What's the difference between `flutter pub get`, `flutter pub upgrade`, and `flutter pub outdated`?

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Accepted Answer

Three related commands with very different behavior: flutter pub get — fetches dependencies as specified in pubspec.yaml and respects pubspec.lock . Installs EXACT locked versions if the lock file exists. Run after pulling, cloning, or editing pubspec.yaml . flutter pub upgrade — re-resolves all dependencies to the LATEST allowed by your version constraints (within your ^1.2.3 ranges). Updates pubspec.lock . Use sparingly. --major-versions rewrites the ^ ranges in pubspec.yaml itself to cross major boundaries. flutter pub outdated — read-only audit. Shows current / upgradable / resolvable / latest for every dependency. Doesn't change anything. Great for CI / dependency hygiene. The mental model: **`get` reads `pubspec.lock`, `upgrade` rewrites it** within the version ranges. The senior detail is **`flutter pub outdated`** — most candidates don't know about it, but production teams run it in CI to catch stale deps before they become security risks. Mention `--major-versions` for the intentional cross-major bump — that signals real dependency hygiene experience.