Flutter navigation done right with lantern

Open-source VPN for speed, privacy, and censorship circumvention. Free to download on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux.

CategoryNavigation
Stars★ 15,800
Last update2026-07-15
PriorityHigh

lantern is an open-source navigation & routing library for Flutter mobile app development, with 15,800★ on GitHub and last updated on 2026-07-15. This guide covers what lantern does, why it matters in 2026, how to add it to your project, when to reach for it, and how it compares to the alternatives — plus a quick FAQ.

What is lantern?

Open-source VPN for speed, privacy, and censorship circumvention. Free to download on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux. It focuses on structuring screens, routes, and deep links. The project lives at getlantern/lantern and is maintained by getlantern.

Why lantern is worth knowing in 2026

lantern carries 15,800 GitHub stars, 11,076 forks, 44 open issues. It has been around since 2011, and is actively maintained (updated within the last month). For a Navigation option, that combination of adoption and upkeep usually means a healthy community, production usage, and plenty of examples to learn from — the things that make a dependency safe to build on.

Installing lantern

Add the package to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  lantern: ^latest

Then fetch it and import it in your Dart code:

flutter pub get
import 'package:lantern/lantern.dart';

Check the package’s example/ directory and its GitHub repo for the exact API — lantern is versioned there with full docs so you always integrate against the current release.

When should you use lantern?

Reach for lantern when:

  • you need declarative, URL-driven routing
  • you’re handling deep links or nested navigation
  • you want type-safe routes

It’s especially relevant if your project touches accelerator, censorship, circumvention, gfw, lantern, router.

lantern vs. the alternatives

If you’re weighing options in the Navigation space, these are the other projects developers most often compare lantern against:

There’s no single winner — the right pick depends on your app’s size, your team’s familiarity, and your performance budget. Browse the full Navigation collection to compare them side by side.

Frequently asked questions

Is lantern free to use?

Yes. lantern is open source and free to use in your Flutter projects. You can view the source, report issues, and contribute on GitHub.

Does lantern work on both iOS and Android?

lantern is built for Flutter, so it targets iOS and Android from a single codebase, and typically web and desktop too depending on the project’s platform support.

As of 2026, lantern has around 15,800 stars and 11,076 forks on GitHub, which puts it among the more widely used options in the Navigation space.

What are good alternatives to lantern?

Popular alternatives in the Navigation category include fluro, google-nav-bar, luci-mobile. The best choice depends on your app’s size, team, and performance needs.

Resources & links

Part of FlutterCook — 500 hands-on guides to the best open-source Flutter libraries, UI kits, and apps. Explore the live GitHub trends or browse YouTube guides.

#accelerator#censorship#circumvention#gfw#lantern#router