Using React Native | Mobile apps

» CREATE SLICKER, FASTER APPS WHILE REDUCING DEVELOPMENT TIME AND COSTS

What is React Native?

React Native is an open-source UI software framework that was created in 2013 during one of Facebook’s internal hackathons and released to the public in 2015. It’s used to develop apps for a variety of operating systems including Android, Android TV, iOS, tvOS, macOS and Windows. React Native is an open-source UI software framework that was created in 2013 during one of Facebook’s internal hackathons and released to the public in 2015. It’s used to develop apps for a variety of operating systems including Android, Android TV, iOS, tvOS, macOS and Windows.

This framework allows developers to write code in Javascript – the world’s most popular programming language – to create apps for both iOS and Android at the same time. The system shares most, if not all, of the codebase between the two operating systems. This means that developers don’t have to be segregated into just one platform.

Powerful developer tools have been provided within the framework. For example, it’s not necessary to rebuild the application when changes have been made, instead it can simply be refreshed. Developers can also take advantage of intelligent debugging tools and error reporting.

At Netgen, we use React Native for our mobile app development because it allows us to create responsive, fluid apps rapidly while keeping the cost to our clients down. Being able to share code between Android and iOS means that we’re not repeating work – if a client wishes to launch on one platform first and leave the other for a later date, we can simply use the existing code rather than starting from scratch.

Why is React Native so popular?

Allows developers to build apps for both Android and iOS using Javascript, the world’s most popular programming language.

Most, if not all, of the codebase, can be shared between both Android and iOS.

Built-in developer tools.

Faster and cheaper to develop apps in React Native than developing native apps.

Software is open source so support is widely available online.

Third-party plug-ins and APIs, like maps and payment systems, can be easily incorporated.

The Live Reload feature is invaluable, showing a preview of the app while it’s being coded, rather than having to rebuild the app in order to see changes.

UIs created using React Native are fluid and responsive.

There is a large number of UI component libraries that developers can draw from, saving time that would be spent building these from scratch.

React Native was created by Meta Platforms, Inc, formerly known as Facebook. Meta continues to invest in its growth and development and has long-term plans to continue supporting the platform.

React Native in the real world

React Native was developed by Facebook to meet the company’s needs and accomplish the goal of bringing the benefits of web development to mobile, like being able to iterate rapidly. With the support of such a large company and the speed at which it was adopted by the developer community, React Native quickly became one of the most-used development frameworks in the world.

Along with the Facebook app, here are some other examples of major mobile apps built using the framework:

Instagram

Skype

Uber Eats

Airbnb

The developers of these apps chose to use React Native for various reasons, but most commonly because of the speed and ease with which apps can be built using the framework, and because of how fast and responsive the completed apps are.

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