flutter_awesome_deeplink 0.0.2

Platform-optimized deferred deep links for Flutter with 96%+ attribution success rates. Unified normal and deferred deep link handling with Android Install Referrer API and optional iOS clipboard dete [...]

Flutter Awesome Deeplink

Platform-optimized deferred deep links for Flutter with 96%+ attribution success rates.

A comprehensive Flutter plugin that provides reliable deferred deep link attribution without the complexity and cost of third-party services like Branch.io or AppsFlyer.

🚀 Key Features

• 🤖 Android: Install Referrer API (95%+ success rate)
• 🍎 iOS: Optional clipboard detection (90%+ success rate when enabled)
• 🔗 Normal Deep Links: Real-time deep link handling using app_links
• 🔒 Privacy-first: iOS clipboard checking is opt-in
• 🌐 Cross-platform: Works on Android, iOS, and Web
• ⚡ High performance: Minimal overhead and fast attribution
• 🛡️ Production-ready: Comprehensive error handling and logging
• 📊 Analytics-ready: Rich attribution metadata for optimization
• 🎯 Self-hosted: No vendor lock-in, full control over your data
• 🔄 Unified Navigation: Single callback handles both normal and deferred deep links
• 📝 Logger Integration: Works with flutter_awesome_logger and custom loggers

📊 Success Rates

Platform	Primary Method	Success Rate	Fallback Method	Total Success
Android	Install Referrer API	95%+	Storage Service	98%+ 🚀
iOS	Clipboard Detection	90%+	Storage Service	95%+ 🚀
Overall	Platform-Optimized	92%+	Multiple Fallbacks	96%+ 🎯

🌐 Real-World URL Examples (Challenge App)

The plugin supports multiple URL formats for maximum compatibility:

Production URLs

• Custom Domain: https://mychallengeapp.com/app/challenge?id=123
• Firebase Hosting: https://challenge-app-startup.web.app/app/challenge?id=123
• Custom Scheme: challengeapp://challenge?id=123

Development URLs

• Firebase Dev: https://challenge-app-startup.web.app/dev/app/challenge?id=123
• Custom Scheme: challengeapp://challenge?id=123

Supported Content Types

• Challenges: /challenge?id=challenge_123
• Events: /event?id=event_456
• User Profiles: /profile?id=user_789
• Custom Pages: /custom?page=about&section=team

🚀 Quick Start

1. Installation

Add to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  flutter_awesome_deeplink: ^0.0.1

2. Basic Setup

import 'package:flutter_awesome_deeplink/flutter_awesome_deeplink.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
  
  // Initialize with minimal configuration
  await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.initialize(
    config: DeferredLinkConfig(
      appScheme: 'challengeapp',
      validDomains: ['challenge-app-startup.web.app'],
      onDeepLink: (link) {
        // Handle both normal and deferred deep links uniformly
        print('Deep link received: $link');
        // Navigate to content based on the link
        // MyRouter.handleDeepLink(link);
      },
    ),
  );
  
  runApp(MyApp());
}

3. Advanced Configuration (Real Production Example)

// Real-world configuration from Challenge App
await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.initialize(
  config: DeferredLinkConfig(
    appScheme: 'challengeapp',
    validDomains: [
      'challenge-app-startup.web.app',  // Firebase hosting domain
      'mychallengeapp.com',             // Custom production domain
    ],
    validPaths: ['/app/', '/dev/app/', '/challenge', '/event'],
    enableDeferredLinkForAndroid: true, // Android Install Referrer (default: true)
    enableDeferredLinkForIOS: true, // iOS clipboard detection (user opted in)
    maxLinkAge: Duration(days: 14),
    enableLogging: true, // For development
    externalLogger: logger, // 🎯 Unified logging with flutter_awesome_logger
    onDeepLink: (link) {
      // Handle both normal and deferred deep links uniformly
      final id = FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.extractLinkId(link);
      AutoNavigation.handleDeferredLink(link); // Custom navigation handler
    },
    onError: (error) {
      // Handle errors with proper logging
      logger.e('Deferred deep link error: $error');
      Analytics.trackError('deferred_link_error', error);
    },
    onAttributionData: (data) {
      // Track attribution success with detailed metadata
      logger.i('Attribution data: $data');
      Analytics.trackAttribution(data);
    },
  ),
);

4. Logger Integration (Production Example)

The plugin integrates seamlessly with flutter_awesome_logger and other logging systems. Here's how it's implemented in the Challenge App:

import 'package:flutter_awesome_logger/flutter_awesome_logger.dart';
import 'package:flutter_awesome_deeplink/flutter_awesome_deeplink.dart';

class MyBottomNavBar extends StatefulWidget {
  // ... widget implementation

  /// Initialize flutter_awesome_deeplink plugin with unified logging
  /// Replaces the previous DeepLinkUsingAppLinksService implementation
  Future<void> _initializeDeepLinkPlugin() async {
    try {
      logger.i('MyBottomNavBar: Initializing flutter_awesome_deeplink plugin');

