Before you can build apps for other people, you need a way to write and run code yourself. Many young developers in Ghana start with only a phone and borrow time on a computer later. That is a perfectly good path, as long as you know which steps need which device.
Stage one: learning in a browser
These free tools run in any browser, even on a phone, with no install:
- DartPad (dartpad.dev) runs Dart code, and can even run small Flutter screens. It does not support most extra packages, but it is perfect for learning the language.
- Kotlin Playground (play.kotlinlang.org) does the same for Kotlin, if you later explore native Android.
- Expo Snack (snack.expo.dev) runs React Native code in the browser, if you come from JavaScript.
On a phone, typing code on a small keyboard is slow, so keep programs short. A cheap Bluetooth or USB OTG keyboard helps a lot. Load the page once on WiFi and keep the tab open to save data.
Stage two: a laptop
To build real Flutter apps you install the Flutter SDK, the Android SDK and a code editor. These need disk space, memory and a large first download, so do it on WiFi at a lab, library, hub or community centre.
What to look for in a laptop you buy or borrow:
- Memory (RAM) matters most. Check the official Android Studio system requirements page before you buy, and choose the most memory you can afford. Machines with little memory struggle badly with the Android emulator.