Why is React Native a good alternative to a traditional mobile application?

React Active has been attracting developers’ attention since its very beginning. The perspective of writing for multiple platforms at the same time and learning React language is attractive for beginners or those trying to acquire competences in new software. The application can be created on any platform – iOS, Android or even Windows. However, the disadvantages of React Native should also be borne in mind.

What is React Native?

React Native is a framework prepared by Facebook. You can create native applications based on JavaScript. It is based on the REACT project, thanks to which it allows creating rich UI (User Interface) from declarative components. The same code will be usable on all platforms, without major modifications.

In addition, it is possible to use the same code for mobile applications and browsers by properly separating the logic from the UI. React Native has the potential to copy entire ready-made code bases between platforms, but it’s too early to rely on this feature. This framework also has the option of immediate reloading, instead of recompilation, which significantly speeds up application development.

Why React Native?

React Native creates high-level declarative APIs for native applications. Each UI element in the framework corresponds to a UI element in the target platform. Thanks to this there is a high probability that a large part of your code will fit on another platform without additional configuration.

Initially, React Native was only available for iOS, but now other operating systems such as Android, React Native Web, VR, Windows 10 have joined the group, including desktops, tablets and Xbox.

In addition, if there is no need to write custom-made modules for a specific platform, the programmer is able to create a high-quality application using only JavaScript. It uses a fragment of resources that would be needed to create an application on a dedicated platform.

Difficulties in working with React Native

Starting programming with React Native can be a deterrent due to its complexity. There are a few things to consider at the very beginning. Is the functionality you need available in React Native? Has the library you intend to use been created for use on a specific platform?

The creator of the framework anticipated these obstacles and created the Native Modules tool. In many cases, a package manager is ready that solves the problem of missing the required library. The React Native community is constantly growing due to its popularity around the world. As a result, libraries are also growing in abundance. There are plenty of ready-to-install solutions, so just before starting the project, just analyze the resources and their suitability for application in preparation. However, if the module you need is not available, you can create it from scratch.

Working with the native API is uncomplicated, but these APIs are changing rapidly. Fortunately, thanks to the large community, React Native is usually up to date and the number of modules is constantly growing. However, if you do not find the right ready library or find help on the forums, the help of a specialist in a native platform may be necessary.

Sometimes the ready application turns out to be a bit too slow. Familiarizing yourself with the framework structure exposes such a risk. Unfortunately, even if native and JavaScript applications are very fast, communication between them is sometimes too slow.

In a situation in which a programmer wants to implement a view that displays real-time data and application responses to user queries, refer to native implementations. Combining functionality through export using React Native can have a negative impact on application speed and UE (User Experience). Moreover, the situation will repeat for every platform used in the project, so code recycling between platforms will be limited. 

For example, a client using an iOS application for which modules were written to order in Objective-C will not get the Android version without extensive support of professionals from this platform. Unfortunately, instead of simplifying and speeding up the entire process, React Native will slow down and complicate Java code due to internal limitations.

Summary

React Native is a tool worth recommending despite its drawbacks. The constantly growing community is constantly increasing the resources of libraries and modules available to create increasingly complex applications. Thanks to this, React Native is becoming an increasingly powerful framework for working on native platforms. It passed the combat test, which can be seen in many applications available on the market and requires less and less native support as the internal environment develops. It may not be the perfect solution for any project without exception, but it is certainly a good choice for creating applications with a native impression.