Engineering FAQs
Engineering FAQs
What are the key differences between Digia and Shorebird?
Digia and Shorebird serve different purposes and have distinct features for app development and updates. Here is a breakdown of their key differences:
Primary Function: Digia functions as a Server-Driven UI (SDUI) with a Visual App Builder. Shorebird is focused on providing Over-the-Air (OTA) Dart code updates for Flutter apps.
Update Scope: With Digia, you can update both the user interface (UI) and the application logic via JSON. Shorebird, on the other hand, is limited to updating Dart logic only.
Workflow: The development workflow for Digia involves using Visual Studio to build flows. Shorebird integrates directly into the native Flutter IDE.
A/B Testing: Digia includes built-in support for experimentation and A/B testing, a feature that is not natively supported by Shorebird.
Team Collaboration: Digia is designed to facilitate collaboration among product managers, designers, and developers. Shorebird's tools are primarily developer-focused.
Deployment Time: The time from design to deployment is significantly faster with Digia, taking only minutes, whereas Shorebird's process typically takes hours.
When should I choose Digia or Shorebird?
Choose Digia if:
You want visual control over app flows without coding
Your team includes product, design, and engineering working together
You need to test experiments, personalize screens, or manage frequent UI/logic updates
Choose Shorebird if:
Your app is a stable Flutter build
You need to hotfix logic bugs without releasing a new version
Your dev team prefers staying within Flutter's native codebase
What are the key differences in app cold start times between pure Flutter and Flutter with Digia SDUI?
Pure Flutter (No Digia): has the fastest cold start, averaging around 20 ms, since there's no SDK overhead
Flutter + Digia (Cache Init): adds minimal overhead: about 68 ms startup time, with ~40 ms spent initializing the Digia SDK, nearly imperceptible to users
Flutter + Digia (Network Init): shows the highest cold start time at approximately 190 ms, with ~165 ms dedicated to fetching real-time config from the server
Should I worry about startup latency when using SDUI?
With cache-first setup, adding Digia SDUI to your app incurs only a modest delay (~40 ms), which is almost unnoticeable to end users.
In scenarios needing real-time UI updates, the network-init mode introduces larger startup delays (~190 ms) but may be acceptable depending on product needs.
What are the performance differences between Server Driven UI (SDUI) and Client Driven UI (CDUI) in Flutter?
Server Driven UI (SDUI)
Static ListView (1,000 items)
FPS: 58–60
Memory: 130–150 MB
Time-to-Interactive (TTI): ~300 ms (due to config fetch)
Animation-Heavy Screen
FPS: 56–60
Memory: 140–160 MB
CPU: 9–12%
Form + Network API
Build time: < 1 min (no deployment)
Field updates: instant
FPS: 58–60
Navigation & Deep Linking
Cold start: ~500 ms
Memory: 130–150 MB
FPS: 60
CPU Overhead
Additional 1–2% due to layout parsing; overall CPU remains under 15%
Perceived Performance
First paint: ~200 ms
TTI: 300–500 ms
With UX strategies (skeleton loaders, lazy loading), user experience remains smooth and responsive
Client Driven UI (CDUI)
Static ListView (1,000 items)
FPS: 60
Memory: 120–130 MB
TTI: ~150 ms
Animation-Heavy Screen
FPS: 60
Memory: 130–140 MB
CPU: 8–10%
Form + Network API
Build & deploy cycle: 20–25 min (requires app update)
FPS: 60
Navigation & Deep Linking
Cold start: ~250 ms
Memory: 120–140 MB
FPS: 60
CPU Baseline
No layout parsing overhead
CPU usage: 0–10% depending on task
Perceived Performance
First paint: ~100 ms
TTI: 150–250 ms
When should I use Server Driven UI vs Client Driven UI?
Choose Server-Driven UI (SDUI) when your priorities include:
Frequent feature experiments or personalized flows
Releasing UI/logic updates without App Store reviews
Enabling non-technical teams (product/design) to manage and release UI changes
Stick with Client-Driven UI (CDUI) when:
Building performance-critical experiences (e.g., gaming, animations)
You don't need frequent UI updates and prefer full code ownership
Release cycles and developer control are manageable via traditional app deployments
What are the key architectural differences between Digia Studio and React Native?
Digia Studio: Implements a Server-Driven UI model where layouts, flows, and logic are defined and pushed from the backend using configuration, enabling instant updates without app store redeployment
React Native: A traditional Code-Driven UI approach where every UI element and state is managed in JavaScript/TypeScript, offering full developer control but requiring builds and deployments for changes
When should I choose Digia Studio vs React Native?
