Introduction to React Native
React Native is an open-source framework by Meta that lets you build native mobile apps using JavaScript and React. You write one codebase and deploy to both iOS and Android — each platform renders real native UI components, not a WebView.
What is React Native?
React Native is an open-source framework by Meta that lets you build native mobile apps using JavaScript and React. You write one codebase and deploy to both iOS and Android — each platform renders real native UI components, not a WebView.
Unlike hybrid apps (Cordova, Ionic WebView), React Native maps your <View> to UIView on iOS and android.view on Android. Users get native scroll physics, accessibility, and performance.
React Native is used by Facebook, Instagram, Shopify, Discord, Microsoft, and thousands of startups. It is ideal when you already know React and need mobile + web skill overlap.
How React Native works
Your JavaScript runs on Hermes (or JavaScriptCore) inside the app. React components describe UI; the bridge serializes updates to native views. New Architecture (Fabric + TurboModules) reduces bridge overhead for better performance.
React Native vs alternatives
- Flutter — Dart language, own rendering engine; excellent performance, smaller talent pool.
- Expo — toolchain on top of RN; faster setup, managed builds; can eject to bare RN.
- Native (Swift/Kotlin) — maximum control; two separate codebases.
- React Native — best when team knows React; huge npm ecosystem; OTA updates possible.
What you will build
- Understand project structure, Metro bundler, and dev workflow.
- Build screens with core components, Flexbox styling, and lists.
- Manage state with hooks and Context; navigate with React Navigation.
- Fetch REST APIs, cache with AsyncStorage, handle loading and errors.
- Ship a complete cross-platform app: auth flow, tabs, and API-driven screens.