Is React Native A Healthy Investment For Mobile App Development?

Written by Martin | Published 2019/06/24
Tech Story Tags: react-native | mobile-apps | mobile | startup | mobile-app-development

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2019 is already on its way. So, it’s a great time to have an insight into the latest trends in mobile app development. As you might know, the mobile application development market has remade everything from your day to day schedule to the way you communicate. Right from booking cabs to ordering food, mobile has been a tried and tested boon to people. As per the Statista report, the number of smartphone users is going to touch 4 Million by 2020, a significant shift from desktop to mobile.

Today, in the mobile app development era, hybrid applications are the unfolding resolution for developers and clientele. Notably, the ones who look for high performance and faster deployment at the same time and now succeeding in the new technology, React Native. React Native, is a hybrid application framework introduced by Facebook in 2013 that allows developers to develop applications at a much faster pace with the help of JavaScript. This technology lets you reuse the codes across different mobile platforms to deliver faster and better applications with minimum finances and time.

As described by the technology creators, the JavaScript for user interface has rewritten the entire concept of interface development. So, “Why Use React Native Technology For Mobile App Development?”. What makes it the right choice and why react native developers are so after sought? And foremostly, is it worth to develop mobile applications?

Let’s examine a few features of react native that will help you ship across different platforms and that too without compromising user experience:

Short Development Period

The React Native mobile application development technology speeds the process of developing reliable yet better apps. Being considered as an open source project, it inculcates many components that are easily available and on the same count have an experts team to overcome any issues and support React. Statistics have been a prove to witness a gradual decrease in development time by 30% while working with this technology. Adding on, the application time can be decreased radically by working on Redux, a state-of-art management tool.

A Vibrant Ecosystem

Mostly, React Native for mobile application development codes are simple JavaScript gaining most of the improvements in the language and it’s respective eco-system. Due to it’s analytic nature, only certain libraries are perfect to use. Regardless, React Native developer are having an easy and comfortable time while developing apps on reactive native platform.

Across Platform Flexibility

For better knowledge, mostly React API’s are cross-platform oriented, which probably means at least their one component supports with IOS or Android. In rare chances, developers need to pay attention while selecting platform taking in considerations the design, especially for Android or IOS. Amid these scenarios, React Native technology provides module and platform supporting file extensions. These platforms can easily detect the Operating System on which the applications are running, saving the knowledge for further platform oriented implementations. Being platform specific file extension, it allows the developer to define the particular files for specified functions. Thus, React can pick up the right file depending upon the OS on which the application is running successfully.

A Better Native Application Development

Native app development is usually associated with a slower and less productive deployment time, accompanied by a lack of efficiency. Whereas, React Native mobile app development is all about speed and efficiency combining with hybrid space and native results.

As an addition, Facebook’s React JS UI library for web applications comes under the same sheath of React Native’s Hood. This technology makes React JS’s applications performance and also abstractions better than ever. It’s easy to understand programming language have laid the stepping stones to the evolution of hybrid mobile application development.

A Better Choice Among Developers

Getting comprehensive knowledge of React Native Technology is as easy as any person who is aware of JavaScript. React Native initially allows any front-end developer to turn in a proficient mobile — application developer. Nonetheless, a developer doesn’t need any specified training like IOS’s Swift or Java for Android; and they need to have a rough sketch of JavaScript, a little knowledge of Native UI elements, some API related platforms and lastly, design patterns.

Though React Native is a new term, it is, proliferating and Facebook has already started investing in its expansion.

Third Party Compatibility

What do you understand on hearing “Third Party Compatibility”?

Third-party compatibility means developers necessarily not rely on to web view for specific functions. Let’s consider, if you are trying to inculcate Google maps functionality on your applications, React Native technology will let you link the plugin with a specified module. Therefore, making it essential to connect the map with some device’s functions like zoom, rotate, and maintaining the periphery to use less memory and load effectively and faster.

React Native Is The Best Solution For User Interface

The main focus of React Native Mobile Application Development is to build an impeccable mobile user interface. This particular technology is more inclined towards JavaScript library rather than a framework. The outcome user interface has a highly responding time and flexibility due to the asynchronous JavaScript interactions with the natural environment, that enables the app to have shorter loading time in comparison to typical hybrid apps.

Instant Live Updates

Had it took quite long to get your app approved by Apple store?

When once you have waited for the approval, it gets really complicated to expect every time you made some update in the application. Thus, React Native is the answer. Developing mobile applications using React Native technology allows you to release updates even without going to the store now and then. Having authority to its JavaScript, the whole process of updating the apps gets simple and streamline.

Zero Rewriting

The React Native specific library proffers React Native mobile app development company to include the fundamental components in the current mobile application code. It is more of a relaxed approach to React Native developers not to write a specific code from scratch. This approach makes it possible for existing mobile applications to switch to the react native library easily.

But, before you start reaping the benefits of React Native, it is important to get an outlook of technology imperatives:

  • React Native uses a complete set of for example <Image>, <View>, <ScrollView>, <TextInput>, <FlatList> components to sketch them to their natives iOS and Android counterparts. Even, some third-party components are available for download from NPM.
  • There is no DOM(Document Object Model). Every text needs to put inside the <TEXT> tag, and whereas if something is to be clickable it’s mandatory to be inside <TOUCHABLE OPACITY> tag.
  • From anything to something, if you want scrollable on your page, it is essential to be put inside the tag <SCROLLVIEW>. Anything outside this periphery would be counted as fixed on the viewport.
  • Similarly, for styling, the component React Native uses STYLE SHEETS. It is the same as to CSS style sheets used in web except.
  • Even, it has one code base for both platforms, i.e. iOS and Android. Its behaviour can be customized following the requirement for components. Especially for that, it can detect the platform by using platform.os.
  • Keep in mind to use onPress rather than onClick for every click events.
  • To add customized font, you need to create an asset folder and point NPM to assets/fonts in the mentioned root folder. Further to this, the address of assets discloses to NPM.
  • Out of the box, but Nestled scrolling does not work on Android platforms. “scrollview” children are dependent on “scrollview” parents to pass the touch event to child. Whereas, the parent is configured with a specific “mTouchSlop” which is the reason to absorb drags beyond that slop. While the slop appears to be set low, it often prioritizes scrolling in the outer scrollview simultaneously making it difficult to scroll inside.

In The End..

Getting started with budding brands to multi-million dollar companies, every trade is deploying React Native mobile application development technology to streamline their development process and becoming the reason for their progress.

Thereby, when you use and compare React Native Technology with other JavaScript frameworks, you will comprehend to React Native for an unforgettable UI experience. The amalgamation of the native environment with Hybrid space makes the mobile app development process an enthralling existence.

<a href="https://medium.com/media/3c851dac986ab6dbb2d1aaa91205a8eb/href">https://medium.com/media/3c851dac986ab6dbb2d1aaa91205a8eb/href</a>


Written by Martin | Tech Lead and Technical Content Writer @xicom.biz. Tech Geek, Passionate Writer, Business Consultant
Published by HackerNoon on 2019/06/24