Picture this: Instagram, Facebook, and even Uber – all running seamlessly on your smartphone. But here’s the kicker: what if I told you that beneath the sleek interfaces and impressive functionalities lies a single technology driving them all?
Drumroll, please. Enter React Native – the framework that is responsible for building thousands of seamless mobile apps.
Companies alluding to a popular user base to ones that barely survive in the market, all consider building mobile apps on React Native.
This is because it provides developers with a powerful toolkit to craft cross-platform that function efficiently on all devices and platforms.
Which is why it has become an integral part of the world of app development.
This article will help you understand React Native which is responsible for shaping apps like Uber, Facebook, and Instagram.
The Importance of Choosing the Right Framework
Picking the right framework can get quite tiresome and toiling for an app developer.
If you want to build an application that scales well, is efficient, and is easy to maintain, picking the right framework becomes crucial.
Being hasty and impulsive in picking a mobile app development framework can lead to the downfall of your app in the long run.
Hitting a brick wall while developing your dream app down the road due to a sloppy choice of picking the wrong framework sounds mortifying.
Which is why React Native has become the ideal option for a majority of developers around the world.
According to Statista, 8.43% of developers around the world prefer React Native to other frameworks. So it is safe to say that this technology is in vogue and much demand.
Understanding React Native
React Native helps you natively build cross-platform apps that can be utilized on multiple platforms such as iOS and Android. With the help of the same codebase, you can build different apps for different platforms.
Since it is written in JavaScript and renowned as a ‘hybrid’ framework, its constitution makes it platform-independent. This is what differentiates it from the other traditional apps written in languages like Java or Kotlin.
Another factor that contributes to its cause is React- a JavaScript library based on which it is built.
Benefits of React Native
So you might be wondering, “How does any of this benefit the developer?”
To answer that question in regards to React Native and its impact on your mobile app, the following reasons should suffice:
Code Reusability
A single codebase that can be reused over and over is a dream come true for many developers around the world. This implies that apps can be run on multiple platforms.
This becomes a lucrative asset for many CEOs and companies as they can integrate 90% of the reusable code on both Android and iOS platforms.
Another benefit of code reusability is that it can be used for both web and mobile application development if they are both made with React Native.
It also reduces the development time due to the availability of pre-developed components that can be accessed from the open-source library.
Big Developers’ Community
The open-source JavaScript platform brings a large community of developers who share their knowledge about the framework’s development which is accessible to everyone.
The community helps anyone who is at an impasse when it comes to app development. As a result, ‘the more the merrier’.
This not only brings the community together but also positively impacts the skills of the troubled developer.
Cost-effective
The cost efficiency of React Native is also responsible for its popularity around the world. This is because developers can reuse the same code for both Android and iOS.
Hence, hiring two separate teams for two specific projects stops being the case. Apps built in React Native cost way cheaper than those built on a non-cross-platform app development framework.
Simple UI
React Native uses React JavaScript to create the app’s interface making it more interactive with a quicker response and loading time. This enhances the user experience.
The component-based approach and the reactive UI in React Native provide the blueprint for both simple and complex designs to build apps.
Key Features of React Native
React Native is like the mother who takes care of both her family and her work.
In other words, it multi-tasks a lot of things at once with simplicity and convenience.
Here are a few features that help it develop apps with ease:
Hot Reloading
While making changes to the code, this feature allows developers to view the immediate results of it without restarting the app.
How convenient is that!
Not just that, it also allows room for quicker feedback, increased productivity, and enhanced code iteration.
Cross-Platforming
This feature is the essence of React Native. It’s what makes React Native so likable amongst the developers’ community.
Cross-platform development allows a single codebase to be run on different platforms and devices like iOS and Android.
The need to program separate codebases for multiple platforms is no longer required which enhances the development speed and curtails time.
Native Performance
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a cross-platform framework offered native-like performance? React Native offers just that.
The native components of React perform similarly to the native-built apps which brings out the native performance in the app.
This is because the framework can interact with native modules, ensuring quick response time and smooth animation.
Declarative Syntax
Do not be intimidated by the sound of this word since it allows the developers to reuse and maintain the code easily.
Such an approach gives a general view to the developer of how the UI would look based on the current phase of its development and not the finished product.
It facilitates the development process and improves the code readability.
Reusable Components
This might be way down this list but is one of the best React Native features that allows the advent of cross-platform development.
This feature allows developers to build scalable and modular applications. Components are sometimes used in different parts of the app or projects entirely.
It also allows streamlined development and consistent design and functionality.
Successful Case Studies of React Native Apps
React Native has also walked the talk in many case studies around the world. Some of the most famous brands and companies utilize React Native.
Let us shine some light on their success stories and what makes them different from the rest of the crop:
1. Facebook
Facebook created React Native as it was the first app that came out of this framework. It remains one of the biggest names in the social media industry with a turnover of more than 134.9 billion USD.
