Skip to main content

​
What Are Flutter Pinned Packages?

Flutter pinned packages are a set of packages that are pinned by the Flutter SDK to specific versions. Some examples include:
  • package:characters (pinned by package:flutter)
  • package:collection (pinned by package:flutter)
  • package:path (pinned by package:flutter_test)

​
Current List of Pinned Packages

To see the current list of pinned packages of the Flutter SDK at head, check the dependencies section of the following pubspecs:
If you’re not using one of the above packages (e.g., package:flutter_localizations), then you won’t be affected by its package pinning.

​
Why Does Flutter Pin Package Versions?

By pinning its dependencies, Flutter ensures that future releases of new package versions will not break apps made with an old Flutter SDK.

​
How Does Pinning Affect You?

If you’re developing a Flutter app, your app can only use the specific version of a package that Flutter has pinned.

​
Direct Dependencies

If you have a direct dependency on a pinned package, your pubspec constraint must support the version pinned by Flutter. Example: If Flutter has pinned package:path to 1.8.3, your pubspec constraint must support that version: 
dependencies:
  path: ^1.8.0

​
Transitive Dependencies

Similarly, if you’re using a package which itself has a dependency on a pinned package, that package needs to support the pinned version (i.e., your transitive dependencies also need to support the pinned version).
Generally, people experience issues with pinning if their pubspec constraints don’t support the pinned Flutter version, or - transitively - if one of their package dependencies doesn’t support the pinned version.

​
Workarounds

​
An Immediate Dependency Doesn’t Resolve

Widen your constraint on the package in question. Example: Change a >=1.7.0 < 1.8.0 constraint on package:path to ^1.8.0: 
dependencies:
  path: ^1.8.0  # widened from >=1.7.0 < 1.8.0

​
Issues Through One of Your Dependencies

The package you’re using needs to widen its constraint on the pinned package. You have two options:
  1. Update your dependency to bring in a new version of the package that supports the pinned version
  2. Request an update by visiting the issue tracker of the dependency to let them know about the issue

​
Short-Term Solution: Dependency Overrides

If a dependency can’t immediately release a new version, you can specify a dependency override in your own pubspec: 
dependency_overrides:
  foo: 1.8.3
This tells pub to use a specific version of a package whether or not it’s compatible with the other packages you’re using. You’re now consuming a version of foo that not all of your other dependencies have been tested with. You may see analysis or runtime issues as a result. Consider this a short-term solution.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us