Initial Setup

This guide walks you through installing the Dart SDK and setting up your development environment for Dart programming.

Installing Dart SDK

The Dart SDK includes the Dart VM, core libraries, and command-line tools needed for Dart development.

Windows Installation

Using Chocolatey (Recommended):

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

choco install dart-sdk

Using Direct Download:

Visit dart.dev/get-dart
Download the Windows installer
Run the installer and follow the prompts
Add Dart to your system PATH (installer does this automatically)

Verify installation:

dart --version
# => Output: Dart SDK version: 3.x.x (stable)

macOS Installation

Using Homebrew (Recommended):

brew tap dart-lang/dart
brew install dart

Verify installation:

dart --version
# => Output: Dart SDK version: 3.x.x (stable)

Linux Installation

Using apt (Debian/Ubuntu):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apt-transport-https
wget -qO- https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/dart.gpg
echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/dart.gpg arch=amd64] https://storage.googleapis.com/download.dartlang.org/linux/debian stable main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/dart_stable.list

sudo apt update
sudo apt install dart

Verify installation:

dart --version
# => Output: Dart SDK version: 3.x.x (stable)

Optional: Installing Flutter SDK

If you plan to build mobile, web, or desktop applications with Flutter, install the Flutter SDK (which includes Dart).

Why Install Flutter?

Hot reload - Instant code updates during development
Rich UI framework - Build beautiful cross-platform interfaces
Includes Dart - Flutter SDK includes Dart SDK automatically
Unified tooling - Single tool for mobile, web, and desktop

Flutter Installation Steps

Windows:

Download Flutter SDK from flutter.dev
Extract the zip file to desired location (e.g., C:\src\flutter)
Add C:\src\flutter\bin to system PATH
Run flutter doctor to check dependencies

macOS:

cd ~/development
unzip ~/Downloads/flutter_macos_*.zip
export PATH="$PATH:`pwd`/flutter/bin"
flutter doctor

Add to .zshrc or .bash_profile:

export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/development/flutter/bin"

Linux:

cd ~/development
tar xf ~/Downloads/flutter_linux_*.tar.xz
export PATH="$PATH:`pwd`/flutter/bin"
flutter doctor

Add to .bashrc:

export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/development/flutter/bin"

Verify Flutter installation:

flutter doctor
# => Checks all Flutter dependencies
# => Reports any missing requirements

flutter --version
# => Output: Flutter 3.x.x • Dart 3.x.x

IDE Setup

Choose your preferred IDE and install Dart/Flutter plugins.

Visual Studio Code (Recommended)

Why VS Code?:

Lightweight and fast
Excellent Dart/Flutter extensions
Integrated terminal
Free and open-source

Installation steps:

Install Visual Studio Code
Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
Search and install “Dart”
(Optional) Search and install “Flutter” if using Flutter

Verify setup:

Create a test file test.dart:

void main() {
  print('Hello from VS Code!'); // => Output: Hello from VS Code!
}

Run with F5 or right-click → “Run Without Debugging”

Android Studio / IntelliJ IDEA

Why Android Studio/IntelliJ?:

Powerful refactoring tools
Advanced debugging
Built-in Flutter tools
Professional IDE features

Installation steps:

Install Android Studio or IntelliJ IDEA
Open Settings/Preferences
Go to Plugins
Search and install “Dart”
(Optional) Search and install “Flutter” if using Flutter
Restart IDE

Verify setup:

Create new Dart project: File → New → Project → Dart
Select Dart SDK location
Create a simple application
Run with Shift+F10

Command-Line Only

You can use any text editor and run Dart from the command line:

Popular editors:

Vim with dart-vim-plugin
Emacs with dart-mode
Sublime Text with Dart plugin
Notepad++ with Dart syntax highlighting

Running Dart files:

dart run filename.dart
# => Executes Dart file

Your First Dart Project

Create your first Dart project to verify everything works.

Using Command Line

# Create project directory
mkdir zakat_calculator
cd zakat_calculator

# Initialize Dart project
dart create . --template console

# => Creates project structure:
# => - bin/         (executable scripts)
# => - lib/         (library code)
# => - test/        (test files)
# => - pubspec.yaml (project configuration)

Project structure created:

zakat_calculator/
├── bin/
│   └── zakat_calculator.dart  # Main entry point
├── lib/
│   └── zakat_calculator.dart  # Library code
├── test/
│   └── zakat_calculator_test.dart  # Unit tests
├── pubspec.yaml               # Dependencies
├── analysis_options.yaml      # Linting rules
└── README.md                  # Project documentation

Hello World Program

Edit bin/zakat_calculator.dart:

void main() {
  // => Entry point of the program
  print('As-salamu alaykum! Welcome to Dart!'); // => Output greeting
                                                // => Prints to console
}

Run the program:

dart run bin/zakat_calculator.dart
# => Output: As-salamu alaykum! Welcome to Dart!

