Jumping with React Native

Suhas Chitade
Sep 5, 2018 · 2 min read

Question will always arise when building an app for mobile devices whether to go with native app development or a platform which provide some sort of common codebase which can be compiled platform wise and eventually results in platform specific app.

Considering the efforts, developing the native app most of the time results in doubling the cost hence nowadays most of the customers/companies are looking for solution for the common codebase.

React native, Native script and Xamarin are the major technologies which provide almost single codebase and can be compiled to iOS and Android platform. React native and Native script are based on javascript/typescript language on the other hand Xamarin is C# based.

Recently we delivered React native app on Google and Apple store and that’s the reason I decided to share some of the interesting things in react native

1) Everything is Javascript:

I know this must be relief for most of the developers like me where we just need to know one language and that is javascript. However yes this will not escape you in scratching your head in designing your user interfaces and in fact to add more challenge you need to aware of new language based on javascript which JSX, it stand for JavaScript XML and stylesheet objects. However experience in developing UI is interesting.

2) Good availability of components and APIs

React native provides bunch of usable components such as Activity Indicator, Animated, Refresh control for list views apart from basic components and platform specific components.

There are bunch of 3rd party components listed in link below

3) First class support for animations

There is in built support for animations through libraries such as Animated and LayoutAnimation, There are quite a lot 3rd party animations libraries are available.

4) Documentation and support

React-native has got excellent documentation for beginners/intermediators

Many react native tutorials are available for free on YouTube. Cost effective training s are available on udemy.com

5) IDE supports

VS code (code editor from Microsoft) got best extensions for react-native. In addition to these you can try nuclide an editor from facebook, sublime text or Atom. Its really based on your preferences.

You can check showcase on below link which lists apps created using react-native.

Happy coding.

Suhas Chitade

Written by

CTO & Co-Founder, Inceptive Technologies

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