated each time it is displayed.

On the other hand, stateful widgets are widgets that have an internal state that can change over time. They are more complex than stateless widgets because they have to manage their own state and rebuild their widget tree when their state changes. Stateful widgets are best suited for content that can change dynamically, such as user input or data from a network request.

To create a stateful widget, you need to create a class that extends the StatefulWidget class and a separate class that extends the State class. The StatefulWidget class is responsible for creating the widget, while the State class is responsible for managing the widget's state and rebuilding the widget tree when the state changes.

In summary, stateless widgets are simple and easy to understand, but they are not suitable for dynamic content. Stateful widgets are more complex, but they are better suited for dynamic content because they can manage their own state and rebuild their widget tree when the state changes.

Take my Flutter Course for FREE → https://bit.ly/31hxS4R

→ SOURCE CODE — EnLive App :
https://codingyourlife.gumroad.com/l/enlive-flutter-ui-kit-app

→ SOURCE CODE — Car Rental App : https://codingyourlife.gumroad.com/l/flutter-cental-car-app

→ SOURCE CODE ​- Aqua Workout App : https://codingyourlife.gumroad.com/l/flutter-aqua-workout-app

Example code for the stateless and stateful widgets

Here is an example of a stateless widget in Flutter:

class MyStatelessWidget extends StatelessWidget {
  final String text;

  MyStatelessWidget(this.text);

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Text(text);
  }
}

This is a simple stateless widget that displays some text. It takes a text argument in the constructor and displays it using the Text widget.

Here is an example of a stateful widget in Flutter:

class MyStatefulWidget extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  _MyStatefulWidgetState createState() => _MyStatefulWidgetState();
}

class _MyStatefulWidgetState extends State<MyStatefulWidget> {
  int counter = 0;

  void incrementCounter() {
    setState(() {
      counter++;
    });
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Column(
      children: [
        Text('Counter: $counter'),
        RaisedButton(
          onPressed: incrementCounter,
          child: Text('Increment'),
        ),
      ],
    );
  }
}

This is a simple stateful widget that displays a counter and a button that increments the counter. It has a counter variable to store the current value of the counter, and a incrementCounter method that increments the counter and calls setState to rebuild the widget tree.

When to Use them

Stateless widgets are best suited for static content that doesn’t change, or for content that is regenerated each time it is displayed. They are simple and easy to understand, but they are not suitable for dynamic content.

On the other hand, stateful widgets are better suited for dynamic content that can change over time. They are more complex than stateless widgets because they have to manage their own state and rebuild their widget tree when their state changes.

Here are some examples of when you might want to use stateless widgets:

• Displaying static content that doesn’t change, such as a header or footer
• Displaying content that is generated based on arguments passed to the widget, such as a list of items
• Displaying content that is generated from a data source, such as a list of products from an API

Here are some examples of when you might want to use stateful widgets:

• Displaying a form that the user can interact with, such as a login form
• Displaying a list of items that the user can interact with, such as a list of to-do items
• Displaying content that changes based on user input, such as a search results page

Ultimately, the decision to use stateless or stateful widgets will depend on the specific requirements of your app. If you have static content that doesn’t change, stateless widgets are a good choice. If you have dynamic content that can change over time, stateful widgets are a better choice.

Download My Apps → https://codingyourlife.gumroad.com

Buy Me a Coffee → https://www.buymeacoffee.com/faisalramdan17

My Portfolio → https://codecanyon.net/user/codingyourlife/portfolio