A Beginners Guite to React Native

React Native is a hot topic of conversation. But, what makes it popular? Why do techies talk about React Native this much? 

Well, one answer that I can come off with is- its ability to use one codebase that runs on multiple platforms. It is one major point in it being success. 

Plus, there is no shortage of opportunities for those who love app development. And whether you want to get employed as a developer or want to develop an app, react native is a starting point. 

Consider this article as your guide for React native and read it till the end.

What is React Native?

• React Native is an open-source popular JavaScript-based framework for developing Android/iOS/Windows mobile apps. It was created by Meta Platform (Facebook). Facebook made React Native open and available on GitHub in 2015.
• Since then, it has been widely adopted by developers because of its ability to produce native apps and great User Interfaces.
• In the below points you can in detail.

Before React Native.

• Meta Platform (Facebook) introduced both React JS and React Native. Facebook first created React JS for web development which improves development and enhances web optimization but Facebook was still struggling with handling iOS and android mobile apps that’s why they developed React Native in march 2015.
• Before introducing React Native Normally, programmers need to write programs separately for  Android apps using Java and iOS using Swift/Objective-C.

Problems That React Native Solves.

• React Native neatly solves that problem. In React Native, programmers do not need to maintain separate codebases for ios and android. Using JavaScript you can code mobile apps with a single code base to build and deploy fully functional apps for both the iOS and Android platforms.

How does React Native work?

React Native is written as a combination of JavaScript and JXL, a special markup code similar to JSX. The framework communicates with both platfoms  JavaScript-based threads and existent, native app threads.

And it doesn’t just “work”— it compiles 

React Native ⇒ native Java (Android )

&&

React Native ⇒ Swift code (iOS )

Specifically, React Native bridges web UI components and their native Java/Swift counterparts.

Now we no need two development teams to work on both platforms and even it will help in uniform layouts.

You can check this from the below iOS/Android mobile app that builds on react native.

Ex- iOS and Android

Here’s a visualization example of the bridge concept:

Why should you use React Native for Mobile App Development?

1. Cross-platform compatibility

One of the significant advantages of the React Native framework is that cross-platform development is the practice of building software compatible with more than one type of hardware platform. It means you can use one codebase

and run it on any platform. As a result, you will achieve the same level of performance as native apps with cross-platform apps.

Cross-platform mobile app development works on both Android and iOS platforms, giving you a larger user base.

2. Dry (Do not repeat yourself)

Development is not only about writing code but also smartly reusing the code components with dynamic values, and in React Native, you can reuse the written code for both iOS and Android apps. It follows the “write once and reuse anywhere” principle.

3. Coding in a familiar programming language

If you are already familiar with JavaScript, then you don’t need to learn a different language and coding syntax to develop the app using React Native. Even React Native is easy to learn if you have knowledge of JavaScript and React Js.

4. Quicker development

Using React Native, you can create only one codebase that can handle iOS and Android. and even cross-platform applications are built as single projects. It means the same code can be deployed on both operating systems. Current estimates show that near about 90% of React Native code can be reused between platforms.

5. Reduced costs

As we already discussed in React Native, developers are able to use the same code to build applications for iOS and Android. It means you won’t have to spend money on iOS and Android app development separately. Building cross-platform mobile applications using React Native can reduce the cost by 30 to 40 percent compared to building native apps. All in all, these things are possible due to the ability to reuse code and faster development, which directly impact the cost.

Examples of Mobile apps built using React Native

Before React Native was launched, Facebook made a mobile app to check the performance of React Native. It helped developers build an amazing social media mobile app.

Today, everyone knows and uses the Facebook mobile app, which gives you the feeling of using a native mobile app. 

After that, React Native was released for everyone as open source, and now lots of companies have started using React Native to develop their mobile apps. 

Popular React Native apps

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Skype
• Tesla
• Walmart
• Discord

Want to hire a React Native developer?

In need of a React Native developer? Want to develop an application? Extern Labs is here for all your app development-related queries. 

Remember, your application’s success more likely depends on the developer’s skills and expertise. So always choose a partner who can analyze all the risks and potential opportunities for your application in the considered technology. 

With React Native, it will be good if your development partner has some experience in developing native apps. Extern Labs has experienced and certified React Native developers with years of experience. 

Whether you want to hire a React native developer or want to develop an application, contact us, and we will provide solutions to all your questions.