Getting Started

Requirements

The computer, software and accounts you need before you start. Install everything once and every later step goes smoothly.

30–60 min (first install)

Your computer#

You want to build	You need
Android apps, the admin panel, the store panel and the customer website	Windows 10/11, macOS or Linux, 8 GB RAM (16 GB recommended), 20 GB free disk
iPhone apps	A Mac with a recent macOS and the latest Xcode. Apple allows iOS builds only on a Mac.

No Mac?

You can do everything else on Windows or Linux and build the iPhone apps later, or on a borrowed or rented Mac. Nothing in the backend depends on it.

Software to install#

Software	Version	What it is for	Get it
Flutter SDK	Latest stable (Dart 3.13 or newer)	Builds all four apps and the websites	flutter.dev
Android Studio	Latest	Android SDK, emulator and Java (JDK 17 is included)	developer.android.com
Xcode (Mac only)	Latest	iPhone builds, simulator and App Store upload	Mac App Store
CocoaPods (Mac only)	Latest	iOS libraries	`sudo gem install cocoapods` or `brew install cocoapods`
Node.js	20 or newer, 22 LTS recommended	Runs the setup tool and the Firebase CLI	nodejs.org
Firebase CLI	Latest	Connects the apps to Firebase, hosting deploys	`npm install -g firebase-tools`
FlutterFire CLI	Latest	Writes each app's Firebase settings for you	`dart pub global activate flutterfire_cli`
Google Chrome	Latest	Runs the admin panel and websites while you test	google.com/chrome
VS Code or Android Studio	Latest	Code editor, with the Flutter and Dart plugins	code.visualstudio.com
Git / GitHub Desktop	Optional	Keeping your changes safe during upgrades	desktop.github.com

Check your setup#

Open a new terminal and run:

flutter doctor
node -v

flutter doctor lists what is still missing. Install what it reports until Flutter, Android toolchain and Chrome show a green tick (and Xcode on a Mac). node -v must print v20 or higher.

Doctor summary (to see all details, run flutter doctor -v):
[✓] Flutter (Channel stable)
[✓] Android toolchain - develop for Android devices
[✓] Xcode - develop for iOS and macOS            (Mac only)
[✓] Chrome - develop for the web
[✓] Android Studio
[✓] VS Code
[✓] Connected device

Android licences

If flutter doctor says the Android licences are not accepted, run flutter doctor --android-licenses and answer y to each question.

Accounts you need#

Account	Cost	Needed for
Google account with a Firebase project on the Blaze plan	Pay as you go, with a free monthly amount	The whole backend: database, sign-in, storage, Cloud Functions, push
Google Play Console	One-time registration fee	Publishing the Android apps
Apple Developer Program	Yearly fee	iPhone builds on real devices, push notifications, the App Store
Payment gateway (Stripe, Razorpay, PayPal…)	Per-transaction fees	Online payments. Cash on delivery works without one.
Email (SMTP) service	Free tiers available	Order and account emails
Google Cloud billing (same as Firebase)	Free monthly amount per API	Only if you choose Google Maps instead of free OpenStreetMap
Domain + hosting	Varies	The admin panel, store panel and website. Firebase Hosting is free to start.

See Third-Party Services & Costs for what each one costs and what is free.

What the apps run on#

App	Runs on
Customer app, store app, delivery boy app	Android 7.0 (API 24) and newer, iPhone with iOS 15.0 and newer
Admin panel, store panel, customer website	Current Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox, on desktop and mobile

Ready?

With the tools installed and flutter doctor green, continue with How the Backend Works.