Understanding the Difference Between apk/release and flutter-apk Directories in Flutter Builds

Описание: Discover the difference between the `apk/release` and `flutter-apk` directories when building APKs in Flutter, and learn why both exist.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/62910148/ asked by the user 'Norman' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/8120214/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/62911870/ provided by the user 'Pegasis' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/10874380/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Flutter: What is the difference between the apk/release directory and flutter-apk directory under build/app/outputs?

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Understanding the Difference Between apk/release and flutter-apk Directories in Flutter Builds

When working with Flutter, especially when developing Android applications, you may encounter various build outputs. One question that often arises among developers is: What is the difference between the apk/release directory and the flutter-apk directory under build/app/outputs? If you've run the command flutter build apk --split-per-abi, you might have noticed you're getting two sets of APKs in these two different directories. Let's delve into what these directories mean and why both are generated.

The Background: Building APKs in Flutter

Flutter enables developers to create beautiful applications for multiple platforms, with Android being a vital target. When you're ready to deploy your app, you typically need to build APK files, which are the packages installed on Android devices. Using the command flutter build apk --split-per-abi, Flutter creates separate APKs for each CPU architecture (like arm64-v8a, armeabi-v7a, and x86_64), which optimizes the application size and performance on different devices.

Understanding the Directories

build/app/outputs/apk/release

Old Structure: This directory is part of an older version of Flutter's build output structure.

Compatibility Reasons: It remains in the framework for compatibility with other build tools and scripts that may still reference this older output location.

Contents: Here, you will find the APKs generated during the build process, specifically those aimed at a release version of the app.

build/app/outputs/flutter-apk

New Structure: This directory represents the updated naming convention for Flutter builds.

Current Use: This is now the default location for the APK files generated during the build process, making it easier for developers to find their outputs.

Contents: Similar to the previous directory, these APKs are also for the release version, containing the optimized builds specific to the architectures you specified.

Why Both Directories Exist

The presence of both directories can be a source of confusion, especially for those who are new to Flutter or coming from backgrounds in traditional Android development. Here are the main reasons:

Backward Compatibility: The old directory structure is maintained for the sake of backward compatibility. This helps users who might already have scripts or tools that rely on the previous output location.

Transition Phase: As Flutter continues to evolve, maintaining old structures while gradually promoting new ones allows developers the time to adapt their workflows without breaking changes.

Conclusion

In summary, while both the apk/release and flutter-apk directories serve to hold APK files generated from your Flutter build, they reflect different phases of the framework's development. The former is kept for compatibility while the latter is ushered in as the new standard. Understanding this background can help streamline your build process and alleviate confusion regarding file locations.

With this knowledge at your disposal, you can confidently navigate your Flutter build outputs and ensure that you're working effectively with the APKs generated for your Android applications.