Since its first release in 2015, React Native Developer has continued to gain increasing popularity.
The community is growing, many people starts to develop mobile apps using React Native —including some big companies like Facebook & Instagram (of course), Skype, Pinterest, Uber, etc.
Therefore, we decided to collect the best React Native-related resources created by talented members of the React native developer community and share them with you.
What is React Native?
React Native is a JavaScript framework used to develop iOS and Android mobile applications. It lets you build cross-compatible mobile applications using only JavaScript.
You don’t have to worry about learning platform-specific application development languages such as Kotlin for Android or Swift for iOS.
React Native applications are real mobile applications and not just web applets. Facebook released the first version of React Native in March 2015.
Some facts and statistics about React Native:
- By 2020, mobile apps are expected to generate $188.9 billion in global revenue through app stores and in-app advertising (Statista.com)
- Cross-platform is growing rapidly and is expected to increase from $25.19 billion in 2015 to $80.45 billion in 2020 (MarketsAndMarkets.com)
- 66.7% of developers use JavaScript for their work (by stackoverflow.com) – source
- Facebook, Walmart, Bloomberg, Instagram, Soundcloud, and Wix are well-known apps that use React Native as their development tools.
- Almost everyone has heard of React Native. Most respondents either want to learn about it or have used it before and intend to explore it.
So if you belong to the first group and want to expand your knowledge.
Why Uses React Native
1. Cross-Platform
Cross-platform refers to the ability of a software application or technology to run on multiple platforms or operating systems without modification.
For example, a cross-platform mobile app can be written once and then run on both Android and iOS devices, rather than needing separate versions of the app for each platform.
This means that a developer can write the code once, test it on multiple platforms and then release the app on all the platforms at once. This can save a lot of time and resources compared to developing separate versions of the app for each platform.
2. JavaScript
One of the key benefits of using React Native is that it utilizes JavaScript, a widely-used programming language, as its primary development language.
This means that developers do not need to learn platform-specific languages such as Swift or Kotlin in order to build mobile apps with React Native.
3. Performance
React Native also provides good performance for mobile apps, as it uses native components, similar to how a native app would work and it allows for easy integration with native modules, for tasks that cannot be handled by React Native. It also allows for easy scalability and maintainability of the application.
4. Large Developers’ Community
The React Native framework has a large and active developer community, which is a significant advantage for those using the platform.
The size of this community ensures that there are many experienced developers who can provide support and answer questions, which can be particularly helpful for those who are new to the platform.
Additionally, this community is actively working on improving and contributing to the framework, which means that it is constantly evolving and updating to meet the needs of developers.
5. Used by Many Companies
React Native is a relatively new framework, but it has already been adopted by many companies for building mobile applications. This is a testament to the framework’s capabilities and its ability to meet the needs of businesses.
Many well-known companies such as Facebook, Instagram, Airbnb, Uber, and Tesla, among others, have already built or are currently building their mobile apps using React Native.
These companies have chosen React Native because it allows them to develop and maintain mobile apps more efficiently and effectively, by using a single codebase for both iOS and Android platforms.
6. Excellent Career Opportunity
React Native has seen a significant increase in popularity in recent years, due in large part to its ability to allow developers to write code once and run it on both Android and iOS platforms.
This “cross-compatibility” feature has made it a popular choice among businesses and developers looking to create mobile apps.
In addition to cross-compatibility, React Native also offers a number of other benefits, such as fast development and improved performance.
These benefits have led to a high demand for React Native developers, as more and more companies are looking to build mobile apps using the framework.
This high demand for React Native developers has led to an increase in the number of developers learning and using React Native, which in turn has led to the development of a large and active community of developers.
This community has been instrumental in providing support and resources for developers, and has played a key role in the framework’s growing popularity.
React Native Apps VS Platform-Specific Apps
These are the most critical differences between React Native and platform-specific mobile applications:
| React Native | Platform-Specific | |
| Cross-Platform | Apps work in both iOS and Android | The app is made for a specific platform |
| Developers | Developers having a strong web development background | Developers having a strong platform knowledge |
| Build time | Fast | Slow |
| Applications | Simple | Complex |
| Long-term support | Not recommended as the framework can get shut down | Recommended for long-term investment |
| Resources | Best for small development teams with limited resources | Best for experienced development reams with adequate resources |
React Native Prerequisites
Before diving into React Native development, it’s important to have a solid understanding of certain concepts and technologies. Here are a few key things to keep in mind:
1. Familiarity with programming concepts: To work with React Native, you should be comfortable with fundamental programming concepts such as functions, objects, and arrays. Understanding classes is also helpful, but not as essential.
2. Basic knowledge of JavaScript: React Native is built on JavaScript, so it’s important to have a solid understanding of the language. This will make it easier to understand how React Native works and how to write code that runs on both Android and iOS.
3. Familiarity with HTML and CSS: React Native uses similar concepts to web development, so having a basic understanding of HTML and CSS is beneficial. This will help you understand how to structure and style your app’s user interface.
4. Previous experience with React: If you have experience working with React, you’ll find that React Native is quite similar. Familiarity with React will give you a head start when working with React Native and make the learning curve less steep.
Overall, understanding these concepts and technologies will make it easier for you to start working with React Native and develop your skills as a developer.