Mux data integration for Expo (React Native)

Introduction

In the dynamic world of app development, having the right tools and analytics is crucial for creating seamless user experiences. Mux is a leader in video performance analytics, providing developers with essential insights into their video content. However, their official package, @mux/mux-data-react-native-video, doesn't support Expo—a popular framework for React Native development. To bridge this gap, I created @codebayu/mux-data-expo-av. In this blog, I will discuss how this package can help developers overcome the Expo incompatibility issue and provide a step-by-step guide on integrating it into your projects.

The Challenge: Mux Integration in Expo

Expo simplifies the React Native development process by offering a managed workflow and numerous pre-configured features. However, this comes at the cost of compatibility with certain native modules, including the official Mux package. Without native support, developers face challenges such as:

1. Limited Analytics: Without Mux, gathering detailed video performance metrics becomes difficult.
2. Manual Workarounds: Developers have to create custom solutions, which can be time-consuming and error-prone.
3. Fragmented Data: Using multiple analytics services leads to scattered data, complicating the performance analysis.

The Solution: @codebayu/mux-data-expo-av

@codebayu/mux-data-expo-av is designed to seamlessly integrate Mux's powerful analytics into Expo projects. Here's how it solves the problem:

1. Seamless Integration: The package is specifically tailored for Expo, ensuring smooth integration without the need for ejecting from the managed workflow.
2. Comprehensive Analytics: Leverage Mux’s comprehensive video analytics to monitor performance, user engagement, and streaming quality.
3. Ease of Use: The package is easy to install and configure, allowing developers to focus on building features rather than dealing with compatibility issues.

Key Features of @codebayu/mux-data-expo-av

1. Expo Compatibility: Fully compatible with Expo’s managed workflow.
2. Detailed Analytics: Track essential metrics such as buffering, playback errors, and viewer engagement.
3. Real-time Insights: Get real-time data to optimize video performance and enhance user experience. Easy Setup: Simple installation and configuration process.

Usage

Follow these steps to integrate @codebayu/mux-data-expo-av into your Expo project:

Installation

# npm
npm install @codebayu/mux-data-expo-av

# yarn
yarn add @codebayu/mux-data-expo-av

Integration

import app from './package.json'; // this is your application's package.json
import { ResizeMode, Video } from 'expo-av'; // import Video from expo-av like you normally would
import { Platform } from 'react-native';
import muxExpoAv from '@codebayu/mux-data-expo-av';

// wrap the `Video` component with Mux functionality
const MuxVideo = muxExpoAv(Video);

// Pass the same props to `MuxVideo` that you would pass to the
// `Video` element. All of these props will be passed through to your underlying expo-av component
// Include a new prop for `muxOptions`
<MuxVideo
  source={{
    uri: 'https://bitdash-a.akamaihd.net/content/sintel/hls/playlist.m3u8',
  }}
  style={{ width: '100%', aspectRatio: 16 / 9 }}
  resizeMode={ResizeMode.COVER}
  isLooping
  useNativeControls
  muxOptions={{
    application_name: app.name, // (required) the name of your application
    application_version: app.version, // the version of your application (optional, but encouraged)
    data: {
      env_key: 'YOUR_ENVIRONMENT_KEY', // (required)
      player_software_version: '5.0.2', // (optional, but encouraged) the version of expo-av that you are using

      // Site Metadata
      viewer_user_id: '12345', // ex: '12345'
      experiment_name: 'player_test_A', // ex: 'player_test_A'
      sub_property_id: 'cus-1', // ex: 'cus-1'

      // Player Metadata
      player_name: '', // ex: 'My Main Player'
      player_version: '', // ex: '1.0.0'
      player_init_time: 0, // ex: 1451606400000

      // Video Metadata
      video_id: '', // ex: 'abcd123'
      video_title: '', // ex: 'My Great Video'
      video_series: '', // ex: 'Weekly Great Videos'
      video_duration: '', // in milliseconds, ex: 120000
      video_stream_type: 'on-demand', // 'live' or 'on-demand'
      video_cdn: '', // ex: 'Fastly', 'Akamai'

      // Custom Metadata
      custom_1: 'custom value 1',
    },
  }}
/>;

If you find @codebayu/mux-data-expo-av helpful, consider contributing to the project on GitHub, and don’t forget to star the repository. Your feedback and contributions can help make this package even better.