Package Management with pubspec.yaml

Dart uses pubspec.yaml for dependency management, similar to package.json in Node.js or requirements.txt in Python.

Understanding pubspec.yaml

name: zakat_calculator # => Project name (lowercase with underscores)
description: A Zakat calculator application. # => Brief description
version: 1.0.0 # => Semantic versioning

environment:
  sdk:
    ">=3.0.0 <4.0.0" # => Dart SDK version constraints
    # => Requires Dart 3.x

dependencies: # => Runtime dependencies
  intl:
    ^0.18.0 # => Internationalization package
    # => Caret (^) allows compatible updates

dev_dependencies: # => Development-only dependencies
  lints: ^3.0.0 # => Dart linting rules
  test: ^1.24.0 # => Testing framework

Installing Packages

Add a package:

Edit pubspec.yaml to add dependencies, then run:

dart pub get
# => Downloads dependencies
# => Creates pubspec.lock (lockfile)
# => Updates .dart_tool/ directory

Common packages:

intl - Internationalization and formatting
http - HTTP client for REST APIs
path - File path manipulation
test - Unit testing framework

Using Packages in Code

import 'package:intl/intl.dart'; // => Import intl package

void main() {
  var formatter = NumberFormat.currency(
    // => Create currency formatter
    locale: 'id_ID',              // => Indonesian locale
    symbol: 'Rp',                 // => Currency symbol: Rupiah
    decimalDigits: 0,             // => No decimal places
  );

  double zakat = 1250000;         // => Zakat amount: 1,250,000 IDR
  print('Zakat: ${formatter.format(zakat)}'); // => Output: Zakat: Rp1.250.000
                                              // => Formatted with locale
}

Running Dart Programs

Direct Execution

Run a Dart file directly:

dart run bin/program.dart
# => Executes program
# => Uses JIT compilation (fast startup for development)

Compiled Executable

Compile to native executable for production:

dart compile exe bin/program.dart -o zakat_calculator
# => Compiles to native machine code
# => Output: zakat_calculator executable
# => Uses AOT compilation (fast execution)

./zakat_calculator
# => Run compiled executable
# => No Dart VM required

Benefits of compilation:

Faster startup time
No Dart SDK required on target machine
Smaller memory footprint
Production-ready deployment

Running Tests

dart test
# => Runs all tests in test/ directory
# => Reports pass/fail status

Verifying Your Installation

Run this checklist to ensure everything is properly installed:

Dart SDK Check

dart --version
# => Should output: Dart SDK version: 3.x.x

Package Manager Check

dart pub --version
# => Should output: Dart SDK version: 3.x.x

Create and Run Test Project

mkdir test_project
cd test_project
dart create . --template console
dart run
# => Should output: Hello world: 42!

IDE Plugin Check

Open your IDE and verify:

Dart syntax highlighting works
Code completion suggests Dart keywords
Can run Dart files from IDE
Error highlighting shows syntax errors

Flutter Check (If Installed)

flutter doctor
# => Checks Flutter installation
# => Reports any issues

flutter --version
# => Shows Flutter and Dart versions

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Dart Command Not Found

Problem: dart: command not found

Solution:

Windows: Ensure Dart is added to system PATH
macOS/Linux: Add Dart to PATH in .bashrc, .zshrc, or .bash_profile:

export PATH="$PATH:/usr/lib/dart/bin"

Reload shell configuration:

source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc

Permission Denied on Linux/macOS

Problem: Permission denied when running dart pub get

Solution: Fix ownership of Dart cache:

sudo chown -R $USER ~/.pub-cache

IDE Not Recognizing Dart

Problem: IDE doesn’t recognize Dart syntax or SDK

Solution:

Verify Dart plugin is installed and enabled
Configure Dart SDK path in IDE settings
Restart IDE after installing plugins
Ensure project has pubspec.yaml file

Flutter Doctor Reports Issues

Problem: flutter doctor shows X marks

Solution: Follow the specific recommendations from flutter doctor output. Common fixes:

Install missing Android SDK components
Accept Android licenses: flutter doctor --android-licenses
Install Xcode command-line tools (macOS): xcode-select --install

Next Steps

Now that you have Dart installed and configured, proceed to:

Quick Start - Build a complete Zakat Calculator application
By Example - Learn through annotated code examples
By Concept - Deep dive into Dart concepts

Continue to Quick Start to build your first real Dart application.

Last updated January 29, 2025

Overview Quick Start