Built as a part of a hackathon session project, React Native was the solution developers came with for creating Native UI elements through JavaScript. And only within less than a decade, React Native development services have become the most chosen app development approach.
On the back of its fast performance, synchronous API, and smooth development, React Native is being used by enterprises and startups of all sizes and sectors. But, is the framework still relevant in 2022? Should mobile app development companies pitch it to their clients as a reliable tech stack?
Our answer is a resounding yes. Let us tell you why through this article.
What is React Native?
It is a JavaScript framework used for creating apps for iOS and Android simultaneously. Based on React, the framework enables developers to create one code and then use it between multiple platforms. The fact that the framework includes native rendering APIs in Java or Objective-C, makes the software appear like a native mobile application instead of a review.
The framework is extremely easy to work around even for new developers. It comes with error messages and developer tools integrated within the system, eliminating the dependency on working with Xcode in iOS app development and Android Studio for building Android applications.
How does React Native app development work?
React Native framework enables the developers to build apps using JavaScript code and the native platform by building a bridge between the target platform and the app. When the JavaScript runs a native code, the bridge system uses the React library and then transfers the component in a mobile view.
This way, if any action is taken by users, React Native turns it into an event that JavaScript can manage and then change the native elements in components which React can understand.
The benefits of choosing React Native
The rise in the popularity of React Native is undoubtedly high. And for good reasons. There are a number of different benefits that the framework comes with for both developers and businesses.
Let us get to them.
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High performance
The number one reason why businesses hire React Native developers is because of the high-performance guarantee. The framework uses GPU which promises high performance and speed. The facilities that it comes with bring it to an equal level of performance compared to native applications.
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Time-saving
React Native comes with multiple ready-to-use components, thus eliminating the need of building everything from scratch. Moreover, since it uses a single codebase, the developers don’t have to work on platform-specific codes and designs. This, in turn, saves the testing and debugging time as well.
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Personalized UX
React Native was built with the capability to segregate native, framework, stylin, and JavaScript code. This enables the developers to build different app styles right from the server-end. The result of this is every user is able to see a platform-specific UX, making it difficult to differentiate whether the app is React Native or completely native.
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Multi-platform development
Another business-specific benefit of React Native can be seen in how the framework offers cross-platform development. Using a single codebase, the developers are able to build the app for Android, iOS, Windows, and a range of other operating systems. The same is for the platforms, which range from phones to tablets, and even desktops.
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Cost-saving
There are a number of ways React Ntaaive brings the cost of mobile app development down. First is through the limited resources’ dependency right from developers to the toolset. Second through the lowered development and testing time, and Third is through multi-platform deployment with the same source code.
All these benefits together make it worth your while to add React Native to your 2022 technology stack. However, if you are worried about if some brand is even using the framework, but the fear to rest.
A number of industry giants are using the framework as their technology stack. Some of the most pivotal ones of them are – Facebook, Adidas, Walmart, Tesla, Pinterest, etc.
Which apps can you build from React Native?
React Native, as we covered above, is an essential part of a number of businesses that are their industry’s leaders. The same is true for startups as well. However, we are sure you must be wondering, is React native a good choice for every application type, or are there any apps that are more suited for the framework compared to others?
Here’s the answer.
There are some categories that popularly use React Native framework. They are:
- LMS
- On-demand apps
- Social networks
- Transportation
- Entertainment
- Travel
- Healthcare
- Banking
I am sure you must have caught up with where we are going with this. The truth is React Native can be an ideal choice for every industry. The only catch is that you should partner with the right team of developers.
However, as we near the end of the article, let’s be honest. There are reasons why businesses still choose native over cross-platform when it comes to building high complexity, concurrency applications. Here is what those reasons are.
Drawbacks of React Native app development
Even though React Native is close to becoming the most trusted and native-like framework, there are some issues that remain.
- Absence of every iOS and Android feature – Although React Native enables developers to build multi-platform apps, it lacks features that would be used for developing a truly native application. There is still a lack of some modules and features that the developers have to build from scratch.
- Lower performance in comparison to native – Built on JavaScript, the framework takes on the sluggish performance that JavaScript is famous for. Thus, a great amount of optimization would be needed when building a high-performance react native application.
So here was everything you need to know about adding React Native as a part of your tech stack in 2022. Now, while there are some obvious areas of improvement, if we compare the framework as an alternative to native, no other cross-platform framework compares to it.
We hope you got what you were looking for to make the decision.