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Hot Reload & Hot Restart
Core Feature That Makes Flutter Development 10x Faster
Hot Reload injects only changed Dart code into the VM, updating UI instantly while preserving app state. No restart needed, making it overwhelmingly fast for UI fine-tuning.
Hot Restart resets app state and rebuilds everything. Used when state changes are needed.
Cases where Hot Reload doesn't work: main() function changes, enum additions/deletions, generic type changes, etc.
Implementation Steps
1
Run app with flutter run (debug mode)
2
Edit UI code, save (Ctrl+S / Cmd+S) → automatic Hot Reload
3
Hot Restart when state reset needed (Shift+R)
4
On Hot Reload failure → Hot Restart or full rebuild
Pros
- ✓ 5-10x development speed improvement vs native
- ✓ UI changes possible while preserving app state
Cons
- ✗ Some changes require Hot Restart (Hot Reload not possible)
- ✗ Not available in production builds (AOT)
Use Cases
UI design fine-tuning (colors, spacing, fonts)
Real-time layout debugging