Read this blog to get insight into why custom mobile app development companies worldwide are flocking to React Native despite several JavaScript frameworks already existing in the tech market.
It’s no secret that Facebook’s React Native has become a popular trend for building quality, native and powerful mobile applications for iOS and Android. React Native, a Javascript framework, is based on React, which is Facebook’s JavaScript library for building user interfaces for web. React Native has already gained a lot of traction for making it possible to build mobile apps that emulate the performance of native apps. The social media giant open-sourced it in March 2015, and there has been no looking back since then.
7 Factors behind Skyrocketing Popularity of React Native
React Native Covers Two Major Ecosystems
You will agree that developing native apps for two different platforms is a painstaking and tedious task. The fact of the matter is that iOS and Android are two entirely different ecosystems, therefore developing native apps for them is seen as the bane of developers.
In case of iOS app, you need to have a sound knowledge of Swift or Objective-C and Cocoa Touch. Android app development, on the other hand, requires learning of Java and the Android SDK. Apart from that, you need to bear the pain of staying updated with the latest features these two major ecosystems offer time and again. But, it's often said that no problem lasts forever with technology.
How React Native Changes the Game
React Native allows app developers to use the same code for building apps for different platforms. Thus, gets a major drawback covered. Nothing could be better for developers than being able to build apps for cross platforms by learning and using only one set of tools.
Allows to Reuse the Code that is Already Written
Being able to reuse the code that is already written is a big thing in software development. And, React Native brings you that exact ability. Here, I don’t intend to say that React Native is "write once and use every platform". You need to write some fresh code to build a UI that looks and feel native for individual platforms as per their best practices and standards. But the best part is that you can always use some common UI code on both platforms. The advantages are as follows:
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Better efficiency
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Allows to use human resources in much better way
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Reduces time to write code
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Less code to maintain
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Brings down bug issues
Offers Compatibility with Third-Party Plugins
React Native empowers you to integrate third party apps in your app. In simple words, the framework lets you to incorporate the functionality of other native apps of the device in React Native and vice versa. For example, you want to add Google Maps’ functionality to your app. Simply download a third-party plugin offered by React Native and link it to a native module. Well, that’s all! Your app can now use the device’s functions like zoom, rotate, and the compass, without any hassles.
APP UI becomes More Predictable and Easier to Understand
Declarative API in React Native replaces an imperative one, making it easier for users to predict and understand your app UI. An application with different states requires you to monitor all changes in UI and keep on modifying them from time time. But it’s not as easy as it may sound, especially when your application starts growing. It’s called imperative programming in the software world.
However, React Native’s declarative APIs give your worry a ride to the moon, requiring you to only care about the current state of your UI. There’s no burden of keeping a track of states of the older ones either.
Reloading Was Never So Simple
As a matter of fact, developers conduct testing of changes after some code is written. There’s nothing wrong in that, but it requires compilation and installation in either a simulator or a real device. But not with React Native; it rids the need of recompilation of the app every time a change has been made. All that’s required to see changes in the code is to refresh the app in the simulator, emulator, or device. You can also use an amazing feature “Live Reload”, which automatically performs refresh task soon after detecting a change in the code.
React Native is UI-Focussed
Unlike AngularJs and MeteroJS, React Native is more focussed on User Interface (UI). As a result, React Native apps sport a highly responsive interface. Besdies, Javascript interactions between React Native and the Native environment of the device reduce load times and give a smoother feel of your app.
It’s Open Source!
We all know that open source projects often comprise of a large community of contributors, who help in making the project better and better. Likewise, React Native has a very large community of developers working constantly towards feature improvement, bug fixing and helping people to use it at ease. If you are looking forward to build something that is common in mobile apps, there is always a high possibility that it has already been built by React Native members.
I don’t want to overplay the importance of React Native in the development of cross-platform apps. Like other frameworks, React Native has drawbacks too. Nevertheless, the project is still new and efforts are being continuously made to make React Native the best solution for building progessive web apps which are touted to be the future.