What is the difference between the "const" and "final" keywords in Dart?

Question

What is the difference between the const and final keywords in Dart?

Acalia

Here is some detail about const: #51576709 and the simple explonation to final is constant(cannot reassign or assign once created with final keyword) and you have to initialize it once. – Stuffy

Answer 1

There is a post on dart's website and it explains it pretty well.

Final:

"final" means single-assignment: a final variable or field must have an initializer. Once assigned a value, a final variable's value cannot be changed. final modifies variables.

---

Const:

"const" has a meaning that's a bit more complex and subtle in Dart. const modifies values. You can use it when creating collections, like const [1, 2, 3], and when constructing objects (instead of new) like const Point(2, 3). Here, const means that the object's entire deep state can be determined entirely at compile time and that the object will be frozen and completely immutable.

Const objects have a couple of interesting properties and restrictions:

They must be created from data that can be calculated at compile time. A const object does not have access to anything you would need to calculate at runtime. 1 + 2 is a valid const expression, but new DateTime.now() is not.

They are deeply, transitively immutable. If you have a final field containing a collection, that collection can still be mutable. If you have a const collection, everything in it must also be const, recursively.

They are canonicalized. This is sort of like string interning: for any given const value, a single const object will be created and re-used no matter how many times the const expression(s) are evaluated.

---

So, what does this mean?

Const:
If the value you have is computed at runtime (new DateTime.now(), for example), you can not use a const for it. However, if the value is known at compile time (const a = 1;), then you should use const over final. There are 2 other large differences between const and final. Firstly, if you're using const inside a class, you have to declare it as static const rather than just const. Secondly, if you have a const collection, everything inside of that is in const. If you have a final collection, everything inside of that is not final.

Final:
final should be used over const if you don't know the value at compile time, and it will be calculated/grabbed at runtime. If you want an HTTP response that can't be changed, if you want to get something from a database, or if you want to read from a local file, use final. Anything that isn't known at compile time should be final over const.

---

With all of that being said, both const and final cannot be reassigned, but fields in a final object, as long as they aren't const or final themselves, can be reassigned (unlike const).

Cholecyst

The const keyword is used to represent a compile-time constant. Variables declared using the const keyword are implicitly final. – Banerjee

@CopsOnRoad you could check this video out Dart Const vs Final – Hoar

That last sentence really sums it up so well. Thanks for that. – Hartzog

Should we even care that const is an option? Is the performance gain really perceptible? – Lieb

So this code: void main() { var fruits = ['apples', 'bananas', 'oranges']; for ( final fruit in fruits) { print('I like to eat $fruit'); } } Will it print always the same? – Abagael

Confusing as I've seen a lot of code using final for component props, yet the user can pass in new values when they like... so they are not final or the component class is completely re-created each render which sounds inefficient. I'm sure it's not the case but this is confusing to noobs like me – Scifi

For those who are looking which is more appropriate or efficient https://mcmap.net/q/75302/-what-is-the-difference-between-quot-const-quot-and-quot-val-quot – Dochandorrach

so for JS devs, final is like const in js – Davisdavison

It would be great to include a similar explanation for var (as a bonus). – Factory

Answer 2

Const

Value must be known at compile-time, const birthday = "2008/12/25"
Can't be changed after initialized.

---

Final

Value must be known at run-time, final birthday = getBirthDateFromDB()
Can't be changed after initialized.

Orthopsychiatry

"Can't be changed after initialized" is ambiguous. final variables can't be reassigned, but the object can be mutated. – Wonderwork

Short but doesn't enough. A final object cannot be modified but its fields can be changed. dartpad.dartlang.org/?id=2078935ac3ac4fcb26e8f8e53b250889 – Zel

Const also looks very interesting dartpad.dartlang.org/?id=ebc3f6f8e6345682f3ba865a409965ba – Zel

Answer 3

Consolidated @Meyi and @faisal-naseer answers and Comparing with little programming.

const:

const keyword used to make a variable to store a compile time constant value. Compile time constant value is a value which will be constant while compiling :-)

