● Start · Before you begin

Requirements
tools, versions, accounts.

What you need on your computer, which versions the code expects, and which services cost money.

01Tools and versions

Tool	Version	Where the code says so
Flutter (stable)	3.41 or newer. Built and tested with 3.41.4	`app/pubspec.yaml` (`flutter: ">=3.41.0"`)
Dart	^3.7 (comes with Flutter)	`app/pubspec.yaml` (`sdk: ^3.7.0`)
Android	minSdk 24 (Android 7.0), compileSdk 36, targetSdk 36. Android Studio with Android SDK 36 and JDK 17 or newer; the project uses Android Gradle Plugin 8.11.1, Gradle 8.14 and Kotlin 2.2.20	`app/android/app/build.gradle.kts`, `app/android/settings.gradle.kts`, `app/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties`
iOS	iOS 15.0 or newer (app and widget extension). A Mac with Xcode 16 or newer and CocoaPods 1.16 or newer (App Store uploads need the Xcode version Apple currently requires: Xcode 26 at the time of writing); built with Xcode 26.4.1 and CocoaPods 1.16.2	`app/ios/Podfile` (`platform :ios, '15.0'`)
Node.js and npm	22	`firebase/functions/package.json` (engines), `firebase/firebase.json` (runtime nodejs22), `admin/package.json` (engines >=22)
Firebase CLI	`firebase-tools` 14 or newer (tested with 15.12.0); install with `npm i -g firebase-tools`	`firebase/README.md`
FlutterFire CLI	For `flutterfire configure`; install with `dart pub global activate flutterfire_cli`	`app/lib/firebase_options.dart`
Java	21 or newer, only for the Firebase emulators	`firebase/README.md`
Docker	Optional, to run the console in a container	`admin/Dockerfile`

Check what you have:

flutter --version
node --version
firebase --version
java -version

These cost money and are not part of the purchase

The item price covers the source code only. Check each provider's current pricing yourself; these docs do not quote prices.

Service	Why you need it
Firebase Blaze (pay-as-you-go) plan	Cloud Functions, Cloud Scheduler and outbound calls to CoinGecko, RPC nodes, RSS feeds and the stores only run on Blaze. Google bills usage above the free tier. Set a budget alert in Google Cloud Billing.	Required
Google Play developer account	One-time registration fee to publish on Google Play.	Required for Android
Apple Developer Program	Yearly membership to publish on the App Store and to use push notifications and in-app purchases.	Required for iOS
Hosting for the operator console	Any host that runs Node 22 (a VPS, Render, Railway, Fly, Cloud Run, a container), plus HTTPS and a domain if you want one. Optional Postgres for serverless hosts.	Required
CoinGecko paid plan	Keyless CoinGecko and the free Demo key work, with rate limits. A busy app may need a paid plan.	If needed
CoinMarketCap paid plan	The free Basic key is enough for the failover. Paid only if you want more credits.	If needed
AI provider (Anthropic, OpenAI or compatible)	Every AI brief and coin report is billed by the provider. Without a key the app uses the free, labelled Automatic summary.	Optional
Private RPC endpoints	Public endpoints are free and rate-limited; a busy app may need a paid RPC provider.	Optional
Ad network accounts	AdMob, AppLovin MAX, Unity Ads, ironSource LevelPlay: free to open, but each reviews your app and has its own payout terms.	Optional
Web pages for privacy policy and terms	The stores and ad networks require them. Any hosting works.	Required

A Google account for Firebase and Google Cloud
A free CoinGecko Demo key (recommended for production) and optionally a CoinMarketCap key
Google Play Console, and the Apple Developer Program if you ship iOS
A Firebase service account key for the console (created in Operator console)
Optional: an AI provider, ad network accounts, exchange affiliate programmes