Mobile app development is not what it used to be a decade ago. It has transformed into a multi-billion dollar industry. Competition is heating up with each passing day. Add to that the complex requirements, ever-increasing mobile platforms and devices and you get a very stiff challenge on your hands.
To provide some relief to the mobile app developers, new mobile app development frameworks are introduced and the latest addition to this list is React Native. In this article, you will find out why React Native by Facebook is the future of native mobile app development and why you should use it for your next app. Read on to find out more.
Cross-Platform Support
When it was first launched, Facebook made React Native available for iOS. A few months back it was also made available for the Android platform. The future looks brighter as Facebook has made React Native open-source in a bid to extend support for all other platforms including Windows. Do not be surprised to see React Native support all popular platforms in the near future, especially with a strong community and Facebook behind its back. As the number of supported platforms grows, React Native will become one of the most popular mobile app development frameworks.
Efficiency and Speed
Native app development has always been associated with longer app development times, poor developer productivity and inefficient processes. React Native is here to change all that for good. It will speed up the native app development process without compromising on the performance of the mobile app.
Facebook brings all the best features of React JS to React Native to enhance app performance with simpler coding methods and DOM abstraction. With React Native, you do not have to wait long to get your hands on a fully-functional native mobile app.
Better Memory Management = Smoother Experience
Despite slower app development and other compromises, clients still prefer native apps due to their superior performance. What better if you could get the same performance of native apps without all these compromises? React Native makes this dream come true. Its efficient memory management ensures that your native apps run flawlessly even on aging hardware and software.
This is a big bonus for mobile applications, which are compatible with older versions of mobile operating systems. This keeps them running without any hiccups even on older hardware. This means is that users will get the best user experience from a native app written in React Native. Every app transition will load faster and your mobile app will function like a charm.
Reusability and Integration
Reusable native components are the basic building block of React Native. Not only does React Native let you reuse components but it all lets you render hybrid apps natively. Moreover, you can easily apply React Native user interface components to an existing application code, which is a godsend for app developers and mobile app development company Toronto, as they do not have to rewrite code for it. If you already have a hybrid app, which was built with Cordova or Ionic, you can also reuse the Cordova based code by using a plug-in. In short, React Native reduces the efforts on the developer’s part and save a lot of time.
Quick Feedback Loop
If you have developed an app for iOS when it was first launched, you know how easy it was to build an app. There were few devices, application programming interface and everything seems to work smoothly but as time went by things started becoming more complicated. The more complicated the app, the longer it will take to compile and the longer it will take to compile, the easier it is for you to lose track.
With React Native, you can add file watchers to reload the app as soon as you save the file. You can see the results instantly. This might not seem like a big deal to many but when you add up the time app developers waste in compiling the mobile apps more than a dozen times a day, it can reach up to a significant figure, which can negatively impact the productivity of app developers. As a result, the app falls behind schedule.
A Strong Community
One feature that truly makes React Native stand out from other android app development framework is its strong community. With strong support from the community, app developers can easily get out of trouble whenever they are stuck in a complex problem. React Native framework is created with a vision of replacing native app development and every member of its community knows that very well and playing their role to achieve that goal. Managing dependencies can be a big pain in the neck for iOS and android app developers but not with React Native as it has some useful dependency managers that can take care of business.
Compatibility with Plug-Ins
You might be thinking that React Native is just five years old and it might not be compatible with many plug-ins, right. Fortunately, that is not the case. React Native is compatible with a wide range of third-party plug-ins, which means that app developers will not have to rely on WebView for basic functions. For instance, if you are developing a ride-hailing app like Uber and want to integrate Google Maps, you can easily do that with React Native plug-in. With a native module, app developers can easily connect maps with device functionality such as zoom and rotate.
Conclusion
React Native might be a new entrant in the market but it has made huge strides in the last five years. With an impressive list of apps such as Skype, Facebook, Instagram, Airbnb and Walmart already using React Native, many new apps will also jump on the React Native bandwagon sooner rather than later. React Native offers all the benefits a modern-day mobile app development framework should offer that too without any compromises, which makes it one of the mobile app development frameworks to keep an eye on in the future.
Which mobile app development framework are you currently using for mobile app development? Share your feedback with us in the comments section below.