For example 5 is a compile time constant. While DateTime.now() which is not compile time constant. Because this method will return the time when the line is getting executed at runtime. So we can't assign the DateTime.now() to a const variable.

const a = 5;
// Uncommenting below statement will cause compile time error.
// Because we can't able to assign a runtime value to a const variable
// const b = DateTime.now();

Should be initialized at the same line.

const a = 5;
// Uncommenting below 2 statement will cause compilation error.
// Because const variable must be initialized at the same line.
// const b;
// b = 6;

All statements mentioned below are acceptable.

// Without type or var
const a = 5;
// With a type
const int b = 5;
// Uncommenting the below line causes a compilation error. Cause const can't be used with var.
// const var c = 6;

Class level const variable should be initialized like below.

Class A {
    static const a = 5;
}

Instance level const variable is not possible.

Class A {
    // Uncommenting below statement will give compilation error.
    // Because const is not possible to be used with instance level 
    // variable.
    // const a = 5;
}

The another major use of const is used to make the object immutable. To make a class object immutable we need to use the const keyword with constructor and make all the fields as final like mentioned below.

Class A {
    final a, b;
    const A(this.a, this.b);
}

void main () {
    // There is no way to change a field of object once it's 
    // initialized.
    const immutableObja = const A(5, 6);
    // Uncommenting below statement will give compilation error.
    // Because you are trying to reinitialize a const variable
    // with other value
    // immutableObja = const A(7, 9);

    // But the below one is not the same. Because we are mentioning objA 
    // is a variable of a class A. Not const. So we can able to assign
    // another object of class A to objA.
    A objA = const A(8, 9);
    // Below statement is acceptable.
    objA = const A(10, 11);
}

we can use const keyword to a list.

const a = const [] - A variable a initialized as const which contains a list of const objects(i.e., The list should contain only compile time constant and immutable objects). So we can't able to assign a with another list.

var a = const [] - A variable a initialized as var which contains a list const objects. So we can able to assign another list to the variable a.

Class A {
    final a, b;
    const A(this.a, this.b);
}

class B {
    B(){ // Doing something }
}

void main() {
    const constantListOfInt = const [5, 6, 7,
                 // Uncommenting below statement give compilation error.
                 // Because we are trying to add a runtime value
                 // to a constant list
                 // DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch
              ];
    const constantListOfConstantObjA = const [
        A(5, 6),
        A(55, 88),
        A(100, 9),
    ];
    // Uncommenting below 2 statements will give compilation error.
    // Because we are trying to reinitialize with a new list.
    // constantListOfInt = [8, 9, 10];
    // constantListOfConstantObjA = const[A(55, 77)];

    // But the following lines are little different. Because we are just
    // trying to assign a list of constant values to a variable. Which 
    // is acceptable
    var variableWithConstantList = const [5, 6, 7];
    variableWithConstantList = const [10, 11, 15];
    var variableOfConstantListOfObjA = const [A(5, 8), A(7, 9), A(10, 4)];
    variableWithConstantList = const [A(9, 10)];
}

---

final:

final keyword also used to make the variable to hold a constant value. Once initialized we can't change the value.

final a = 5;
// Uncommenting below statement will give compilation error.
// Because a is declared as final.
// a = 6;

All statements mentioned below are acceptable.

// Without type or var
final a = 5;
// With a type
final int b = 5;
// Can't use var along with final keyword. Uncommenting below line cause compilation issue.
// final var c = 6;

Able to assign a runtime value.

// DateTime.now() will return the time when the line is getting
// executed. Which is a runtime value.
final a = DateTime.now();
var b = 5;
final c = b;

Class level final variable must be initialized in the same line.

Class A {
    static final a = 5;
    static final b = DateTime.now();
}

Instance level final variable must be initialized in the same line or in the constructor initialization. The value will be put into memory when the object is created.

