How React Native App Development Works Under the Hood

Last updated on October 12th, 2023 at 05:12 am

If you are ever involved in a conversation about mobile application development then there is no doubt that you must have come into contact with React Native or at least you may have heard about it. Maybe you know a little about it but you don’t know everything about it.

But before uncovering all the truth about this technology, let us first discuss the web application development technology and why most of the businesses are choosing web app development to make their business grow in the right direction.

Compared to desktop applications, web-based apps offer a huge pool of opportunities and benefits to businesses. Web applications can be accessed through any device through the internet and you do not have to install web applications on your device.

Use of web-based software are commonly called as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), in which the applications run on cloud-based and virtual environment. SaaS applications offer tangible business benefits over on-premises applications.

Web-based applications usually uses websites as the interface of front-end so that users can easily access the application from any device without the need of installing it through the internet using a standard web browser. This usually creates a point of difference with traditional desktop applications, which are installed on native computer.

Taking a simple example, we all are familiar with Microsoft Word, which is a common word-processing app that is installed on native computer. On the other hand, Google Docs is also a word-processing app but users do not have to install it on their desktop, they can easily access Google Docs from web browser. This means that Google is a web-based application. Google apps are considered as the most-famous web-based application.

We go through our lives tinkering with countless devices. What’s more, we spend numerous hours surfing the Internet and visiting a wide range of websites. Sometimes it’s because of business related reasons, although more often than not it’s only for recreation or sheer entertainment.

In recent years, it appears to be that any worry can be settled through a simple click. The application revolution and – by extension – the mobile application development revolution, has carried everybody more like a world where new innovations are developing huge amounts at a time.

Web applications are potentially not the most effective and suggested plan accessible but everything will depend upon which objective you need to accomplish with it. Like with a wide range of applications, a web application enjoys its benefits.

This sort of application can be a speedy and simple solution if you simply need to set up an immediate connection to your website. We consider that developing an interpreted application is important if you need to go further.

What is React?

React is a JavaScript library publicly released back in 2013 by Facebook. It assists with building UIs for single page web applications. Dissimilar to bigger MVC-style JavaScript systems (Angular, Ember, Backbone, and so on), React has a generally limited scope of applications. It just delivers your applications’ UI.

React is the fifth most featured archive on Github, and this implies it is loved by a huge number of JavaScript developers around the world. Why? Since it is lightweight and offers amazing execution, especially with regards to rapidly evolving information. Also, its component structure allows you to compose more particular and reusable code subsequently saving time and different assets.

And What is Native Application?

A native mobile application is an application that is produced for brilliant devices, for example, mobile phones, tablets, and devices coded in a particular programming language: Objective C/Swift for iOS and Java/Kotlin for Android working frameworks.

Native mobile application development is high performing and solid. They approach the device’s APIs and features. Additionally, they let clients use some applications without a web association. Yet, developing this kind of uses normally requires more finance, human and time resources since two separate codebases are created for two distinct platforms in two unique languages by two unique teams of developers.

What is React Native?

Assuming not to go deep, yes! In a developer’s viewpoint, React Native is simply React running on mobile with a couple of differences in parts and tag uses. This is the reason this trending innovation feels totally recognizable and agreeable to React developers.

As the mobile development needs its own interesting considerations then some Objective-C/Swift or Java information also can be helpful while creating in React Native.

What is React Native in genuine? This remarkable JavaScript innovation makes conceivable to develop a cross-platform mobile application that closely resembles a native one yet it is coded by a reliable team of developers essentially using React and JavaScript. However, when we say it feels practically native, then, at that point what are the contrasts between React Native and Native applications?

Native App and React Native Differences

One of the primary things that individuals consistently find out about React Native is that it’s “really” native. Alright, however what amount? Here are some fundamental contrasts that you can discover between these two unique applications created in a native language and React Native.

#DEVELOPING A NATIVE APP FOR IOS/ANDROID

Android and iOS are totally native platforms and they have a few essentials that you need to know prior to beginning your mobile application development. Above all else, to foster native applications for these two platforms you need to code your applications in two distinct languages.

To assemble a native mobile application for the iOS working framework that has extraordinary execution and simple admittance to gadget APIs and functionalities, the information on Objective-C/Swift is required.

While in case you are fostering a native mobile application for Android, Java/Kotlin are the languages to be used. As far as tooling, you’ll require using a single platform’s coordinated development climate (IDE) just as take in how that IDE and the important debugger can assist you with building the framework.

Native applications are more productive as far as focal handling unit utilization. What’s more, as they use more memory on normal, they make simpler to deal with the memory when the application develops.

Apple and Google give mobile engineers their own development instruments, interface features, and normalized SDK; Xcode and Android Studio in this manner facilitating the development cycle. Pokemon Go, Twitter, and Waze are completely native applications that were created in severe programming languages – that is in native ones.

By and large, native applications consistently beat some other applications however they require additional time, more individuals, more monetary assets that is the reason designers pick React Native that is vaguely just about as native as the genuine native applications.

