What is the React Native Framework & how does it function?

React Native is one of the most preferred frameworks for cross-platform app development and has been adopted by several industry giants including Facebook, Instagram, Skype Microsoft, Tesla, Shopify, Walmart, and UberEats. This framework was created by the Facebook team to address the limitations of React.js.

The Facebook-developed SDK React was a viable option for building web apps. However, when Facebook adopted a mobile-first strategy, web apps needed to be rendered to the mobile platform. This task was indeed challenging! At first, the Facebook engineers employed HTML5 to render apps on the mobile web, but this strategy failed. Thereafter, they embedded the WebView within a mobile-native container. This approach too wasn’t workable due to the absence of necessary attributes like gestures & touch events, a keyboard API, and image management capacities.

Then, they realized the need to build native apps for delivering an impeccable UX. But, the idea to build Native apps for Android and iOS separately involved roadblocks – an imperative coding process, separate codebases for different platforms, and a slow iteration process as each app’s prototype needed Playstore’s prior approval.

Finally, Facebook conducted an internal hackathon, and React Native, an improved version of React, was coined. The React Native framework was launched in 2015 as the one-stop solution for mobile app development and made open-source in the same year. Let’s explore more about the framework and its functioning!

React Native: An Overview

React Native is a JavaScript-based mobile app development framework that is used for crafting natively-rendered mobile applications for the Android and iOS operating systems. The unique selling point of React Native lies in the fact that developers can build apps for both platforms simultaneously using a single codebase. The framework uses platform-specific modules and APIs by compiling the JS code to native components. So, the React Native developers can use native components like Text, View, and Images as building blocks for creating new components.

How does React Native differ from React?

React Native is based on React for the web, the Facebook-developed JS library used for developing UIs. But, while React targets the browser, React Native targets mobile app platforms. As such, mobile app developers enjoy the convenience of using a known JavaScript library for creating mobile apps with a native-like look and feel.

React Native uses Text primitive in place of span primitive used for the web. This Text results in a native TextView for Android apps and a native iOS UIView for iOS apps. For this reason, despite using JavaScript for app development, the end application is not a web app embedded within the shell of a mobile app, rather it is a mobile app which is real native.

React Native apps are created using JSX, a combination of JavaScript and XML-esque markup, just like React apps. The difference is that React Native uses a “bridge” under the hood for invoking native-rendering APIs. Here, Objective-C/Swift APIs are used for rendering UI components on iOS apps while Java/Kotlin APIs are used in the case of Android apps. Simply put, the bridge translates JS code into platform-specific components. As a result, the app renders real mobile UI components instead of web views; imparting the look and feel of a mobile app. Moreover, React Native exposes the JS interfaces for the platform APIs; this enables apps to access smartphone device features like a user’s current location, camera, etc.

How do React Native Apps function?

A React Native app is segregated into three different parts –native code, JavaScript code, and the bridge. The bridge interprets JS code for executing it in native platforms and enables asynchronous communication between Native elements and the JS code.

Significant threads involved in the functioning of a React Native application

Main (Native) thread: The main thread, also called the Native thread, is used for UI rendering in iOS and Android applications. It manages the task of displaying UI elements and processes users’ gestures.

JavaScript thread: The JS thread basically deals with the app’s business logic and defines the structure as well as the UI functions. The functions of the JS thread include executing the JS code within a separate JS engine, making API calls, processing touch events, etc.

Shadow thread (Shadow Tree): This thread generates shadow nodes and acts as a mathematical engine that uses algorithms to transform layout updates into accurate data and UI events into the correctly serialized payload.

Native module thread: Whenever an application requires access to the platform API, the process takes place in the native module thread.

Customs Native Module thread: Such threads are used for accelerating an app’s performance when custom modules are used. For instance, React Native handles animations using a separate native thread so that this task is offloaded from the JS thread.

Out of the aforesaid threads, the most important threads that help a React Native app to function are the Native thread and the JS thread. Interestingly, there is no direct communication between these two threads and so, they do not block each other.

Functioning of a React Native App: Crucial Steps

Check out how a React Native app works!

Step # 1

When an app launches, the Native thread loads the app and spawns the JavaScript thread for executing the JS code. The Native thread hears UI events such as touch, press, etc., and passes on these events to the JS thread through the React Native bridge.

