New SDK from Alster: easy and streamlined mobile development with Storyblok and Flutter

In the evolving world of software development, Alster is making waves. They're not just creating software for clients but are also pioneering their own innovative projects. Alster is setting a new standard for what a software development partner can offer.

Alster has a number of dedicated teams, each with its own focus. One team is designing, building and enhancing mobile apps, both native and through x-platform technology with profound knowledge in IoT and advanced audio and video streaming and more. Another is especially skilled in web-based solutions, delivering cutting edge digital experiences through browsers and other touchpoints. The third team specializes in software in and around commerce, for transactional services, platform projects and much more.

Alster and Storyblok: a history of innovation

Alster's collaboration with Storyblok dates back several years. They chose Storyblok for its developer-friendly approach and its preview feature, allowing them to see website changes before they go live. This partnership has benefited both Alster and Storyblok, along with their clients, assuring mutual growth, technical alignment, and client satisfaction.

Within this collaboration, Alster's mobile experiences team identified a critical gap: mobile apps weren't leveraging the headless CMS as effectively as web platforms. To address this, Alster developed an SDK (Software Development Kit) that seamlessly integrates Storyblok with Flutter (open-source UI software development kit created by Google), improving CMS integration in mobile apps.

SDK features, benefits, and efficiency gains

Alster's SDK solves a significant challenge: it keeps the app content in sync with the CMS, automatically updating to reflect changes made in Storyblok. In other words it is ensuring synchronicity between CMS content schemas and app structures. A key feature is its capability to generate typesafe entities from Storyblok content. Alster estimates that this SDK can save several hundred hours of development time per project, marking it as a substantial time-saver.

This SDK is particularly beneficial for those using Storyblok for mobile app development. It allows developers to focus more on creating engaging and user-friendly apps, rather than on the technicalities of content integration.

Integration with Storyblok

The collaboration between Alster’s SDK and Storyblok is a big step forward in mobile app development, ensuring content stays up-to-date and well-integrated. This partnership symbolizes a significant leap forward in mobile app development.

Starting with the SDK

1. Set Up Your Environment: Make sure you have Flutter installed on your computer. If not, download and set it up.
2. Integration: The SDK is published as a versioned package on Alster’s pub.dev page. Follow the guide under the “Installing” tab to integrate it with your application.
3. Sync with Storyblok: Connect your Storyblok account with the SDK using the access tokens for your Storyblok space. This step will link your app’s content with Storyblok. See the installation instructions for the package for details.
4. Start Developing: Now, you can start developing your app. The SDK will handle content updates from Storyblok, letting you focus on other aspects of your app.
5. Engage with the community: The SDK is open source, meaning that you’re more than welcome to report bugs, feature requests and contribute solutions to the SDK. Visit the GitHub page to explore the possibilities.

Future expansion and vision

Alster plans to further enhance the visual editing experience for mobile apps, including integrating the Storyblok bridge for in-preview editing. This step is in line with Alster's dedication to user-centric and purpose-driven development.

Don’t take our word for it! Engage with this groundbreaking SDK and use it in your projects. You will streamline your development process and contribute to the evolution of this tool.

Explore, experiment, and share your experiences to be part of a collaborative effort that redefines the possibilities in mobile app development.

Key takeaway

Alster’s SDK is a major innovation in the world of mobile app development, bringing together Storyblok and Flutter in an effective way. They encourage developers, clients, and partners to explore this tool and contribute to the evolution of mobile app development.