#DEVELOPING A CROSS-PLATFORM REACT NATIVE APP

Building a cross-platform application intends to keep in touch with one codebase that can run on various native platforms. React Native permits not exclusively to foster a cross-platform application yet additionally an application that feels like native and performs almost just as the genuine ones.

It makes conceivable to compose two unique applications simply using one language. React Native saves time, abbreviates the advancement cycle, and being a JavaScript structure, it makes the change from web to mobile development smoother.

Since React Native doesn’t uphold all APIs, to get to some APIs and functionalities you need to use native modules which are that piece of the code that is written in a native language and is fused into the remainder of the content.

For a React Native application development, you need to use native modules likewise for using third party libraries and for getting to other native applications. However, as the innovation is publicly released that offers the chance to get consistent enhancements, new features and bug fixes by other native area individuals.

How React Native Works under the Hood?

React Native permits the advancement of applications comprising of JS code and native by making the extension between an application and an objective platform. At the point when JavaScript has been running alongside some native code, the React Native’s extension framework use the React library and moves parts’ chain of importance to the Mobile phone see.

If there should be an occurrence of any updates, for example, if a client presses the button, React Native makes an interpretation of this case into the occasion that the JS can deal with. And afterward, by transferring messages between a specific native platform and a JS codebase, the React Native extension makes an interpretation of native occasions into ones React parts can comprehend and react to.

Such design has certain difficulties. From one perspective, default parts may not cover the two platforms or may look altogether different. Then again, connecting engineering permits utilizing all current native perspectives from platforms SDK and JS libraries.

Being single-strung, React Native applications are straightforward since all that works with JavaScript on the web, will work the same way on React Native. Yet, think about JS particulars while fostering an application design to stay away from execution issues.

If the design of things to come application includes numerous occasions and a great deal of information, React Native application advancement may not be the most ideal alternative since the scaffold construction might create setbacks.

Features and Challenges of React Native

CODE REUSE

The common myth about code dividing among the web and mobile platforms. The fact of the matter is that React Native depends on native mobile features, in the meantime, React.js, used for the website development services, depends on the DOM (Document Object Model) features of the software.

Consequently, it is feasible to reuse only logic identified with a source code and business logic. The equivalent goes for libraries – it’s feasible to use just those libraries that are not identified with DOM. Since the usefulness and the UX and UI in the web and mobile applications are unique, the refactoring for code reuse will take additional time than composing a different logic for a mobile application.

PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY

React Native is as yet in beta (0.62) and at times has similarity issues when updating variants. Yet, it doesn’t imply that your application is broken with each new update. It implies that changes need by updates need to be made whenever they are demonstrated to be steady.

Obviously, there are breaking changes need about by refreshes, however it simply implies that the React Native group makes nonstop upgrades. As far as I can tell, when we had bugs after variant updates, they had no effect on the task because of the fast fixes of the React Native group.

Because of the extension engineering, some long-running occasions on the JS side might obstruct UI occasions. Additionally, any activities requiring synchronization between JS code and native one might be deferred in view of the time needed to elapse data through the scaffold.

For instance, there may be issues with a ScrollView’s situation since occasions about its change are quickly discharged.

Discussing the intuitive animations, that should run each 16 milliseconds, their logic goes from the JS to the Native side. Because of extension engineering, movement occasions may likewise have execution issues.

When creating React Native-based applications, we used Native Driver, which sends activity to the native side. The native code performs activity in the UI string which permits edges to try not to go through the scaffold and guarantees smoother execution.

The utilization of the Native Driver might cover 90% of situations with regards to intuitive animations. Yet, there are as yet 10% of explicit situations when application usefulness includes motion occasions like squeeze to zoom or relocate.

All things considered, it is feasible to use such arrangements as React native revived or React native motion controller that permits acknowledgment and following of signals on the native side and diminishes connect downsides.

UI AND CUSTOM VIEWS

React Native uses the React.js library, which empowers it to cover many cases. It doesn’t have a full arrangement of native parts, however they can be supplanted with native area modules.

One of the answers for beat UI limits is to use Expo, a platform with the preinstalled UI parts and modules for React Native-based applications. Yet, when utilizing Expo, recollect that native module can not be used alongside Expo ones.

As I would like to think, the usage of the Expo is a smart thinned for prototyping, MVP, and PoC arrangements. It is likewise an ideal answer for applications with standard UI, which won’t include novel customization.

On the off chance that the application should have non-standard UI, it is smarter to use Native libraries and modules that can be adjusted.

DEVELOPER EXPERTISE

Taking into account that React Native application development includes Javascript, there might be an inclination to accept that it is needed to have just Javascript designers. In any case, actually, it’s insufficient. Considering that React Native’s UI depends on native parts, it is prudent to include native designers for modules streamlining.

Conclusion

We cannot choose which framework is best for creating mobile applications as each framework has its own advantages and drawbacks. We must go with the latest technology based on current needs and expectations of users. In general, React native covers most of the needs and requirements of mobile applications.