Step # 2

JavaScript loads and the JS thread sends information to the shadow thread on what has to be rendered on the screen. The shadow thread then calculates layouts using algorithms and decides on how the view positions should be computed. The shadow thread then passes on the layout parameters to the main thread for rendering the view. )

Step # 3

The Main thread collects UI events and sends them to the shadow thread. Events are converted into serialized payloads and sent to the JS thread.

Step # 4

The JavaScript thread now processes the payloads and then updates the UI or calls native methods.

Step # 2, step # 3, and step # 4 get repeated continually every time JavaScript’s event loop is iterated.

After every event loop in the JS thread gets completed, the native side receives batched updates to native views; these are then executed in the Native thread. Remember, the batched updates should be sent by the JS thread to the Native thread before the deadline for the rendering of the next frame, to keep up the app performance. A slow JS thread due to complicated processing in the JS event loop hampers the UI. The only exception wherein a slow JS thread doesn’t affect performance is in scenarios when native views take place entirely in the Native thread.

How does the React Native Bridge ensure smooth interaction amongst the threads?

The React Native Bridge allows asynchronous communication between the threads so that one thread doesn’t block the other. Moreover, the messages are batched – messages are transferred between threads in an optimized way. Furthermore, the bridge serializes messages so that two threads cannot share the same data or operate using the same data.

How to set up the React Native App Development Environment?

Here’s how to set up the environment to create a React Native app with the help of Expo.

• Install Node.js, get Expo’s command-line tool, and then put the command npm install Expo-cli –global. Once the Expo cli tool gets installed type expo init todo-app.
• Now a screen will be displayed and you need to select the option “blank” for a blank app. Include the workflow features of Expo as well. Then, enter your app’s name, press enter, and continue the setting-up process.
• Navigate to the new project created for starting the app with the command npm start and for stopping the app you need to press Cntrl + C. The developers’ server will run and a new tab having the Expo manager screen gets opened in the web browser.

The app can be previewed by either running it on an Android emulator or by installing the Expo app on your mobile phone and running the app on the device by scanning the QR code. Thereafter, you need to install a text editor like Atom, Sublime, Visual Studio Code, etc. Now you’ve got all the necessary tools to create a React Native app.

Final Verdict:

React Native is a profitable option to pick if you need to build a mobile app that targets Android as well as the iOS operating systems. Cross-platform development with React Native speeds up your development and reduces development costs. Hence, this framework is best for entrepreneurs who intend to build a quick app prototype for validating the app idea.

Need technical assistance and expert guidance on React Native app development? Contact Biz4Solutions, a highly experienced React Native development company in USA and India , offering world-class services to clients across the globe.

Significant Differences between Creating Android and iOS Apps with React Native!

 The number of iOS and Android apps being developed and downloaded is exponentially rising every year and there is no sign of its slowdown. So, countless businesses have started developing outstanding apps to serve users and gain enormous profits. If you too want to build an iOS and an Android app for your project and bring them to the market faster while being cost-efficient, React Native App development is the best approach. It offers multiple benefits like the below:

• Cross-platform functionality
• Speedier development
• Time efficiency due to code reusability
•  Faster time-to-market
•  Performance similar to Native apps

However, there are some noteworthy differences in the development, features, testing, release process, etc. of both platforms. In this article, we have outlined those differences which will be quite helpful to the React Native developers. So, let’s analyze them.

Differences between Android and iOS that are observed while developing the React Native apps:

Tools Required for Development and Testing

Android:

For creating Android applications using React Native, the toolset that is required includes- Android Studio, Java Development Kit (JDK), Android SDK, and related configuration. Also, Android applications can only be tested using this official tool- Android Studio. Though there are some more tools available, they aren’t official and are limited in numbers.

iOS:

For creating iOS apps using React Native, Xcode is required. Xcode installs the essential tools and the iOS simulator and thus helps in iOS app development. Additionally, MacOS is also required to work with Xcode.

When it comes to testing the iOS apps, you won’t find any official operating tool. Some other tools are available, however, since they aren’t developed or approved by Apple, they aren’t considered much reliable.