Choose Digia Studio if:
You need instant UI/logic updates without App Store delays
Your team includes product managers and designers who want hands-on control
You want visual experimentation, versioning, and rollback support from a central dashboard
Choose React Native if:
You require full code ownership and custom native modules
Your team is developer-heavy and already invested in JavaScript
You benefit from code reuse across web and mobile, or prefer complete control over CI/CD workflows
What are the main architectural differences between Digia Studio and Expo?
Digia Studio: is built on Flutter and uses a Server-Driven UI (SDUI) model, where UI layouts and logic are controlled via backend configurations, enabling instant updates without app store resubmissions
Expo: is based on React Native with a Code-Driven UI (CDUI) approach. App logic and layout are written directly in JavaScript, with OTA updates handled through Expo Go/EAS but deeper native access requires ejecting
When should I choose Digia Studio vs Expo?
Choose Digia Studio if:
You're building with Flutter and want server-driven layout and logic updates without resorting to app redeployment
You need collaboration tools for designers, PMs, and developers, including visual dashboards, live previews, and version control
Choose Expo if:
You're working in the React Native ecosystem, and prefer a managed workflow for rapid prototyping
You're okay with the limitations unless you eject for full native module access
What are the main architectural and use-case differences between Digia Studio and Glide?
Glide: is a no-code, spreadsheet-driven platform that turns Airtable or Google Sheets into lightweight web apps (PWAs). Ideal for internal tools, dashboards, and quick prototypes but uses webviews and lacks native app performance
Digia Studio: is a Flutter-based, server-driven UI (SDUI) framework designed for high-performance, native mobile apps. It supports real-time updates, A/B testing, offline capabilities, and production-scale features
When should I choose Glide versus Digia Studio?
Choose Glide if:
You need a no-code solution to quickly turn spreadsheets into internal apps
You're targeting PWA/web tools, not native mobile experiences
You don't require offline support, app-store distribution, or deep analytics
Choose Digia Studio if:
You're building a production-grade mobile app with native performance
You want the ability to run experiments, update UI remotely, and manage releases visually
You need offline functionality, smooth animations, and full analytics from the start
What are the core architectural differences between Digia Studio and raw Flutter development?
Flutter (Raw): uses a code-driven UI (CDUI) approach, where every screen and interaction is manually written in Dart. This allows full customization at the expense of slower update cycles requiring redeployment
Digia Studio: adopts a server-driven UI (SDUI) paradigm, enabling UI and logic to be defined through backend JSON configurations and pushed instantly without app store resubmissions. It sits atop Flutter (and native SDKs) to orchestrate the frontend
When should I use raw Flutter vs Digia Studio?
Choose Flutter (Raw) if:
You need complete code control, deep customization, or complex native integrations
Your development team is developer-centric, comfortable with build pipelines and Flutter's full codebase
You're focusing on building from scratch with bespoke UI/UX flows
Choose Digia Studio if:
You want to deliver updates instantly, empowering non-technical team members (PMs/designers) to manage UI and logic
You're maintaining an existing app and wish to avoid frequent App Store updates
You're running experiments, need analytics, or require fast rollbacks and versioning through a controlled dashboard
What are the core differences between Adalo and Digia Studio?
Adalo: is a no-code platform that transforms Google Sheets or Airtable data into mobile or web apps using a drag-and-drop interface. It's ideal for MVPs, internal tools, or small consumer apps with basic customization
Digia Studio: is a mobile-first low-code frontend orchestration framework, built atop native SDKs (Flutter, iOS, Android), enabling real-time UI and logic updates via server-driven configurations. It supports experimentation, analytics, and live deployments
When should I choose Adalo versus Digia Studio?
Choose Adalo if:
You're a non-technical founder or indie maker looking to build a simple app or MVP quickly
You prefer a drag-and-drop interface with built-in hosting and database
Scalability, offline support, or deep UX doesn't matter and simplicity is key
Choose Digia Studio if:
You're building a production-grade native mobile app that needs performance and scale
You want to iterate UI and logic instantly, run experiments (A/B tests), and collaborate across product, design, and engineering teams
You require features like offline access, analytics integration (e.g. GA4, Moengage, LaunchDarkly), versioning, and native data integrations
What are the core differences between Bubble.io and Digia Studio?
