Mobiles have become an essential part of our lives in this digital era. Apps are at the heart of the smartphone experience, and no smartphone will remain "smart" without its accompanying apps.
Building apps is a complex process that requires the coordination of various teams like the UI/UX team, the developer team, and the testing team. Over the years, many platforms have emerged that have made the process of app development faster and smoother.
What is React Native?
React Native is an open-source, cross-platform mobile application development framework developed by Facebook. React Native started its journey as an internal hackathon project of Facebook.
Then it was launched by Facebook for the public in 2015. Since then, React Native has quickly become the framework of choice amongst mobile app developers.
In this article, we shall see why React Native has risen in popularity!
Why you should opt for React Native for developing your next project?
Easy to find developers
React Native is a framework based on javascript, and javascript being one of the most popular programming languages it is relatively easy to find developers who know the art of programming in javascript. In React Native, the developers can write beautiful native-like applications in Javascript. Thus saving them the hassle of programming twice and increase the developer’s productivity, in case you want to develop two separate apps for Android and iOS.
In React Native, you can program once and deploy multiple times. The learning curve of React Native is comparatively minimal, making it one of the easiest languages to learn and utilize.
HeadingLess hassle for updating the apps
The problem with updating an iOS or Android app written in Swift or Java is that you need to recompile a new version of the app, which now has to be re-submitted to the App store again. While with React Native, there is no such need as a specific Javascript code can be compiled and downloaded without needing to submit the App to the App store again and again.
Economical
With React Native, it is inexpensive to develop a mobile app. This is because you can build one app and deploy it simultaneously on two app stores, Apple as well as Google Play store. Building a cross-platform app is reasonably easy with React Native Development Company.
This will save money if you are planning to develop separate Android and iOS apps. On the other hand, if you wanted to build native apps for both Android and iOS, it would have required two different teams doubling the cost of development in the process.
Time-saving
Android and iOS are the two most popular operating systems in the world today. If you want your app to be successful, then it is imminent that you develop a mobile app for both these platforms. Both these apps require expertise in different programming languages, programmers proficient in Java can develop Android apps, while people who know programming in Objective C or Swift can complete an iOS app.
Now with React Native, you can write once and deploy on both these platforms, this will not only save you the cost of hiring two separate developer teams but also help you in saving development time.
React Native developers have the luxury of using the 'Live reload' function. In this function, the developers can work in tandem with the designers, as the developers can implement the changes suggested by the designers in real-time.
For example, if the color of a specific button is to be changed, then the developers can edit the code and change the color, compile the code in real-time and see the effect of the changes.
Therefore substantially saving the compilation time, this in the long run during the app development lifecycle can help save on a whopping number of hours. Due to the live reloading feature, testing also becomes a breeze. The quality analysts and developers can work in tandem and remove the bugs as the compiling of the code becomes pretty fast.
Changes in core-team do not affect the project
Every mobile/software development firm goes through this problem, the members of the core team who are with the project since its inception become invaluable for the project. This means that for some reason, if any of them needs to leave the project, then it can potentially create havoc in the project.
React Native is intuitive to learn, and this helps in such situations, you can easily swap one developer with another. A new developer joining a project developed on React Native can quickly learn the nuances of the code and start contributing rapidly as opposed to a project developed in other languages.
Easy styling
React Native uses Flexbox, which allows developers to build naturally responsive layouts. Flexbox allows React Native to use the display property of CSS in a better manner.
React Native is more native
React Native lets developers build more native-like apps because React Native uses reusable ‘native components’. The look and feel of apps made in React Native is consistent with their Android and iOS counterparts. This structure of React Native, which uses reusable components, lets the developers build apps that are more agile, meaning that the cross-platform app will have the speed and functionality of a native mobile application.
React Native allows you to augment existing apps built on different languages with React Native components.
For example:- if you build your app on Cordova, then you do not need to overhaul the code, instead, use a plugin, and you can efficiently work with your existing Cordova code.
This agility is what inspires the developers to take on React Native for app development.
With React Native, you get a framework that is more UI focused. You can build a fluid UI with React Native since the framework allows for asynchronous JavaScript interactions with the native environment. Apps built with React Native typically have faster load times as compared to other hybrid apps.
Read Also: What's the difference between Native and React Native App development?
Less memory usage
Apps developed with React Native are compatible with third-party plugins. React Native apps use less memory as compared to native iOS and Android apps, as there is no need for cross-bridge linking.
Large support community
Being open-source has its benefits; one of them is that a React Native developer enjoys the support of a large support community. This helps a lot when you are stuck with a particularly nagging programming roadblock. You could ask the support community to pitch in, and more often than not, the React Native community does pitch in.
This helps in building confidence among new developers who are just testing waters with React Native.
Another main benefit that a large support community provides is that you can easily get a large number of standard codes like watch or calculator pre-made on the forum. This saves a substantial amount of time and effort on the part of the newbie.
Together as the community grows, so does the repository of codes, and sometimes it can shave off a significant chunk of programming in a new project.
Conclusion
App development on React Native to your business app is the way to go as it lets you build native-like apps that are efficient and can be built in a faster and cheaper manner.
Moreover, with companies like Facebook, Walmart, Instagram, Tesla, Skype, Airbnb, and Soundcloud opting to go ahead with React Native as their preferred platform, it is safe to say that React Native is here to stay.
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