Native Components or Elements

React Native developers will experience that several components or elements will appear differently on iOS and Android for the same app. This is so because the React Native framework translates the components into the respective native component for any specific platform. As a result, these cross-platform differences will always persist. To consider an example, there is a date picker component. This component appears differently in an iOS simulator and an Android emulator.

Platform-specific Style Elements

The React Native framework supports styling depending on the particular platform, so the styles that are employed in Android and iOS apps look different in both. For instance, let us consider the shadows feature. This feature will be visible in iOS apps but in Android, it won’t be visible, as Android doesn’t support this shadow element in React Native. Here, the developers will need to use the elevation property.

Linking Third-party Libraries

If you want to integrate React Native third-party libraries in your Android or iOS app, there are some differences between both these platforms that need to be considered. Though auto-linking can be used for adding native dependencies to most of the projects, but at times, manual intervention is required for linking these libraries. For doing this, the React Native developers need to have good knowledge of coding with Java and Objective-C. Usually, these libraries have strong documentation, but in some cases, there is no proper documentation available, causing issues while app development.

Differences in OS Designs

React Native may be used for faster and easier development of cross-platform applications, but, it does not allow complete code reuse in Android and iOS apps. Variations in the design structure of Android and iOS systems are somewhat responsible for this. For instance, iOS apps are very minimalistic, on the other hand, Android apps have extravagant design patterns. So, the React Native developersmust be aware of this and they should ensure that the apps are well-designed to suit the respective operating systems they are developed in.

Release Process

Android: The Android apps have to be released on Google Play and the release process for Android apps is pretty straightforward and easier.

iOS: If compared with Android, the release process for iOS apps is quite stringent. Security is of the utmost importance when it comes to iOS. Hence, App store guidelines are stricter and their review process is critical. So, before releasing the app, test the apps thoroughly to meet all the guidelines for the App Store, and get it approved.

Wrap-up:

We have seen the major variations in the Android app development and iOS app development process using React Native. Most of these differences are related to app appearance, tooling, styling, etc. Knowledge of these variations is a plus for a React Native developer.  So the inference we can draw from the above information is that only about 10 to 15% of the code needs to be written separately for both the platforms, the rest of the features can be handled using a single codebase.

If you are looking for the creation of top-grade React Native apps in Android and iOS, get in touch with Biz4Solutions. We are a promising React Native app development company and have a track record of developing modern-day applications for diverse business domains. We have 9+ years of experience in serving global clients and helping them achieve their goals through our React Native development services. Reach out to us at sales.enquiry@biz4solutions.com

To know more about our other core technologies, refer to links below:

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Ionic App Development Company

 

Ultimate React Native Component Libraries for Building Mobile Apps!

In recent times, the React Native framework has become the most talked-about mobile application framework. React Native UI libraries that this framework offers expedites the development cycle to a great extent as they include many components that the app can readily use. These are tried and tested by several React Native development companies and have been the favorite of developers across the globe, thereby resulting in worldwide adoption across various development communities.

This blog outlines the most commonly used React Native component libraries. Do try them for your next app development project. Let’s run through them.

The Best React Native UI Libraries to consider in 2020

React Native Elements

Being one of the most popular and easiest component libraries, ‘React Native Elements’ is known for providing a consistent look and feel to the apps. It is coded with native JavaScript. It does not follow an opinionated design system but provides a basic structure with its in-built components, making it a highly customizable cross-platform UI.

The packages from this library include several easy-to-use components like a badge, pricing, divider, overlay, platform-specific search bars, etc. Modifying or updating these components is easy because the props for all these components are present at one central location. In this library, the amount of boilerplate code to be written is comparatively reduced, as react native elements is based more on component structure than the actual design.

React Native Mapview

React Native Map view provides map components for both iOS and Android platforms. The map style can be customized in several ways. The React Native developers can change the tracking location or the map view position, and also make anypoints clickable on Google Maps as desired. The zooming feature can be enabled to the specific coordinates or markers or it can be even animated. Markers can be dragged too on the map. The kit provides a wide range of component APIslikeMapView, Callout, Marker, Polyline, Polygon, Overlay, Circle, etc.

React Native Vector Icons

This is an extremely useful library that contains a rich set of 3,000+pre-made icons. These vector icons can be easily customized, extended, or styled to serve the needs of varying projects. It is being widely used in mobile apps as well as by other libraries like React Native Paper. It supports NavBar, ToolbarAndroid, TabBar, etc. with image sourcing and multi-styling fonts. This library is apt for logos, buttons, etc.