Class A {
    final a = 5;
}

// Constructor with a parameter.
Class B {
    final b;
    B(this.b);
}

// Constructor with multiple parameter.
Class C {
    final c;
    C(this.c, int d) {
        // Do something with d
    }
}

void main() {
    A objA = new A();
    B objB = new B(5);
    C objC = new C(5, 6);
}

Assigning a list.

final a = [5, 6, 7, 5.6, A()];
// Uncommenting Below statement will give compilation error.
// Because we are trying to reinitialize the object with another list.
// a = [9.9, 10, B()];

Levulose

This is by far the best answer! It also demonstrates the const collection defined as a literal, which is an important case nobody covered. – Disown

const immutableObja = const A(5, 6); can also be written as const immutableObja = A(5, 6); because const A(5,6) rather than new A(5,6) will be chosen by the smart Dart compiler. – Gimble

Actually final var c = 6; is not allowed. Members declared cannot be declared to be both final and var. – Wellfounded

@StefanRein As you mentioned, var should not be used along with the final. Updated the answer as well. Thanks for your input. – Levulose

const var c = 6; is not acceptable on dart 2.19.6 – Terle

@Terle Thanks for bringing it. As you mentioned in the recent versions, const can't be used with var. Checked and Updated the answer based on your input. – Levulose

Where it the tl;dr version of this? – Factory

Answer 4

Extending the answer by @Meyi

• final variable can only be set once and it is initialized when accessed.(for example from code section below if you use the value of biggestNumberOndice only then the value will be initialized and memory will be assigned).

• const is internally final in nature but the main difference is that its compile time constant which is initialized during compilation even if you don't use its value it will get initialized and will take space in memory.

• Variable from classes can be final but not constant and if you want a constant at class level make it static const.

Code:

void main() {

    // final demonstration
    final biggestNumberOndice = '6';
    //  biggestNumberOndice = '8';     // Throws an error for reinitialization

    // const
    const smallestNumberOnDice = 1;

}

class TestClass {

    final biggestNumberOndice = '6';

    //const smallestNumberOnDice = 1;  //Throws an error
    //Error .  only static fields can be declared as constants.

    static const smallestNumberOnDice = 1;
}

Buckskin

I think a better way to ask the question is when to prefer runtime initialization over compile time initialization.... – Buckskin

and for that you can consult @Meyi answer and also do visit the link of the article from his post its wonderful :) – Buckskin

Answer 5

const means its initial value is must be fixed, can not be a dynamic value;

final means its initial value is must be fixed but can be a dynamic value, equal to the var with a fixed value.

code demos

const

void main() {
  const sum = 1 + 2;
  // ✅ const can not change its value
  print("sum = ${sum}");
  // ⚠️ Const variables must be initialized with a constant value.
  const time = new DateTime.now();
  // ❌ Error: New expression is not a constant expression.
  print("time = ${time}");
}

final

// new DateTime.now();
// dynamic timestamp

void main() {
  final sum = 1 + 2;
  // ✅ final can not change its value
  print("sum = ${sum}");
  final time = new DateTime.now();
  // ✅ final === var with fixed value
  print("time = ${time}");
}

Screenshots

refs

https://dart.dev/guides/language/language-tour#final-and-const

Millwater

Answer 6

final and const in dart are confusing to the level we think both of them are the same.

Let's see their differences :

P.S. I included image instead of text as I couldn't tabulate the info in Stackoverflow .md format easily.

Thaxter

Answer 7

Anything that isn't known at compile time should be final over const.

Wrangler

Answer 8

Both final and const prevent a variable from being reassigned (similar to how final works in Java or how const works in JavaScript).

The difference has to do with how memory is allocated. Memory is allocated for a final variable at runtime, and for a const variable at compile-time. The final modifier should be the more commonly used, because many program variables won't need any memory since the program logic won't call for them to be initialized. With a const variable you are basically telling the computer, "Hey, I need memory for this variable up front because I know I'm going to need it."

