Getting Started with Dart

This is Part 1 of the Dart Fundamentals series. Over the next several posts we'll go from zero to writing real, idiomatic Dart — the language behind Flutter.

Why Dart?

Dart is a client-optimized language for fast apps on any platform. It compiles to native ARM/x64 for mobile and desktop, and to JavaScript for the web. Its killer feature for app developers is sound null safety plus a hot-reload developer loop that makes iteration feel instant.

Installing the SDK

The easiest path is to install Flutter (which bundles Dart), but you can also grab the standalone SDK:

# macOS via Homebrew
brew tap dart-lang/dart
brew install dart

dart --version

Your first program

Create hello.dart:

void main() {
  print('Hello, Dart!');
}

Run it:

dart run hello.dart

That's it — you've run your first Dart program.

What's next

In Part 2 we'll dig into variables, Dart's type system, and how sound null safety actually works in practice.