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What Is React Native? The Future of Hybrid Development

React Native is a new module launched by Facebook for the development of cross-platform mobile applications. Creating a native application simply means developing an application for a specific operating system. React Native helps developers reuse part of code in web and mobile projects. One of the best things about React Native is that there are few differences between an application built with Objective-C / Java and an application built with React Native. Android and iOS systems have extremely different code bases. Some companies may have difficulty finding or paying developers for both platforms. But with React Native, a developer can write code for different operating systems.

 

Benefits of React Native

  • The developer community
    Like most mobile app developer's community, the React Native community is full of opportunities and experienced developers. If you're just getting started, you can get quick fixes to common issues, and get new updates to React Native. Various types of documentation and tutorials will also be available to help you.
     
  • Faster development
    The speed of development is often crucial in many projects. Anything that can speed the development of an application is welcome. With React Native, the development time is considerably shorter. This is due to a large number of preformatted elements, which means that many things can be reproduced. With React Native uniting iOS and Android developers, development teams can work together. This can help throughout the process of creating a project.
     
  • Multiplatform development
    This is an interesting possibility, which can help the developer to save time, and save resources.

 

Why is React Native open source?

Excluding altruism, opting for an open source code can be a tricky decision. Keeping your hidden structure can have its advantages, especially when your technology is your business model. But the developer community is loyal to those who work this way. Web developers around the world are quick to point out errors in a code, without charging for it.

Developing open source projects helps keep Facebook, for example. Developers like challenges and like to collaborate. This also benefits Facebook, which has a large number of talented developers to work with. In addition, training time can be saved. If all the developers hired by Facebook already know how to write codes by React Native, they already start on the right foot.

 

Application Development: Is React Native Worth It?

Since its introduction in 2013, React Native has been described by its creators as "a JavaScript library for building user interfaces," which reinvented the concept of interface development. So, what makes React Native so special?

 

  • Fast development
    Using React Native makes the process of developing native mobile applications easier, making this step much faster. Being an open source project, there are a variety of components available, and also a community of dedicated developers, who continue to support React and handle any issues. Statistics have shown that development time decreases by 30% when using open source components.
     
  • Cross-platform flexibility
    Most React Native APIs are cross-platform, which means that at least one component will work on both iOS and Android systems. In certain circumstances, developers need to work on a specific platform, since some design implications are different between operating systems. The platform module can easily detect the operating system on which the application is running, and this can later be used to define platform-specific implementations. React Native can select the correct file automatically, depending on the operating system on which the application is running.
     
  • More efficient native development
    Native application development is often associated with inefficiency, lower productivity, and slower implementation time. React Native native development services address a way to get the speed and agility of web application development, working with a hybrid project, and getting native results. Its simplicity and easy programming methods have led to the evolution of hybrid mobile development.
     
  • Faster and more popular growth among developers
    Understanding React Native is easy, since anyone with a knowledge of JavaScript can easily understand it. This allows any front-end developer can become a mobile developer. A developer does not necessarily have to learn Swift, for iOS, or Java for Android. They just need to be knowledgeable about JavaScript, some native interface elements, some related platform APIs, and design patterns. This is enough. Even though it is relatively new, React Native has been maturing rapidly, and Facebook has begun to invest in its growth.
     
  • Compatibility with third-party elements and less memory usage
    Third-party compatibility means that developers do not need to have a web role for certain functions. For example, if you're integrating the Google Maps features into your app, React Native allows you to plug in the plugin with a native module. Therefore, you need to connect the map to the device's functions, such as zoom and compass, while using less memory and achieving faster loading.
     
  • If the user interface is your concern, React Native is the solution
    The main focus of React Native is on building the user interface. React Native is more focused on UI Design, making it feel more like a JavaScript library than Framework. The developed interface has an efficient and fluid response level due to JavaScript interactions with the native environment, which ensures that the application will have a shorter load time than a common hybrid application.

 

React Native: The Future of Hybrid Development

Hybrid apps are similar to any other apps you find in app stores. With them, you can play, connect to your friends through social networks, take photos, monitor your health and more. Like all other sites, hybrid applications can be developed by combining several different technologies, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. React Native was introduced to the world of hybrid application development when developers discovered the ease associated with their entire development process.

 

Conclusion

To understand React Native, you first need to talk about React. So, in short React can be defined as a Javascript library to build interfaces, and that is exactly what it does: it provides tools and standards for a more agile and quality development.

 

About The Author
Angela Joseph

Angela Joseph is a digital analyst and technical writer. Currently she`s working in Digital Gravity, a team of professional mobile app developers in Dubai and trying to improve herself in the blogging career.

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