Don’t worry Meta owners, all is not lost!
React Native’s quick iteration and reusable code were quite lucrative in this case which is why Facebook now used it to revamp the app and make it operable in different platforms.
Hence, it came to mobile too. The results were earthshaking since the app became two times faster.
2. Facebook Ads
This was the first ever fully developed cross-platform app organized by Facebook with React Native. It oversees multiple ad formats, currencies, and time zones.
Every minute, thousands of GBs worth of data goes through this app.
This app also allowed a smooth and seamless, high-quality experience for its users available on both platforms.
3. Walmart
It is only obvious that Facebook, one of the world’s biggest retail corporations is going to utilize React Native too.
They enhance their user experience by integrating React Native into their existing app structure.
They stood ahead of their competition by introducing better and more advanced technologies in their system.
React Native allowed Walmart to share the same codebase with apps of both platforms. This enhanced both performance and experiences in a short duration.
4. Bloomberg
Bloomberg is considered a giant in the finance and business world. React Native helped them build apps for both platforms.
The new app was a pioneer in an interactive experience acquiring personalized content across the Bloomberg media.
The developers in Bloomberg developed the entire app within 5 months. This was due to React Native and its efficiency in app development. Bloomberg today is thriving better than any other financial agency in the world.
5. Instagram
What can we say about this one that has not already been said? One of the biggest names in the social media industry, Instagram owes a lot of its success to React Native.
It added React Native to its existing native app to let the developers deliver the app quicker than expected. This increased the performance and user experience of the app.
📖 Read: Why Top Brands Prefer React Native for Hybrid App Development
Future Trends of React Native
Does the future look bright for React Native and its community?
It does! The following trends will highlight the future of this technology:
Integration with Advanced Technologies
React Native is set to one day seamlessly function with advanced technologies like AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Such technologies help in developing better and more immersive ways providing enhanced user experiences.
Fabric
No, it’s not the wear-to-work kind of fabric but rather something new that React Native is coming up with.
It is a rendering system used to recreate the rendering layer of React Native. It will make the framework more responsive and will blend with the hybrid JavaScript-based infrastructure.
Some of the important changes that Fabric will bring to the framework are:
- New Threading Model- Developers can call all at once into JavaScript on any thread instead of working the UI/UX update on three different threads.
- Async Rendering- This will allow React Native to utilize async rendering abilities.
- Simplified Bridge- A new and sophisticated path will allow React Native to improve direct calling between itself and JavaScript.
Going Serverless
It is highly rumored that in 2024, many React Native developers will adopt the serverless approach to app development.
This is because maintaining complex server management and coding at the same time is cumbersome.
Additionally, Azure Functions and AWS Lambda facilitate coding and make it cost-efficient at the same time. This would result in highly scalable applications that work seamlessly.
Suspenseful Data Fetching
The app performance can take a hit while fetching data. React Suspense eliminates this quandary. It helps load apps smoothly.
With this feature in React Native, the speed and performance of the apps built in this framework may be enhanced.
Expanded Compatibility
Wearable devices like smartwatches, robust support for VR, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are rapidly overtaking the world of technology.
People are demanding more apps to be built for these devices which is why the future of React Native looks brighter than ever.
Developers are keen on providing wearable apps utilizing the React Native framework to such third-party devices.
Hence, this framework is in great demand in the world as it is going to be one of the reasons for the next technological advancements of the world.
Conclusion
It is undeniable that React Native is one of the most famous and impactful cross-platform frameworks in the world. Now that you understand its power, make sure to always consider the requirements of your app before building one.
Implementing React Native for the sake of its popularity is a novice mistake.
Evidence shows that if used correctly, React Native can create apps that can revolutionize and change the world for the better (Facebook, Instagram, and Walmart).
This implies that your business can turn into something big and powerful if the framework is used correctly.
So make sure to understand its pros and cons and accordingly consider it in your business strategy.
Frequently Asked Question
1. Is React Native the right choice for building all kinds of mobile applications?
React Native can build the majority of social media apps, e-commerce platforms, and productivity tools. It is one of the best technologies that require building apps for multiple platforms. However, it cannot handle complex UI interactions and custom UI designs. These require native development.
2. How is React Native and native app development different?
You can develop apps using separate codebases for specific platforms like Java and Kotlin for Android and Swift for iOS. React Native on the other hand, utilizes a single codebase for multiple platforms.
3. Can existing code be integrated with React Native?
Yes, existing code can be integrated seamlessly with React Native in their applications. This capability is quite useful in migrating existing apps to React Native or when specific functionalities are better executed using native code.
4. Can React Native be used for large-scale applications?
Apps like Airbnb, Facebook, and Instagram have already been built using the React Native framework. Hence it is safe to say that it can certainly be used for building large-scale apps. All it requires is the right architecture, best practices, and optimization to build a large-scale application.
