Change is the only constant”. Well, I think this quote applies pretty well to mobile app development. Every now and then, new technologies create a buzz. In today’s market, developers are looking for technologies that have rapid deployment times, short development cycles, and deliver high-performance applications. In order to achieve seamless user experiences, develop apps that are quicker to develop, and can run on multiple platforms, developers want to provide a seamless user experience.
The React Native movement has been gaining traction in the world of mobile development for several years now. Taking the tech world by storm, it enabled you to simultaneously develop apps for iOS and Android.
Come on, let’s get going!
What is React Native?
The React Native framework has revolutionized mobile app development, particularly after developing hybrid apps with PhoneGap, Ionic, or similar web-based solutions.
When you wish to create a scalable and maintainable production app, React Native will not suffice. It is essential that you set up the project with a variety of widely used NPM packages created by the amazing open-source community, which will help accelerate development.
Over hundreds of businesses around the world have successfully deployed the technology, including Microsoft, Facebook, and Uber.
I hope you will find this article helpful in choosing which libraries and tools to use for your next React native app setup.
1. Purpose of React Native development
Among the leading frameworks for cross-platform mobile app development, React Native is a practical option for some apps, but not for all.
If you just wish to create a multi-platform mobile application, you can do so by simply using WebView to publish your app across both platforms. There are already some developers who are doing this. Unfortunately, their performances and visuals cannot be expected to be spectacular. Most of the time, they do not handle heavy tasks as well as native apps and do not provide a similar user experience.
When it comes to React Native, it’s not only fast but also lets us make use of underlying components that are barely available in WebView apps.
2. Choose the right navigation library
In spite of its existence for years, React Native hasn’t replaced the old navigator component and provided an efficient substitute. Many developers still rely on community-driven solutions. In the beginning of the project, it is very important to decide which navigation library is appropriate for your project.
Navigation libraries differ essentially in two ways: JavaScript navigators and Native Navigators. Navigators built with JavaScript are easier to set up, while native navigators offer superior performance. Start by determining which one you need before selecting from the various options available.
3. Don’t use Expo-Kit all the time
Expo-Kit is a fantastic open-source React Native development toolchain for free, but it does have some limitations. Since Expo-Kit comes with custom native modules, React Native won’t support third-party packages.
The Expo-Kit is perfect when you need a quick play setting to create a new app with a package to help you create a react-native app, or when you know that all the app’s requirements are met by Expo’s solutions.
4. React Native styling
React Native behaves almost like CSS, but there will be times when you’re disappointed. Unlike Java, React Native does not offer cascades, inheritance, and has many unsupported properties.
It is unavoidable, however, that every system will have some flaws. Whether or not you can find alternatives or workarounds to reach your goals is important. Flex elements already come with React Native. The fewer components you have, the better. Keep the interface and the style of your page fixed on one page, and you should have no problem.
5. Sizing your app for different screens and devices
As an app developer, you will undoubtedly want your application to work on different devices and screens. It usually comes down to two choices here: you can either tailor the user interface/user experience to fit different screen sizes or have the same on all screens.
Usually, the developer will choose the former option when working on some sort of application, while the latter one is usually chosen when working on a game. Dimensions API can be used to classify the screen sizes, or third-party packages such as React Native Responsive UI can be used.
6. Quality of performance
With React Native, our projects are always on time and we can work on short development cycles. You won’t have to wait long whenever something loads with the React Native framework. The emulator or your device will show any changes immediately thanks to features like hot reloading, which speeds up the bundling process.
7. Animations
Have you considered building an animation-rich React Native app? It’s time to re-examine your decision. Animated graphics are of high importance these days, but React Native is still improving on its animated counterpart.
However, you should always test animations on the device before you use them. You do not have to let animations stand in for navigation. Using emulators leaves one in limbo. To get the best performance, you should also use native driver = true wherever possible.
8. Use CSS-in-JS wrapper library
In React Native, we cannot go any other way than to stick with CSS that’s written in JavaScript. In order to make CSS writing more exciting again and to make JSX more semantic, CSS stylesheets should be created with Styled Components instead of using the StyleSheet.create method. By doing so, you will have a much better CSS experience when using React Native.
9. Easily convert any website to mobile
React Native is notable for its intense reusability of code. It is possible to update it simultaneously on two platforms. That ensures easier and faster bug detection. Without any difficulty, non-developers can understand a project.
Team members can be more flexible with React Native since it increases productivity. Additionally, it can save you time and make converting your web project into a mobile project seamless.
10. Dynamic app update
Due to the architect of React Native, we have the advantage of fixing bugs or sending updates directly to users, instead of having to go through the lifecycle of packing, releasing to the app store, and the user updating the app. To do so, you can use Microsoft code push.
Final verdict
The React Native platform allows app developers to create apps that work seamlessly across platforms and systems. Developers and businesses alike love this framework. You can reduce your work hours greatly as a result, thus speeding up the development process. The process is also cost-efficient. By developing a single application for both Android and iOS users, your brand can reach a larger audience at the same time and launch can be synchronized. Companies with lower budgets can make the switch to both platforms without sacrificing functionality. Alternatively, you can Hire React Native developer to assist you with this.