The Rise & Rise Of The Popularity Of React Native

App developers face a great dilemma every time they begin work on a new project. The deadline is like a sword hanging over their heads, no doubt. Add to that the pressure to develop an app that sells. Since 2013, app developers for hire have found a new ally in React Native that has shouldered most of their burdens. It has ensured that the apps they create are worth the time and money they cost. This open-source, cross-platform mobile app development platform from Facebook had changed the game in a big way and continues to do so.

Mobile app development has come a long way since the first smartphone in 1994, IBM’s Simon. That was before Apple and Google barged into the industry and changed how mobile devices can be used, with their revolutionary ideas. Their competition has been a boon to consumers who get to enjoy great features and frequent updates. Soon, app stores filled up with all sorts of apps, from utilities to games. The only problems developers faced was that apps for both, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS, had to be developed on separate, native platforms. This was good for app performance but took double the effort and time to produce.

Why App Developers are Using React Native

React Native was designed by Facebook to remedy this problem and give developers a breather. Ask the coders who have been at work for a long time. While they might still maintain that native programming is best in terms of the quality provided – many have shifted to React Native’s cross-platform base, because the results are almost as good as native. And why not? These app developers are for hire and they have realized that there’s no point in increasing the cost and duration of the project they are hired for. Have a quick look at its benefits:

React Native uses JavaScript that offers the biggest ecosystem package to developers.
The use of JavaScript enables not just cross-platform database on mobile, but also share it to React-based web applications.
Hot Reloading enables a developer to make changes in an app’s coding while viewing the changes live in the app.
An intuitive and simplified UI enhances the speed of writing the program and fixing bugs.
There is nearly no difference between the performance of apps made with React Native and a native framework. If the app is more complex for React Native to handle, it’s easily handled by transferring some of the code to a native module.

Facebook provides continual support to the React Native community which has resulted in its faster growth and better fixes. Helpful content on GitHub also contributes to attracting new coders and keeping this platform relevant for over 6 years now.

Latest Updates

The latest updates were released at the beginning of March 2019, dubbed React Native 0.59.

Hooks: Hooks have been added to React 16.8. This feature lets you use state and other React features without declaring a class. With Hooks, you can reuse stateful logic without changing the component hierarchy.
Updated JavaScriptCore: The JSC ReactNative used for Android was already a few years old and did not support modern JavaScript features. The new update brings with it modern JavaScript support, 64-bit support, and other features that improve performance greatly.
Inline Requires: With the Inline Requires function, apps will load resources as needed instead of slowing down the launch process.
Lean Core: Since React Native has a huge and complicated repository. To make things more organized Lean Core has been introduced. Codes have been migrated to separate libraries to facilitate better management.
Improved CLI: CLI tools have been moved to a new repository and this has greatly influenced runtimes. Commands run almost instantly now and you’ll notice the change.

Future of React Native

Staying true to its purpose, React Native promises a better and improved platform for app development. Keeping it open-source has surely helped a lot in its progress. Many app developers from around the world have worked on it, debugged it, and helped others learn new things on React Native. Facebook has not been lagging behind in crediting and encouraging coders who work hard in step with them. These and other factors ensure that a constant and steady improvement process keeps on running.

React Native might be the rage today with its easy-to-code features and online community support, but this does not write-off the need of native app developers. Basic apps are easy to design using this framework but a really successful app is not a basic one. When looking for app developers who are available for hire, one should look for experience and skill in native app development along with the work done using React Native or other cross-platform software.

Cross-platform app development with a single code base is here to stay. The faster you adapt to the changes it brings about with it, the better for you.

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Hussain Fakhruddin

CEO at Teknowledge Software

Hussain Fakhruddin is the founder/CEO of Teknowledge mobile apps company. He heads a large team of app developers, and has overseen the creation of nearly 600 applications. Apart from app development, his interests include reading, traveling and online blogging.