Developing an application in React Native

What is React Native?

React Native is an open-source framework created by Facebook: it is accessible to everyone and can be enriched and improved by the entire community of developers who use it. It is derived from React JS, and it is therefore composed of a library of components already created and packaged that we will import to develop an interface.

React Native is used specifically for the development of mobile applications which run on both operating systems (Android and iOS), and are therefore installable from the App store or the Google Play Store.

This framework allows for hybrid mobile development, which is different from native mobile development. The native development of a mobile application consists in creating a code base for each operating system, which implies developing the application twice.

With hybrid development, only one development is needed, with only one code base for both systems: it's faster to develop and easier to maintain. React Native is therefore a kind of "development kit" that uses the same code elements to run on both iOS and Android.

But then, why "Native"?

React Native, because the Framework communicates and interacts directly with the native features and components of iOS and Android: camera, microphone, Bluetooth, etc.

It is therefore a guarantee that the final result will respect the ergonomic standards of the interface of each operating system.

In which cases we use React Native ?

We will choose React Native for applications that need regular interactions and a fluid connection with the native services of the phone (camera, contact directory, GPS, etc.).

As React JS, React Native will also allow to create UI functionalities that require a response in real time from the application: online messaging, quizzes, etc.

If you want to develop a mobile application after having built a web application with React JS, you will use React Native to have a coherent user interface between the two applications.

Some points that the team particularly appreciates with React Native :

• The neat and fluid stylistic rendering of the interactive features, whether on iOS or Android: React Native allows for particularly elaborate design effects, without differentiating between the two operating systems
• The performance of the technology with the phone's native services
• The hybrid nature of the solution, which saves time in development and allows you to focus on the important features of the application;