Top 7 Reasons to Choose React Native for Mobile App Development

React Native is the follow-up to the React framework developed by Facebook for creating highly intuitive user interfaces in web development. React’s popularity has grown tremendously due to its simplicity and liberal use of JavaScript.

React Native Overview

React Native is described by the developers who created it, as the “JavaScript library for building user interfaces.” It focuses on the interface of an app. This allows developers to obtain a real-time look of the app components and parts of interfaces while building it.

An app using React Native is built piece by piece. Besides creating simple and regular components, you can build components with a larger layer of abstraction that rules other components. Even when the app gets bigger with too many components, they remain thoroughly understandable throughout. As a JavaScript framework, it is simple, easy to use and versatile to accommodate demanding tasks at all levels.

React Native allows all sorts of developers to write code in JavaScript and benefit from Native app performance. Here are its prime benefits:

1. Cross-platform support

React Native was developed for iOS only, but its popularity convinced Facebook to develop Android support as well. Now developers can develop apps for both iOS and Android through React Native through one codebase at any point in time, and this leads to reduced development costs.

2. Seamless performance

Traditionally, ‘hybrid’ apps that work on both mobile platforms are criticized and touted to be low-performance apps, although hybrid apps suffer for complicated apps mostly. Developing through React Native has its own share of benefits because they are compiled into native code, which means they function like native apps for both platforms.

3. Reusability

Reusability is critical to React Native since the building blocks are native components that can be compiled into native languages of Objective-C for iOS and Java for Android.

With Reach Native, developers can opt for agility and rapid approach to development that allows for quicker mobile development process without compromising on quality and usability.

4. Maintainability

React Native uses JavaScript within its framework allowing engineers to handle multiple projects with ease and flexibility. One would have no trouble combining development parts written in native languages for both mobile platforms.

5. Huge popularity among developers

If one knows JavaScript, they can leverage React Native for mobile app development even when they are unaware of Swift or Java that is required to develop native elements for both platforms. One can create platform APIs, platform-specific design with React Native using its features including Flexbox CSS styling, debugging, and its inherent App Store or Google Play support. React Native is also maturing quickly and Facebook’s investments are expected to increase soon.

6. Facilitates quick UI

React Native is solely focused on developing mobile UI. Compared with other JavaScript frameworks like AngularJS, React Native is UI-focused and works like a JavaScript library instead of a framework. The UI is responsive and is fluid owing to its intrinsic asynchronous JS interactions with the native environment, facilitating quick load times and smoother performance.

7. Third-Party plugin compatibility

Third-party plugins mean you won’t have to rely on a WebView for specific functions. For example, if you’re adding Google Maps functionality to your app, React Native lets you link the plugin with a native module, so you can link the map up with the device’s functions like zoom, rotate, and the compass, while using less memory and loading faster. If your app supports older operating systems (and older devices), this can help you keep the app running smoothly.

Additional benefits

The typical workflow of development for both platforms consists of writing code on React Native and then leveraging native languages to optimize the app elements. Developers now have the freedom to develop apps as required. React Native can help in combining native elements with those written in React Native itself.

This is applicable when implementing new features of existing apps written in their respective native languages wherein React Native components can become an integral part of the codebase.

The ‘live reload’ feature is another essential feature that allows developers to see all changes in real-time when writing the code for an app, which makes the entire process of development intuitive and efficient.

The lower learning curve is a crucial advantage of using React Native. React Native offers excellent ease in reading the codes, even to those who are not familiar with React Native. React Native does not require you to learn those concepts that are not fundamental to the fundamentals of coding. With React Native, you feel at ease with your existing knowledge of coding fundamentals. Moreover, you have the bulk of the codes used in React Native are plain JavaScript, and this makes it further easy for an understanding of the beginners.

React Native allows a vibrant ecosystem to allow multiple libraries for manipulation. It offers clean declarative views, and this makes specific libraries ideally suited to use with React Native. By allowing to use many powerful libraries, it adds to the versatility and features of the apps.

Another plus point of React Native is that it can easily share code between Android and iOS and share code over the web. With the react-native-web project is being worked upon, sharing code among multiple web interfaces based on React Native looks already like a credible promise.

How do mobile app developers benefit in the long run?

Ultimately, with React Native, its efficiency helps in lowering costs, faster load times, deployment and easier maintenance, translating into tremendous benefits.

The use of React Native also makes the process agile in the mobile app development environment. Additionally, development workload reduces by nearly 50% with one codebase working for both mobile platforms. A single skilled developer quite adroit in JavaScript can handle the development project easily. Instagram, for instance, reutilized 90% of their code in both Android and iOS. The flexibility offered by React Native also allows developers who are good in JavaScript to develop apps seamlessly and efficiently.

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