Bubble.io: is a no-code, web-first platform that enables non-technical users to build web and mobile apps visually all without writing code. It's fully cloud-hosted, featuring built-in UI, workflows, data modeling, and hosting
Digia Studio: is a mobile-first, low-code orchestration framework built on Flutter, iOS, and Android SDKs that empowers product teams and engineers to build production-grade mobile apps. It supports instant UI and logic updates via server-driven configurations, A/B testing, analytics, and release versioning
When should I choose Bubble.io vs Digia Studio?
Choose Bubble.io if:
You're a non-technical founder, indie maker, or small team focused on web apps or simple mobile MVPs
You want an all-in-one visual builder including database, hosting, UI, and workflows without writing code
You don't need complex mobile features, offline support, or native performance
Choose Digia Studio if:
You're building a scalable, native mobile app with real users and distributed teams
You need to push UI + logic changes instantly without App Store delays, and run experiments natively (feature flags, analytics)
You desire deeper performance, offline capabilities, team collaboration, and integration with full backend systems (APIs, CRMs, Firebase)
What are the main differences between FlutterFlow and Digia Studio in their approach?
FlutterFlow: is a code-generation tool that produces Flutter source code. You visually build your UI, export the generated code, and manage builds and deployment manually
Digia Studio: is a frontend orchestration platform using Server-Driven UI (SDUI). It interprets backend JSON configurations in real time enabling live UI, logic, experimentation, and analytics without needing to rebuild or resubmit your app
Who is the target user of FlutterFlow and Digia?
FlutterFlow: is aimed at developers, designers, and early-stage teams who want to quickly prototype and then export full Flutter code
Digia Studio: serves product, design, growth, and development teams after launch focused on post-release iteration, experimentation, and orchestration
How do updates and deployments differ in FlutterFlow and Digia Studio?
FlutterFlow: updates require rebuilding and resubmitting to App/Play Store
Digia Studio: you push updates live through backend configs with no additional submission needed
When should I choose FlutterFlow vs Digia Studio?
Choose FlutterFlow if:
You're building a brand-new app or MVP and want full access to generated code
You prefer control over source code and plan to manage builds manually
Choose Digia Studio if:
Your app is live or soon to launch, and speed in iteration, live experimentation, and feature flags matter
You need a unified orchestration dashboard across mobile platforms for UI, logic, and analytics
What is Server-Driven UI (SDUI)?
Server-Driven UI is an architectural paradigm where the server controls the UI layout, styling, and behavior dynamically via structured configurations (typically JSON). The app functions as a lightweight renderer that interprets this data, enabling UI/logic updates without releasing new app versions.
What are the key components of an SDUI system?
Design System: Defines visual standards: typography, color tokens, spacing, and UI components
SDUI JSON Config: The structured backend "instructions" describing UI elements, layouts, interactions, data binding, and styles
Renderer: Client-side engine that parses the JSON and renders native UI components interactively
Page UI: The dynamically generated interface users interact with, fully driven by server
Data Source: Backend databases or APIs supplying content and business logic
BFF (Backend For Frontend): Middleware layer that hydrates UI config with data, applies business rules, personalization, and versioning logic
What use cases benefit most from Server Driven UI (SDUI)?
Content-rich or dynamic apps (e.g., news, ecommerce, social feeds) requiring frequent interface updates
A/B testing and personalization: server configuration enables serving different layouts per user segment instantly
Rapid feature iteration: new screens or promotional flows launched without submitting new app builds
What are the main benefits of Server Driven UI (SDUI)?
Increased backend complexity: Managing dynamic UI logic, versioning, and BFF orchestration requires strong infrastructure and coordination
Performance and latency: Initial UI fetch may impact cold start; caching, skeleton UIs, and BFF optimization are essential
Backward and cross-version compatibility: Ensuring older app versions can gracefully render new layouts is nontrivial
Accessibility and customized UX limitations: Dynamic UIs may lack nuanced animations or accessible patterns unless carefully designed
Are companies actually using Server Driven UI (SDUI) in production?
Several leading tech companies have adopted Server-Driven UI (SDUI) for various purposes:
Airbnb uses SDUI (specifically, their Magma framework) to deploy layout changes dynamically across platforms, improving flexibility and consistency
Netflix and Spotify have adopted SDUI primarily for running experiments and dynamically rendering content, enabling them to test and deliver new features rapidly
Reddit, Tinder, and Robinhood use SDUI within their feeds, for localization processes, and on transactional screens, allowing them to manage UI updates centrally and ensure seamless user experiences across diverse scenarios
Shopify, DoorDash, and Faire employ config-driven UI strategies for merchant dashboards and checkout flows, making it easier to roll out changes and maintain complex workflows without frequent app updates
Last updated