Businesses have been forced to consider moving their business models from traditional platforms to digital platforms as a result of the fast-changing environment around the globe. Businesses are beginning to create extremely efficient enterprise apps that function flawlessly on iOS and Android. However, their ability to invest in mobile app development is constrained by the rising cost of app development.
However, given that mobile apps have become so prevalent across all industries—from communication to shopping, healthcare, and entertainment—businesses have realized how difficult it will be to compete in the coming decades without having a strong online presence.
Businesses must now have mobile applications because customers and users spend the day using their smartphones or tablets to conduct banking transactions, schedule meetings, and make purchases for everything they need. Some of these applications may have been created using React Native.
Introduction to React Native
React Native is a cross-platform framework built on JavaScript that has been extensively used to develop mobile apps that look and feel native on iOS and Android. React Native, despite being introduced by Facebook in 2015, has swiftly risen to prominence as the leading open-source framework. After powering numerous apps like Skype, Instagram, Facebook, and others, it eventually became well-known as the best app development solution.
It was the ideal platform for app creation because of the advantages of the reusability of scripts, quick testing capabilities, and running apps on both iOS and Android platforms.
Why choose React Native to build mobile apps?
Saves time and money: The main benefit of using React Native for app development is the time, money, and effort it saves you. Developing two native apps for several platforms will cost you more money than using React Native and a single codebase to create an app. Therefore, with React Native, developers can easily release the same update for both iOS and Android platforms without the extra work of using a different codebase, saving money on hiring mobile app developers to create two native apps.
High Performance:
Businesses are constantly concerned with how well their apps work. Additionally, React Native apps are just as good as native Android and iOS apps. React Native uses GPU to perform computations, as opposed to other cross-platform frameworks that use CPU. This is a key factor in the superior performance of React Native apps.
Over-The-Air Updates (OTA):
React Native’s ground-breaking OTA update capability lets programmers modify the app’s backend while users still use it. Once completed, the updates will appear immediately in the app. In other words, consumers frequently have the option to update an app without visiting the app store. The entire process of updating the app is made simple and quick thanks to React Native’s functionality.
The biggest benefit is that React Native is open-source and offers a wide range of free UI tools that are similar to those found in native applications. Since React Native enables developers to export codes from Android Studio to Xcode seamlessly, developers do not encounter difficulties porting React Native apps from one platform to another.
These are a select few of React Native’s unique features that set it apart from other cross-platform frameworks.
Best practices for using React Native while creating a mobile application
A well-liked open-source framework called React Native is used to create iOS and Android mobile apps. Best practices for creating mobile apps with React Native include the following:
Use functional components
React Native supports both functional and class components. Conversely, functional components are frequently picked because they are simple to write, understand, and test.
The following component-based architecture is recommended
A component-based architecture, which is the foundation of React Native, encourages the development of small, repeatable, and modular components. Code management, testing, and maintenance are made easier using this technique.
Maintaining clean, well-organized code is essential for making it simple to read, understand, and modify. This can be achieved by following coding conventions, giving variables and functions descriptive names, and staying away from intricate and hierarchical logic.
Utilize a state management library
Since React Native lacks a built-in state management system, managing the application state requires the use of a state management library like Redux or MobX. This method simplifies management and debugging while maintaining a consolidated state.
Improve performance
Mobile apps need to run smoothly in order to provide a good user experience. Examples of features offered by React Native include the use of the FlatList and VirtualizedList components for large data sets, the PureComponent component to eliminate repetition, and the elimination of inline styles for increased productivity.
Testing
A crucial step in the development process and testing your application frequently will help you find and fix problems before they worsen. You may test your app’s components, features, and behaviour using React Native’s testing tools, which include Jest and Enzyme.
Conclusion
React Native provides a variety of advantages for developers trying to create mobile apps. It might not always be the best option for software development projects, but it can be a helpful tool for programmers who want to create cross-platform programs fast and effectively.