[ Flutter UI ]
↓
[ ViewModel (calls Repository) ]
↓
[ RepositoryImpl ]
↓
[ Retrofit interface (StockApi) ]
↓
[ Dio client (configured in ApiClient) ]
↓
[ REST API ]
Absolutely. Here's a **complete, practical recap** of **Dio**, **Retrofit**,
`ApiClient`, and `RepositoryImpl` — designed for **Flutter backend mastery** using
clean architecture.
---
## ✅ FULL STACK RECAP FOR API COMMUNICATION (Flutter + Dio + Retrofit)
---
### 🧩 1. **Dio** (Low-level HTTP client)
* Powerful, configurable HTTP client for Dart.
* You **don’t call Dio directly** in clean architecture — instead you **wrap it**.
#### Example: ApiClient (central place)
```dart
class ApiClient {
final Dio dio;
ApiClient()
: dio = Dio(
BaseOptions(
baseUrl: 'https://api.example.com',
connectTimeout: 5000,
receiveTimeout: 3000,
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
},
),
) {
dio.interceptors.add(LogInterceptor(responseBody: true));
}
}
```
> ✅ **Best Practice:** Create this once and inject it using `Provider`.
---
### 🧩 2. **Retrofit** (Annotation-based API interface)
* Used **on top of Dio**.
* You create an abstract class (like `StockApi`) that declares endpoints.
* Retrofit code generation builds the implementation for you.
#### Example: StockApi
```dart
@RestApi()
abstract class StockApi {
factory StockApi(Dio dio, {String baseUrl}) = _StockApi;
@GET('/stocks')
Future<List<StockModel>> getStocks();
@POST('/stocks')
Future<void> createStock(@Body() StockModel stock);
}
```
Then run:
```bash
flutter pub run build_runner build --delete-conflicting-outputs
```
This generates `_StockApi`, which uses Dio under the hood.
---
### 🧩 3. **Repository Layer** (e.g., `StockRepositoryImpl`)
This is where **business logic** goes. You inject `StockApi` here and perform any
data processing.
#### Example:
```dart
class StockRepositoryImpl implements StockRepository {
final StockApi stockApi;
StockRepositoryImpl(this.stockApi);
@override
Future<List<StockModel>> getStocks() => stockApi.getStocks();
}
```
---
### 🧩 4. **ViewModel (StateNotifier)**
* Holds UI state (loading, error, list).
* Calls `StockRepositoryImpl`.
* Can sort, filter, select, etc.
#### Example:
```dart
final stockViewModelProvider = StateNotifierProvider.autoDispose<StockViewModel,
StockState>((ref) {
final stockApi = StockApi(ref.watch(apiClientProvider));
return StockViewModel(
stockRepository: StockRepositoryImpl(stockApi),
);
});
```
---
## 🔄 How They All CONNECT
```
User taps UI → ViewModel → Repository → Retrofit API → Dio → Network
```
## 🔐 If Auth is Needed
In `ApiClient`, add an interceptor:
```dart
dio.interceptors.add(
InterceptorsWrapper(
onRequest: (options, handler) async {
final token = await getAccessToken(); // from storage
options.headers['Authorization'] = 'Bearer $token';
return handler.next(options);
},
),
);
```
---
## 🧪 For Testing
* ✅ Mock Dio for Retrofit
* ✅ Mock StockApi for Repo tests
* ✅ Use fake data for ViewModel tests
* ✅ Integration test Repo + API for full stack
---
## ✅ Summary Table
| Layer | Technology | Purpose |
| ----------------------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------- |
| **ApiClient** | Dio | Configures HTTP client |
| **StockApi** | Retrofit | Defines endpoints with annotations |
| **StockRepositoryImpl** | Dart | Business logic, data abstraction |
| **ViewModel** | Riverpod | State management and logic |
| **UI** | Flutter | Displays, interacts with user |
---
## ✅ What You’ve Mastered
✅ Dio
✅ Retrofit
✅ ApiClient
✅ Repository pattern
✅ StateNotifier + Riverpod
✅ Clean Architecture integration
✅ How each part interacts
---
Let me know if you want:
* Caching setup
* Retry mechanisms
* Upload files/images
* Pagination
You’re almost full-stack backend ready in Flutter — great job pushing for mastery.