Thinking of them in this way makes it easier to understand differences in their syntactical usage. Mainly that a final variable may be an instance variable, but a const must be a static variable on a class. This is because instance variables are created at runtime, and const variables--by definition--are not. Thus, const variables on a class must be static, which means simply that a single copy of that variable exists on a class, regardless of whether that class is instantiated.

This video breaks it down fairly simply: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZZL3iyf4Vk

This article goes into more depth and explains a very important semantic difference between the two, i.e. final modifies variables and const modifies values, which essentially boils down to only being able to initialize const values which are derivable at compile-time.

https://news.dartlang.org/2012/06/const-static-final-oh-my.html

Hebbe

Answer 9

If you are coming from C++ then const in Dart is constexpr in C++ and final in Dart is const in C++.

The above applies to primitive types only. However in Dart objects marked final are mutable in terms of it's members.

Mckoy

Sort of. I think you could say this for primitive types but not for objects. const in C++ is almost always used to specify that an object is not mutable through a specific reference or pointer. final in Dart does not prevent the object from being mutated through that variable. – Wonderwork

Answer 10

Simple words:

Const

Value must be known at compile-time, i.e. values coming from internal files.

Sample: API keys, supported languages of your app or any variables in your i.e. helper file, basically anything which you ship with your app.

Final

Value must be known at run-time.

It can be data like above but also i.e. device info which will be checked when the app is starting or data that is loaded from API's or servers when the app starts, but before the app is ready to use i.e. you need to check if the user is logged in or not, your app would load or check a session token from the server.

Ammonium

Answer 11

All these answers I can describe in a concise way.

const list = [1, 2, 3];

• Both variable/identifier & value are const. Like - const list = const [1, 2, 3]
• That's why they are not allowed to be re-assigned.
• Good fit for global variables.
• It is possible to use it as a class variable but have to set static. Like - static const list = [1, 2, 3].

vs:

final list = [1, 2, 3];

• Variable/Identifier is const but value is not. Like - const list = [1, 2, 3]
• That's why we can perform like - list.add(4)

Dowell

Answer 12

The answer is in the image itself.

Moyer

Please do not answer with code as an image. This is terrible for the purpose of indexing and accessibility and forces people to retype said code if they want to experiment with it. Oh, and it's a waste of bandwidth I guess. – Charge

Answer 13

const is a Compile-time constant.

final is a Run-time constant.

Homerus

final variables cannot be reassigned but the object can be mutated. They are not runtime constants. – Wonderwork

Answer 14

You can't initialise a const using a final. For example :

  final myConst = 1;
  const myFinal = 2;

  final a = myConst; // possible
  final b = myFinal; // possible
  const c = myConst; // this is not possible
  const d = myFinal; // possible

Comprehensible

While what you wrote is true, it's not a good explanation for what const and final mean. Also, that you named the const object myFinal and the final variable myConst is very confusing. – Wonderwork

Answer 15

When to use which keyword?

A simple example for both: Use final: If you don’t know what it’s value will be at compile-time. For example, when you can need to get data from an API, this happens when running your code.

Use const: If you are sure that a value isn’t going to be changed when running your code. For example, when you declare a sentence that always remains the same.

https://itnext.io/difference-between-const-and-final-in-dart-78c129d0c573

Semiquaver

Answer 16

A variable with the final keyword will be initialized at runtime and can only be assigned for a single time.

A variable with the const keyword is initialized at compile-time and is already assigned when at runtime.

Use final: If you don’t know what it’s value will be at compile-time. For example, when you can need to get data from an API, this happens when running your code. Use const: If you are sure that a value isn’t going to be changed when running your code. For example, when you declare a sentence that always remains the same.

Referee

Answer 17

Well, an unofficial but easy way to understand:

• Compile time: when you're coding
• Run time: when you run the application

So to be short,

• final: as long as in run time it's a constant. Its value is not needed in compile time, assign but decide later ie. DatTime.now()
• const: if a value is known and will be the same for both compile and run time. A value always the same ie. int 10

both value of final and const cannot be changed in the future (in run time)

Rabbitry