We build a chat application made in React Native using Google Firebase, React Navigation, and Gifted Chat. — Let’s build a chat application. The goal is to create an application with: authentication (signup/login), chat room creation, and group messages within those rooms. It will be built in React Native. Firebase will be used to handle authentication and database storage. React Navigation will help with getting around. …

We go over Google Firebase’s offerings and set up a quick-start template for accessing your Firebase project from React Native. — At Platypus, we’re big fans of Google Firebase. It streamlines much of the development process, and enables simple, rapid scaling when you’re ready to go from MVP to production. What is Firebase? A comprehensive back end solution for your web and mobile apps. With Firebase, Google aims to take as much hassle out…

Using the Create React App Buildpack will save your time and sanity. It’s also extremely easy. — Using Create React App to build a new site? Deploying to Heroku? Word of advice. USE THE HEROKU BUILDPACK. It will save you many headaches. It eases forcing HTTPS, compatibility with Google Fetch / Crawl bot, and generally makes your life much easier. For the SSL, add a new file to the root of your project named “satic.json”, inside it put:

Swipe cards are all the rage in mobile UI. In this Platypost we make a swipe card component in React Native using PanResponder and the Animated API. — Tinder really changed the game with it’s card swiping interface. It’s simple, visually appealing, and just plain fun. Perhaps that’s why it’s taken the mobile UI world by storm. These days there is a “Tinder of…” just about everything from Music to Pet Adoption.

We dive into React Navigation and explore how to create apps with tab, stack, drawer navigators, and combinations thereof. — In the last post, we took a look at React Native and created our first app. Today we’re going to go from a single screen to a multi screen application using navigators. What are Navigators? Navigators allow you to define your application’s structure. Through the use of routes and scenes (or in this…

In this post we explain a bit about React Native and how to set up your system to start building mobile apps with it. — What is it? React Native is a code library by the good people of Facebook and Instragram. At the most basic level it allows you to use JavaScript to write mobile apps. Mobile apps with no Objective-C or Java required? …

This is going to be our section to talk about everything trending in web and mobile development/design. — At least everything we find interesting, and get around to writing about. We’re working on a series of tutorials and general commentary on: React Firebase React Native Express and more! Follow us on Twitter to get updated when we publish a new Platypost. Stay tuned for more!