What Is React Native App Development and How It Works for Business

Defining React Native Framework

Today, mobile developers no longer have to choose between outstanding user experience and perfect compatibility with different platforms. Things changed in 2015 when Facebook released an open-source JavaScript framework for mobile apps called React Native. Building an app with React Native is much faster than in the days when AngulasJS was the best possible solution available. Why is that so? Because working with React Native allows developers to work on creating applications for Android and iOS simultaneously. Along with that, such applications will look and feel native, providing an equally great user experience in each case.

React vs React Native

The secret lies in a single code database that is compatible with different mobile platforms. Powered by a ReactJS UI library, React Native has become a top solution that works for such global apps as Facebook and Instagram. The principle behind it is simple: the developers write code once, which reduces time and monetary expenses in direct proportion to the number of platforms they are coding for. An interesting thing about React Native is that it is based on React but was specifically created to develop cross-platform mobile apps. An older creation by Facebook engineers helps in frontend development. Both frameworks have a lot in common (e.g. use the same JSX language mixed with JavaScript), but still differ from each other (e.g. React Native allows to use some native UI elements additionally).

Strengths and Weaknesses

Alas, nothing is perfect in this world, and React Native is no exception. So that you can evaluate the capabilities of the framework and understand how to apply it in business, let’s weigh some of the major pros and cons React Native offers to customers and developers:

Strengths

• Cross-platform performance. React Native was originally designed for iOS app building, but as the framework grew in popularity, Facebook engineers decided to adapt it for Android. Now we have a multi-purpose tool allowing us to reuse 90% of the code for seamless integration into another system. This is a key advantage of React Native and the reason why our developers deliver effective native applications several times faster. When we have a ready-made application, let’s say for iOS, its integration for Android will take just a few days of one small dev team’s work;
• Class performance. Hybrid apps emerged as an uncommon solution, but their performance was questionable and suffered from multiple lags. They were really convenient in theory but too heavy in practice. That all changed when React Native appeared on the horizon. Compiled into native code, new applications functioned in the same way on different platforms and didn’t require serious maintenance;

Weaknesses

• Time works wonders. React Native Framework is relatively young and is yet to be fine-tuned. Thus, it can be problematic to build your own modules, as some custom modules are missing or need some improvement. In some cases, developers will need to create three separate databases instead of one. Nevertheless, we know first-hand this is not a common practice. You are likely to face this problem only when creating an app from scratch.
• There is a technological edge. Despite the fact that the framework incorporates many time-saving functions and simplified elements, you’ll still need to hire React Native developer. Expert assistance is crucial for optimizing processes and preventing all kinds of technical failures;
• The technology is now at its peak so nothing is threatening its existence so far. However, do not forget that this is Facebook’s project, and no one can be 100% sure about the future of the social media platform.

Native vs Flutter vs React Native

In fact, it doesn’t really matter what technology you pick to develop a standard business application. Otherwise, when dealing with CPU-heavy apps and animations, Flutter is still the most performing option. If your task is as simple as possible and aimed at a single platform, Native is just the right fit. But what can you do with React Native? You probably already know the answer – you can take full advantage of cross-platform superiority. In any case, each project requires expert assessment. One technology may perform better than another under certain conditions.

	Flutter	React Native
Initial release	May 2017	March 2015
Backed by	Google	Facebook
Programming language	Dart	Java Script
Platform support (stable)	Android, IOS	Android, IOS, Web Apps
App performance	Close to native	Fairly robust
Open Source	Yes	Yes
Documentation	Extensive	Extensive
UI	Proprietary customized widgets	Native components
Community & support	Limited, fast growing	Extensive
60+ fps support	Yes	Requires workarounds
Code reusability	Up to 90%	Up to 90%
JIT, AOT compillation	Yes	No
Used by	Google, Alibaba, Tencent, Reflectly	Facebook, Instagram, Uber, Salesforce