Riverpod State Management

Riverpod is a declarative, type-safe state management solution for Flutter. It uses code generation for boilerplate reduction.

Core Concepts

1. Declarative State with @riverpod

Mark classes or functions with @riverpod for code generation:

@riverpod
class Counter extends _$Counter {
  @override
  int build() => 0;

  void increment() => state++;
}

2. Consuming State

Use ConsumerWidget or ConsumerStatefulWidget:

class CounterView extends ConsumerWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context, WidgetRef ref) {
    final count = ref.watch(counterProvider);
    return Text('$count');
  }
}

3. Provider Types

Type	Use For	Syntax
StateProvider	Simple state	@riverpod class X extends _$X
AsyncNotifier	Async loading	@riverpod class X extends _$X with Future
StreamProvider	Real-time data	@riverpod Stream<T> func(Ref ref)
Family providers	Parameterized	@riverpod class X extends Family<X, Args>

Code Patterns

Pattern 1: AsyncNotifier for API Calls

@riverpod
class UserController extends _$UserController {
  @override
  Future<User> build(String userId) async {
    final dio = ref.watch(dioProvider);
    final response = await dio.get('/users/$userId');
    return User.fromJson(response.data);
  }

  Future<void> updateUser(User user) async {
    // Optimistic update
    final previous = await future;
    state = AsyncData(user);

    try {
      await ref.read(dioProvider).put('/users/${user.id}', user.toJson());
    } catch (e) {
      state = AsyncError(e, StackTrace.current);
    }
  }
}

Pattern 2: Combining Providers

@riverpod
List<Todo> filteredTodos(Ref ref) {
  final todos = ref.watch(todosProvider);
  final filter = ref.watch(filterProvider);

  return switch (filter) {
    Filter.all => todos,
    Filter.completed => todos.where((t) => t.completed).toList(),
    Filter.uncompleted => todos.where((t) => !t.completed).toList(),
  };
}

Pattern 3: Dependency Injection

@riverpod
Dio dio(Ref ref) {
  final baseUrl = ref.watch(baseUrlProvider);
  return Dio(BaseOptions(baseUrl: baseUrl));
}

Pattern 4: AsyncValue Pattern Matching

class AsyncWidget extends ConsumerWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context, WidgetRef ref) {
    final data = ref.watch(asyncProvider);

    return switch (data) {
      AsyncData(:final value) => Text('$value'),
      AsyncError(:final error, :final stackTrace) => ErrorWidget(error),
      AsyncLoading() => const CircularProgressIndicator(),
    };
  }
}

Provider Modifiers

Family - Parameterized Providers

@riverpod
Future<User> user(UserRef ref, String userId) async {
  return await api.getUser(userId);
}

// Usage
ref.watch(userProvider('123'));

AutoDispose - Automatic Cleanup

@Riverpod(keepAlive: false)
Future<User> temporaryUser(TemporaryUserRef ref, String id) async {
  ref.onDispose(() {
    // Cleanup logic
  });
  return await api.getUser(id);
}

Widget Patterns

ConsumerWidget Pattern

class MyWidget extends ConsumerWidget {
  const MyWidget({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context, WidgetRef ref) {
    final value = ref.watch(myProvider);
    return Text('$value');
  }
}

ConsumerStatefulWidget Pattern

class MyPage extends ConsumerStatefulWidget {
  const MyPage({super.key});

  @override
  ConsumerState<MyPage> createState() => _MyPageState();
}

class _MyPageState extends ConsumerState<MyPage> {
  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    ref.read(myProvider.notifier).load();
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    final state = ref.watch(myProvider);
    return Scaffold(body: Text('$state'));
  }
}

HookConsumerWidget (with flutter_hooks)

class HookWidget extends HookConsumerWidget {
  const HookWidget({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context, WidgetRef ref) {
    final controller = useTextController();
    final count = ref.watch(counterProvider);
    
    return TextField(controller: controller);
  }
}

Code Generation Workflow

1. Add annotation: @riverpod or @Riverpod()
2. Define class extending _$ClassName or function
3. Run: flutter pub run build_runner watch --delete-conflicting-outputs
4. Generated file: .g.dart extension

Essential Commands

# Generate once
flutter pub run build_runner build --delete-conflicting-outputs

# Watch for changes (recommended during development)
flutter pub run build_runner watch --delete-conflicting-outputs

Testing

testWidgets('counter increments', (tester) async {
  await tester.pumpWidget(
    ProviderScope(
      child: MaterialApp(home: CounterView()),
    ),
  );

  expect(find.text('0'), findsOneWidget);
});

ref Methods

Method	Use For
ref.watch(provider)	Rebuild when value changes
ref.read(provider)	One-time read, no rebuild
ref.listen(provider, cb)	Side effects on change
ref.refresh(provider)	Force reload
ref.invalidate(provider)	Mark as needing refresh

Best Practices

See BEST_PRACTICES.md for detailed guidelines on:

• Provider architecture
• Avoiding common pitfalls
• Performance optimization
• Testing strategies