React Redux

Redux is a library that is standalone and can be used with any framework or UI like Ember, Vue, Angular, React, to name a few. React and Redux can be used independently or in combination. React Redux is made to work with the component model of React. If you outline how to get the values your components require from Redux, your component gets them as props. It creates a component which is a wrapper that manages the interaction logic with the store, so that it need not be written separately. It implements automatically complex optimizations from a performance perspective. If Redux is being used with UI Framework, one needs to use the “UI binding” library to connect Redux with the UI framework. React Redux is widely used to store and pass data.

React-Native-Reanimated

This library provides the API that makes the process of creating powerful animations very simple and easy. It gives a low-level abstraction to the animated library API which permits flexibility for interactions based on gestures and animations. Because of its declarative approach, it serializes the interaction in JavaScript and has the ability to recreate it in native iOS and Android.

React Native Firebase

This is the formally recommended collection of packages that enables React Native support to all the Firebase services for both iOS and Android. Firebase is a Backend as a service that provides great advantage to build mobile applications with React Native. React Native Developers with Firebase as backend, can build MVP as it keeps the application cost very low and application prototyping is also very fast.

React-Native-Event-Listeners

An event listener is a call back function that is called when an event object is created. This React Native Event Listener library allows the React Native Developers to add and manage the event listeners in React Native code. Event handling in React is more like inline JavaScript of previous years. React Native Elements can alternatively use event handling properties to respond to user inputs.

Additional Libraries

Other important libraries being used in React Native are React-Native-SVG (to load SVG files, React-Native-Twilio-Video-Webrtc(for video calling), React-Native-photo-editor, React-Native-localize (for multiple languages supports), etc.

Final Words:

These are some of the finest React Native UI libraries handpicked for you. Even beginners can easily start working on them. The motive of these libraries is to accelerate your development process. These will help you build outstanding robust apps for versatile projects.

Have you used any of these libraries in your projects? Please feel free to comment about your experience and any hurdles you face.

For any other queries, drop us a line at sales.enquiry@biz4solutions.com!

Why prefer React Native for Building a Mobile App for your Business?

If you have a unique idea for a mobile app and want to reach a wider audience in one go, then cross-platform app development could be a great alternative instead of native app development. It is comparatively a time-saving and cost-effective solution. The next question that comes in the picture is which framework to choose for mobile app development! Amongst several frameworks available in the market, React Native is one of the most preferred choices of the developers, entrepreneurs as well as app development companies.

This article covers React Native mobile app developmentand its advantages in brief.

A Brief Introduction to React Native App Development

React Native is a leading cross-platform app development framework developed by Jordan Walke, a software engineer at Facebook. He developed this framework for simple development and ensuring a better user experience in the apps. It is an open-source framework that allows creating mobile apps only with Javascript. This framework is used for building powerful native-like apps which don’t differ from the apps developed in Objective-C, Java, Swift, etc.

There are many big players in the business world that have used React Native mobile app development in their projects. A few of them are UberEats, Skype, Delivery.com, Instagram, Facebook, Vogue, Facebook, Bloomberg,Tesla, etc.

Top Reasons to select React NativeFramework

Rapid development and cost-effectiveness-React Native app development allows code re-usability i.e. the same code is used for both platforms- Android and iOS. This makes the job of developers quite easier. They don’t need to write separate code for different platforms as almost 90% of the code can be re-used. This accelerates the speed of the project and also reduces the cost of development to a great extent.

 Community Support-React Native has the support of community experts for any issue. Developers share their experience online and also, there is documentation related to React Native open for everyone in the community. Along with the GitHub community, it has the active support of Facebook. The Facebook team also works on the improvement of this framework and keeps innovating new features, libraries, etc. in it. Also, companies like Microsoft, Software Mansion, Infinite Red, Callstack, etc. have contributed their bit to this framework. Many of the components and libraries in React Native are built by community developers on sites like Native Directory and JS.coach.

