open-location-code: a Flutter developer's guide

Open Location Code is a library to generate short codes, called "plus codes", that can be used as digital addresses where street addresses don't exist.

CategoryLibrary/Tooling
Stars★ 4,335
Last update2026-03-30
PriorityHigh

open-location-code is an open-source developer tooling library for Flutter mobile app development, with 4,335★ on GitHub and last updated on 2026-03-30. This guide covers what open-location-code 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 open-location-code?

Open Location Code is a library to generate short codes, called “plus codes”, that can be used as digital addresses where street addresses don’t exist. It focuses on improving your Flutter developer workflow and codebase. The project lives at google/open-location-code and is maintained by google.

Why open-location-code is worth knowing in 2026

open-location-code carries 4,335 GitHub stars, 528 forks, 56 open issues. It has been around since 2014, and is actively maintained. For a Library/Tooling 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 open-location-code

Add the package to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  open-location-code: ^latest

Then fetch it and import it in your Dart code:

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

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

When should you use open-location-code?

Reach for open-location-code when:

  • you want to automate or streamline part of your build
  • you need better debugging, codegen, or DX
  • you’re standardising tooling across a team

It’s especially relevant if your project touches c, cplusplus, dart, geo, golang, gps.

open-location-code vs. the alternatives

If you’re weighing options in the Library/Tooling space, these are the other projects developers most often compare open-location-code 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 Library/Tooling collection to compare them side by side.

Frequently asked questions

Is open-location-code free to use?

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

Does open-location-code work on both iOS and Android?

open-location-code 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, open-location-code has around 4,335 stars and 528 forks on GitHub, which puts it among the more widely used options in the Library/Tooling space.

What are good alternatives to open-location-code?

Popular alternatives in the Library/Tooling category include flclash, ente, nativescript. 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.

#c#cplusplus#dart#geo#golang#gps