Mobile phones these days have become a ubiquitous device for everyone. Although there are various mobile platforms to choose from, Android and iOS are the most popular and successful ones. In order to develop apps for different platforms, mobile developers need to learn the tools and technologies unique to each platform.
The most interesting part is, although both applications have a similar layout and logic, the User Interface components of each platform differs and it requires developing the applications in two different languages. This is a gruesome process as it not only consumes a lot of time but also two different sets of knowledge and skill set are required for this.
Many have attempted to create techniques, services, or frameworks for resolving this problem, but failed to achieve the objective. Hybrid apps are not able to render a native feeling of the applications. There are other limitations as well.
Downsides of HTML5 Hybrid Mobile App
- Limited UI experience
- Not all code can be shared
- Slower performance
- Dependency on web-browser’s speed
- Dependency on the framework or plug-in support
The Rise of React Native App Development
Limitations of hybrid app development platforms have ushered in cross-platform development, more specifically, the rise of React Native app development. The platform resolves almost all the aforementioned challenges and promises a solution that enables developers to use the same tools and technologies across different platforms and build React Native apps.
History of React Native
In 2012, Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of Facebook expressed a deep regret by saying, “The biggest mistake we made as a company was betting too much on HTML5 as opposed to native”. According to his promise, the company introduced the new framework React Native at the React.js conference in 2015.
Ever since its launch, React Native framework have gained massive popularity and revolutionized the way mobile applications are created. During the initial stages of the release, companies were able to build React Native app only for the iOS platform but gradually Facebook has extended support for Android as well. Now React Native is an open-source platform and there is a large community, which contributes to improve the framework.
What Is React Native?
Based on React, JavaScript library of Facebook, React Native is a framework for mobile app development for iOS and Android. Unlike hybrid platforms, which target the browser, React Native app development targets mobile platforms.
Web developers can use this revolutionary platform to write mobile applications that render the look and feel of “native” from the comfort of a JavaScript library. The code could also be shared between platforms, making it easier to develop mobile apps for both Android and iOS at one go.
The Core of React Native
The abstraction layer of React Native is known as the “bridge”. This bridge empowers React Native to call upon the rendering APIs in Java for Android platform and Objective-C for iOS. React Native framework also exposes the interface of JavaScript so that the application could access platform-specific features like the battery or the location.
The platform is based on three main threads:
- The shadow queue – the layout is handled in this thread
- The main thread – the UI rendering is performed
- The JavaScript thread – the scripts are running in this thread
Each of these threads handles different events in the application. Some of the notable features of React Native are as follows:
- Support for asynchronous execution of operations between the JavaScript code and the native platform
- Permits threading in the native modules
- Handles screen interaction by implementing a system – abstract Touchable and Touchable Highlight implementation
- Uses JSX to create and style components without complicating the structure or code
Advantages of React Native App Development
There are innumerable benefits of building React Native apps. Unlike the traditional methods of mobile app development, React Native does not mimic native UI elements by using combinations of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. On the contrary, it translates the markup to real, native UI elements, and delivers high performance without sacrificing capability.
Developers can build mobile apps in line with the performance and look and feel of a native application, by using previous experience, familiar tools, and cross-platform development potential. Some of the notable advantages of React Native app development are:
- Leveraging the most popular cross-platform framework
- Reduction in development cost
- Faster time to market
- Future-ready technology
- State-of-the-art user experience
- Massive community support
Conclusion
React Native framework enables enterprises to build robust mobile apps and deliver improved customer experience. Large enterprises such as Facebook, Instagram, F8, Airbnb, Skype, Tesla, and WalMart have already adopted this platform and achieved new heights. You may also hire React Native mobile app developers India for faster app development, and efficient code sharing without sacrificing the quality and UX.
Meeting and exceeding customer expectation in this evolving business ecosystem is the biggest challenges to every business these days. Resolving this challenge with the traditional approach is futile. Time has come to embrace cross-platform app development and satisfy the need of your mobile-savvy customers. Moreover, tried and tested React Native app development approach is certainly a game-changer in this realm.