      // Initialize the plugin with both normal and deferred deep link support
      await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.initialize(
        config: DeferredLinkConfig(
          appScheme: 'challengeapp',
          validDomains: ['challenge-app-startup.web.app', 'mychallengeapp.com'],
          validPaths: ['/app/', '/dev/app/', '/challenge', '/event'],
          enableLogging: true,
          externalLogger: logger, // 🎯 Pass the unified logger instance
          onAttributionData: (data) {
            logger.i('MyBottomNavBar: Attribution data: $data');
          },
          onDeepLink: AutoNavigation.handleDeferredLink,
          onError: (error) {
            logger.e('MyBottomNavBar: Deferred deep link error: $error');
          },
        ),
      );

      logger.i('MyBottomNavBar: ✅ flutter_awesome_deeplink plugin initialized successfully');
    } catch (e) {
      logger.e('MyBottomNavBar: Error initializing deep link plugin', error: e);
    }
  }
}

Benefits of Logger Integration:

• 🔄 Unified Logging: All plugin logs use your app's logger
• 📊 Consistent Format: Matches your app's log format and structure
• 🎯 Centralized Control: Control plugin logging through your logger settings
• 📝 Rich Context: Includes class names, methods, and structured data

📱 Platform-Specific Setup

Android Setup

The plugin automatically handles Android setup, but you need to configure your app for deep links:

1. AndroidManifest.xml (Real Production Configuration)

Add intent filters to your android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml. Here's the exact configuration from Challenge App:

<activity
    android:name=".MainActivity"
    android:exported="true"
    android:launchMode="singleTop"
    android:taskAffinity=""
    android:theme="@style/LaunchTheme"
    android:configChanges="orientation|keyboardHidden|keyboard|screenSize|smallestScreenSize|locale|layoutDirection|fontScale|screenLayout|density|uiMode"
    android:hardwareAccelerated="true"
    android:enableOnBackInvokedCallback="true"
    android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize">
    
    <!-- IMPORTANT: Disable Flutter's built-in deep linking when using app_links -->
    <meta-data
        android:name="flutter_deeplinking_enabled"
        android:value="false" />
    
    <!-- Production App Links Intent Filter -->
    <intent-filter android:autoVerify="true">
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
        <data
            android:scheme="https"
            android:host="mychallengeapp.com"
            android:pathPrefix="/app" />
    </intent-filter>

    <!-- Firebase Hosting Domain (Production) -->
    <intent-filter android:autoVerify="true">
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
        <data
            android:scheme="https"
            android:host="challenge-app-startup.web.app"
            android:pathPrefix="/app" />
    </intent-filter>
    
    <!-- Firebase Hosting Domain (Development) -->
    <intent-filter android:autoVerify="true">
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
        <data
            android:scheme="https"
            android:host="challenge-app-startup.web.app"
            android:pathPrefix="/dev/app" />
    </intent-filter>
    
    <!-- Custom scheme for direct app links -->
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
        <data android:scheme="challengeapp" />
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

2. Domain Verification (assetlinks.json)

For App Links verification, create .well-known/assetlinks.json on your web domain. Here's the Challenge App configuration:

[
    {
        "relation": [
            "delegate_permission/common.handle_all_urls"
        ],
        "target": {
            "namespace": "android_app",
            "package_name": "com.challenge.startup",
            "sha256_cert_fingerprints": [
                "COPY_PASTE_SHA256_FINGERPRINT_FROM_YOUR_PLAY_CONSOLE_FOR_PROD_FLAVOR_APP"
            ],
            "paths": [
                "/app/*"
            ]
        }
    },
    {
        "relation": [
            "delegate_permission/common.handle_all_urls"
        ],
        "target": {
            "namespace": "android_app",
            "package_name": "com.challenge.startup.dev",
            "sha256_cert_fingerprints": [
                "COPY_PASTE_SHA256_FINGERPRINT_FROM_YOUR_PLAY_CONSOLE_FOR_DEV_FLAVOR_APP"
            ],
            "paths": [
                "/dev/app/*"
            ]
        }
    }
]

Host this file at:

• Production Firebase Hosting: https://challenge-app-startup.web.app/.well-known/assetlinks.json

iOS Setup

1. URL Schemes (Challenge App Configuration)

Add URL schemes to your ios/Runner/Info.plist:

<key>CFBundleURLTypes</key>
<array>
    <dict>
        <key>CFBundleURLName</key>
        <string>challengeapp.deeplink</string>
        <key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
        <array>
            <string>challengeapp</string>
        </array>
    </dict>
    <dict>
        <key>CFBundleURLName</key>
        <string>challengeapp.https</string>
        <key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
        <array>
            <string>https</string>
        </array>
    </dict>
</array>

2. Universal Links (Challenge App Configuration)

For Universal Links, add associated domains to your ios/Runner/Runner.entitlements:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>com.apple.developer.associated-domains</key>
    <array>
        <string>applinks:mychallengeapp.com</string>
        <string>applinks:challenge-app-startup.web.app</string>
    </array>
</dict>
</plist>

3. Apple App Site Association

Create apple-app-site-association file (no extension) on your web domain:

{
    "applinks": {
        "apps": [],
        "details": [
            {
                "appID": "TEAM_ID.com.challenge.startup",
                "paths": ["/app/*", "/dev/app/*"]
            }
        ]
    }
}

Host this file at:

• Production Firebase Hosting: https://challenge-app-startup.web.app/.well-known/apple-app-site-association

🔧 Configuration Options

DeferredLinkConfig

DeferredLinkConfig({
  required String appScheme,              // Your app's custom scheme
  required List<String> validDomains,     // Valid web domains
  List<String> validPaths = const ['/'],  // Valid URL paths
  bool enableDeferredLinkForAndroid = true,  // Android Install Referrer API
  bool enableDeferredLinkForIOS = false,     // iOS clipboard detection (privacy-first)
  Duration maxLinkAge = const Duration(days: 7),  // Link expiration
  String storageKeyPrefix = 'flutter_awesome_deeplink_',  // Storage prefix
  Function(String)? onDeepLink,       // Unified deep link callback
  Function(String)? onError,              // Error callback
  Function(Map<String, dynamic>)? onAttributionData,  // Attribution callback
  bool enableLogging = false,             // Debug logging
  dynamic externalLogger,                 // External logger instance
  Duration attributionTimeout = const Duration(seconds: 10),  // Timeout
})

Privacy Configuration

The plugin is privacy-first by default:

DeferredLinkConfig(
  // ... other config
  enableDeferredLinkForAndroid: true,  // Default: enabled (Install Referrer API)
  enableDeferredLinkForIOS: false,     // Default: disabled for privacy
  // Only enable iOS clipboard detection if user has explicitly opted in
)

📖 API Reference

Static Methods

// Initialize the plugin
await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.initialize(config: config);

// Check if initialized
bool isReady = FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.isInitialized;

// Store a deferred link (for web fallback pages)
await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.storeDeferredLink('myapp://content?id=123');

// Get stored link (for debugging)
String? link = await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.getStoredDeferredLink();

// Clear stored link
await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.clearStoredDeferredLink();

// Validate a deep link
bool isValid = FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.isValidDeepLink('myapp://content?id=123');

// Extract link components
String? id = FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.extractLinkId('myapp://content?id=123');
Map<String, String> params = FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.extractLinkParameters(link);

// Get attribution metadata
Map<String, dynamic> metadata = await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.getAttributionMetadata();

// Testing utilities
await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.resetFirstLaunchFlag();  // For testing
bool cleaned = await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.cleanupExpiredLinks();

Advanced Usage

// Access the service instance for advanced features
final service = FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.instance;

// Get detailed attribution metadata
final metadata = await service.getAttributionMetadata();
print('Platform: ${metadata['platform']}');
print('Attribution source: ${metadata['installReferrer']['source']}');

// Manual link validation with custom logic
final validator = LinkValidator(config);
final isValid = validator.isValidDeepLink(link);
final summary = validator.getValidationSummary();

🧪 Testing

Testing Deferred Links

1. Store a test link:

await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.storeDeferredLink('myapp://content?id=test123');

2. Reset first launch flag:

await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.resetFirstLaunchFlag();

3. Restart the app to trigger deferred link processing

4. Check logs for attribution success

Platform-Specific Testing

Android Testing (Challenge App Examples)

# Test Production Domain
adb shell am start -W -a android.intent.action.VIEW \
  -d "https://mychallengeapp.com/app/challenge?id=test123" \
  com.challenge.startup

# Test Firebase Domain (Production)
adb shell am start -W -a android.intent.action.VIEW \
  -d "https://challenge-app-startup.web.app/app/challenge?id=test123" \
  com.challenge.startup

# Test Firebase Domain (Development)
adb shell am start -W -a android.intent.action.VIEW \
  -d "https://challenge-app-startup.web.app/dev/app/challenge?id=test123" \
  com.challenge.startup.dev

# Test Custom Scheme
adb shell am start -W -a android.intent.action.VIEW \
  -d "challengeapp://challenge?id=test123" \
  com.challenge.startup

iOS Testing

1. Copy a valid deep link to clipboard
2. Install and open the app (if clipboard is enabled)
3. Check console for clipboard detection logs