Third-party plugin support- Usually, third-party plugins are not that secure to be used and so, the developers face difficulties while using them. However, React Native is a very flexible framework and allows using third-party plugins with ease. There are pragmatic interfaces in this framework that have customization options.
Simpler user-interface-React Native is more like a JavaScript library which has a simplified user interface. The user interfaces designed in React Native have lesser loading time, they are more responsive and the apps built in it have a smoother feel.

Declarative coding style-The declarative coding style in React Native makes the development understandable and flexible for the developers. It streamlines the development process. The code is easier to read and understand, simply by looking at it.

Modular architecture-React Native has a modular architecture which lets the developers segregate the functions of the program into several blocks called modules. These modules are free and interchangeable. This architecture helps to make the programming more flexible. Also, it becomes easier to upgrade apps quickly. The modules can even be reused for mobile and web APIs.

Plenty of Tools and Libraries–React Native Developers get abundant advantages in development because of the tools and libraries like NPMs, Github forks and other third party platforms. These tools provide libraries for integrating maps, standard UI controls, etc

Wrap-up:

React Native is a futuristic framework meant for cross-platform mobile app development. It is clear from the above-mentioned benefits that why so many businesses prefer to React Native app development services for their projects. It is constantly evolving and saves a lot of time and money for developers. It may not be the perfect solution for every app idea, yet it is one of the highly preferred frameworks in the development world.

Do you want to create a native-like, customizable and feature-rich mobile app for your business?Biz4Solutions is a leading React Native mobile app development company providing cutting-edge services to clients across the world. Our goal is to provide best-in-class mobile apps to our clients and ensure 100% client satisfaction. Hire experienced and talented React Native app developers now! Contact us at www.biz4solutions.com.

When should you choose React Native for your mobile application?

 

React Native is a popular cross-platform app development framework and its scope is growing at a fast pace. It is an open-source framework used for developing powerful native-like apps. With this framework, developing mobile apps is quite faster and cost-effective. React Native mobile app development allows using the same code for both- iOS and Android platforms which saves time and efforts of the developers. So, this framework is like a blessing for start-ups, small and mid-sized companies who have tight budgets. They can reach a wider market in one go using React Native app development solutions. This framework is already a favorite choice of many successful names in the mobile industry. Bloomberg, Facebook manager, Myntra, UberEats, Instagram, Tesla, Pinterest, and a lot more have turned towards this framework for iOS and Android apps.

In the following article, we will know about the benefits of React Native and when should the companies prefer it for mobile app development.

Key Benefits React Native

• Reusability of native components like GPS, camera, maps, etc. to provide a Native UX feeling to the apps.
• Allows to build mobile application using only Javascript.
• A plethora of ready-made solutions and libraries
• Simplified and platform-specific UI/UX
• Changes are implemented as soon as the code is saved
• Responsive mobile apps having lower loading times
• Enhanced security and reliability
• Faster development, so faster time-to-market
• Strong community support by Facebook
• Works well while used in combination with other frameworks
• Declarative coding style to simplify the coding process
• Third-party plugin support- native modules and JavaScript modules

With so many benefits, React Native stands to be a promising solution for cross-platform app development.

When to Choose React Native for Mobile App Development

If one has to develop an app faster, React Native allows the development of MVP version of applications and brings the basic product in the market at the earliest. It not only grabs the investors’ attention quickly but also gives a rough idea about the success or failure of the app. The app owners can know in a short amount of time, whether the target audience likes the app or whether advanced features needs to be added to make it more competitive.

This is an open source framework hence anyone can use it. It makes use of native UI elements thereby giving the apps a native look and feel. It uses high-level programming language- JavaScript which reduces the chances of errors and ensures high security in the apps. So, for all scales of mobile apps, React Native is a good choice. However, it suits more to the applications that need a more sophisticated server for its computation process.

As an open-source platform, React Native has plenty of documentation available for free. Anyone in the community can use it and even share the experience with anyone in the community. So, for any doubts and queries as well, the developers can connect with the community. As a result, React Native mobile app development becomes easier and the chances of the app failure are rare. Start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, and even giants can benefit profoundly from this framework.

Wrap-up:

React Native is a remarkable framework, especially for cross-platform app development. It is still growing and making advances to deliver better. It has a futuristic and flexible approach for app development projects. Hopefully, this article may have helped you to know when you should prefer this framework and solved all related queries.

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Contact us to know more!