Post Menu and Details.
- 1st Question: What is the difference between React Native and “True” Native development?
- 2nd Question: How does the RN differ from ReactJs?
- 3rd Question: Is react native still relevant?
- 4th Question: Is RN free and cheap?
- 5th Question: How to get the latest RN update?
- Final words
Words: 982
Reading time: ~4 minutes
Now that 5 million mobile apps are available for download from App Store and Google Play, the React Native (RN) framework is very popular among developers. Companies that provide React Native services occupy a special niche in the cross-platform development market, and this niche is expected to grow. As a result, there is a huge demand for specialists that can be engaged in RN development. However, few of them really understand even the basics of RN.
React Native was introduced to the public in 2015. And even though the framework is only 5 years old, it has already firmly entrenched itself in all people’s minds and managed to acquire its own laws and myths. We decided to delve into this issue and have collected for you 5 main questions that can still be heard in a casual conversation about RN.
1st Question: What is the difference between React Native and “True” Native development?
This is a basic question designed to outline the main points of how React Native differs from native development with Swift or Java and what its advantages are.
Truly native development has its pros and cons. Still, RN offers several undeniable advantages, thanks to which this framework’s choice becomes the most logical option in developing multi-platform applications.
Moreover, RN, of course, is based on JavaScript. And this is another advantage over native development methods in Swift or Java since JS is one of the most popular programming languages. Therefore, it is not a problem to find RN developers on the market.
Finally, RN development is profitable from an economic point of view. In fact, you are developing 2 separate versions of the application. However, at the same time, the code in them coincides on average by 65-70%. Since code volume is half as much, you can save money and time on development. Also, shared code makes it much easier to maintain the application in the future. The thesis promoted by Facebook, “write once — use everywhere,” fits perfectly into the principles of creating one agile RN team that will deal with full-cycle development for all platforms.
2nd Question: How does the RN differ from ReactJs?
The fundamental difference between the two is that ReactJs is an open-source JavaScript library. React Native also uses this language, but it is employed to develop native-like mobile applications.
The main and fundamental difference between the two concepts above can be reduced to a simple expression:
- React is the basis for web apps development.
- React Native is a framework used for developing mobile apps.
3rd Question: Is react native still relevant?
Of course, yes. This framework continues to enjoy immense popularity among both developers and business owners. It is easy to understand and use; it is not difficult to find a specialist’s PH. Also, it is worth mentioning that over 5 years of its history, the RN community has acquired many ready-made solutions and resolved issues. Therefore, there are very high chances that almost any problem that may be encountered in working with the framework has already been resolved.
Thanks to the principle of components, real nativeness can be achieved in a mobile application. And although there are cases when the RN’s power is not enough, and you have to write components, for example, in Java, this does not diminish the universality of the framework.
At the same time, the RN continues to be economically profitable. And as long as this situation persists, there is no chance that the framework will lose its leading position in the market, despite the constant emergence of new solutions and platforms.
4th Question: Is RN free and cheap?
RN is a free open source framework available to everyone. Any community member and an ordinary user can enter the platform and get free access to all documentation. This moment is one of the RN’s main advantages over other solutions. Of course, any framework has its admirers, but it is the RN with a huge and grouped community. In favor of this framework, developers and business representatives choose since they know that they have much more chances to find decent RN developers who will do their job well since the community is always ready to lend a hand.
What’s worth remembering is that native development of two or more separate versions for each platform in most cases will cost more than using RN. However, many entrepreneurs still prefer to spend serious time trying to calculate how much it will cost to develop an application in advance.
5th Question: How to get the latest RN update?
Although RN holds a firm place among development frameworks, it is still fairly young. Therefore, Facebook updates are released quite often, and developers need to update their code regularly. Many consider this a shortcoming of the framework. If you skip the update and do not make changes in time, some libraries, components, or parts of the app can stop working. On the contrary, others consider this as one of the greatest advantages of the framework since constant updates expand the list of available libraries, components, APIs, modules, and other development tools.
There are two main ways to accomplish this task — update the RN app in existing projects, or update it by creating new projects. To not face this problem, you need to make sure that your contractors follow the updates and implement them – both for the RN itself and for the libraries that depend on it. There is a lot of information on the web, so we will not dwell on this. To see a step-by-step guide on updating it using both ways, follow the link.
Final words
It should be clear that these are only the most basic questions. There are too many of them to fit into one article. RN is a constantly evolving community and eco-system living its own life for a long time. By the time you finish reading this article, new questions may arise. And who knows, maybe your input as an entrepreneur will help sort this out.
Thank you for reading!