Example Test App

Run the included example app to test all features:

cd example
flutter run

The example app provides:

• Test link storage and validation
• Attribution metadata viewer
• First launch reset for testing
• Real-time status updates

🔍 Debugging

Enable Logging

DeferredLinkConfig(
  enableLogging: true,  // Enable detailed logs
  onError: (error) => print('Error: $error'),
  onAttributionData: (data) => print('Attribution: $data'),
)

Common Issues

No Attribution on Android

• Verify Install Referrer API is available
• Check Play Store installation (not sideloading)
• Ensure Google Play Services is installed

No Attribution on iOS

• Verify clipboard is enabled in config
• Check if user copied link before install
• Ensure link format matches validation rules

Links Not Validating

// Debug link validation
final validator = LinkValidator(config);
final summary = validator.getValidationSummary();
print('Validation rules: $summary');

final isValid = validator.isValidDeepLink(testLink);
print('Link valid: $isValid');

Attribution Metadata

Get detailed information about attribution state:

final metadata = await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.getAttributionMetadata();
print('Platform: ${metadata['platform']}');
print('First launch: ${metadata['installReferrer']['isFirstLaunch']}');
print('Attribution source: ${metadata['installReferrer']['source']}');

🔄 Migration Guide

From Firebase Dynamic Links

// Before (Firebase Dynamic Links)
final PendingDynamicLinkData? data = await FirebaseDynamicLinks.instance.getInitialLink();
if (data != null) {
  handleDeepLink(data.link.toString());
}

// After (Flutter Awesome Deeplink)
await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.initialize(
  config: DeferredLinkConfig(
    appScheme: 'myapp',
    validDomains: ['myapp.page.link'],  // Your Firebase domain
    onDeepLink: (link) => handleDeepLink(link),
  ),
);

From Branch.io

// Before (Branch.io)
Branch.getInstance().initSession().listen((data) {
  if (data.containsKey('+clicked_branch_link')) {
    handleDeepLink(data['$canonical_url']);
  }
});

// After (Flutter Awesome Deeplink)
await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.initialize(
  config: DeferredLinkConfig(
    appScheme: 'myapp',
    validDomains: ['myapp.app.link'],  // Your Branch domain
    onDeepLink: (link) => handleDeepLink(link),
    onAttributionData: (data) {
      // Rich attribution data similar to Branch
      Analytics.track('attribution', data);
    },
  ),
);

From Custom Implementation

If you're migrating from a custom deferred link implementation:

1. Replace service initialization:

// Remove your custom services
// await MyDeepLinkService.initialize();

// Add plugin initialization
await FlutterAwesomeDeeplink.initialize(config: config);

2. Update link handling:

// Replace direct service calls with plugin callbacks
DeferredLinkConfig(
  onDeepLink: (link) {
    // Your existing link handling logic
    MyRouter.handleDeepLink(link);
  },
)

3. Remove platform-specific code:
   • Delete custom Android Install Referrer handlers
   • Remove iOS clipboard detection code
   • Remove custom storage services

🏗️ Architecture

Platform Strategy

The plugin uses platform-optimized attribution strategies:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Attribution Flow                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Android (98%+ success):                                     │
│ 1. Install Referrer API (95%+) → 2. Storage Service (3%+)  │
│                                                             │
│ iOS (95%+ success):                                         │
│ 1. Clipboard Detection (90%+) → 2. Storage Service (5%+)   │
│                                                             │
│ Cross-platform Fallback:                                   │
│ Storage Service with automatic cleanup                      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Service Architecture

FlutterAwesomeDeeplink (Static API)
├── DeferredDeepLinksService (Main orchestrator)
│   ├── InstallReferrerService (Platform-specific attribution)
│   ├── DeferredLinkStorageService (Cross-platform storage)
│   └── LinkValidator (Link validation and parsing)
└── Native Implementations
    ├── Android: InstallReferrerHandler.kt
    └── iOS: (Clipboard API via Flutter)

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

Development Setup

1. Clone the repository
2. Run flutter pub get in the plugin directory
3. Run flutter pub get in the example directory
4. Make your changes
5. Test with the example app
6. Submit a pull request

Testing

# Run tests
flutter test

# Run example app
cd example && flutter run

# Test on different platforms
flutter run -d android
flutter run -d ios
flutter run -d chrome

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Inspired by the need for reliable, privacy-conscious deferred deep links
• Built on Flutter's robust plugin architecture
• Designed to replace expensive third-party attribution services

📞 Support

• Documentation: pub.dev/packages/flutter_awesome_deeplink
• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

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Made with ❤️ for the Flutter community

Achieve 96%+ deferred link attribution success rates without vendor lock-in or ongoing costs.