Can React-Native Take Over?

The endless battle between iPhone and Android users will likely never come to an end, making the need for developers who can work with both platforms all the more valuable. However, just because there is a clear split between the two types of users, is it necessary for there to be a divide in developers as well? React-Native aims to bridge the gap between Android and iOS by making it simple for developers to create apps for both simultaneously by using Javascript.

This is great news for web developers, as it makes creating a mobile app very similar to creating a web app. Those already familiar with Facebook’s React framework will feel right at home using React-Native, as the structure and much of the language is the same. While it will certainly be the tool of choice for Javascript developers, will React-Native be able to become the framework of choice for mobile app developers.

React-Native began as an open source project a little over 2 years ago. Since then, it has been rapidly growing with new libraries and modules being created all the time. There is a good chance that if you want some sort of feature to be included in your app, somebody has already developed it and made it available to you. When I began working with React-Native, I found many useful resources, from Google Maps integration to a handy module for retrieving photos from a user’s camera roll.

The most important benefit of React-Native is that for many, you don’t need to learn anything new. People who are already familiar with React will have no trouble jumping into React-Native. I believe that as React’s popularity continues to grow and companies begin to see React as a viable alternative to Angular, React-Native’s growth will increase as well. The main hinderance of React-Native’s growth is that there is very little reason to use it if you are not already familiar with React. However, this problem should be lessened in the future, as more developers will begin to use React, and thus will likely consider using React-Native for their mobile development needs.

With this said, I do not think React-Native will ever take over as the primary option for mobile app developers. I believe this because it seems nearly impossible for React-Native’s growth to grow beyond React’s. Even though React has gained increased popularity, it will never be able to totally take over. Angular has remained a staple of the software engineering world and shows no signs of disappearing. In addition, Vue is becoming increasingly popular, providing more competition for React. However, I think React-Native’s open source nature will allow it to continually improve and it will likely grow to become a viable option for mobile app developers.