Is React-native Used For Upcoming Mobile App Development?

Be it gaming or shopping, to banking and healthcare, mobile apps are used widely.

Be it gaming or shopping, to banking and healthcare, mobile apps are used widely. The number of mobile app downloads in 2020 accounted for 218bn! Mobile app revenue in 2023 is expected to hit 935.2bn USD. (Source: Statista) Engaging with mobile apps has turned out to be a daily routine. Mobile app development is in high demand. The urge for speedy innovation is evident in the 21st century.

Mobile app developers need avant-garde technology to bring out a polished User Experience. Developers look forward to leveraging coding skills. The development and maintenance of multiple native apps are cumbersome. The need of the hour is to develop a mobile app that targets multiple mobile platforms.

React Native, a technology that emerged in 2015 by Facebook, is a distinguished solution to build cross-platform mobile apps. React Native is a JavaScript framework that behaves like a platform-specific coding language.

React Native gained widespread popularity as the framework employs the same design as React. Further, it has a wider community apart from Facebook’s support. Its performance has won the hearts of the users too.

However, the question that lingers is about the future of this framework. Will React Native continue to stay or turn obsolete?

Let us understand what’s in the future for React Native.

Popularity

No developer wishes to invest his resources in a technology that will fade away soon. Let us take a look at the report.

React Native has maintained its stability in the past three years. However, some argue that the growth is stagnant. The below report by Google trends shows the popularity of React Native across the world against Flutter.

This clearly shows that React Native is indeed having a firm hold in the app development industry. Several leading apps like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Uber, Bloomberg, Skype, etc. are built on React Native. Most of the startups and Fortune 500 companies use React Native framework. Developers mark React Native as their preferred framework.

Let us understand the reasons behind the popularity of the React Native framework.

Reasons for popularity

React Native provides native environments such as UI or boilerplate codes. This helps to build native-like apps. These are fast and highly interactive and provide a better UX experience too.

  • Reduced Development Costs

If you opt for a new tool and a new development team for native cross-platform app development, you will have to bear the increased cost of development. However, when you choose React Native you can simplify the process. This framework brings all the platforms down into a single codebase.

Code Sharing helps to save time and resources. The cross-platform framework allows the developers to share 90% of the source codes. This significantly cuts down the cost of mobile app development. Compare it with a Node JS Development Company.

  • Availability of Resources

JavaScript is the powerhouse that React-Native banks on. For other cross-platform frameworks, the challenge is to find trained resources. However, a person with a good hold of Java can easily work on React native.

With the same development team, you can develop web as well as mobile apps. In other words, your development team can continue software development works. They have the comfort of working with a known language- JavaScript. Finding developers with a stronghold on JavaScript is child’s play.

Facebook releases updates that include new components that enhance the overall usability. Furthermore, it helps you to develop highly functional apps for native platforms.

  • Use of React Components

React has a comprehensive library. Developers can utilize these components for cross-platform mobile applications. The components rendered in virtual DOM consist of functional as well as class-based components. These are determinants of UI appearance. Also, they help to pass the component down with the use of props.

The pre-built components help the developers to keep the code concise. These components work well with native mobile environments. Some of the components perform well with desktop as well. Hence, all it needs is to write the code once. Yet, release it across different platforms.

  • Single Development Team

There are different mobile OS such as iOS, Android, Chrome, Windows, etc. If you opt for developing native apps for each platform, it requires dedicated teams. Each team requires a dedicated project manager. Besides, after the release, it needs continuous updates.

You can get rid of all these with React Native. Create a single code-based app for all platforms. Provide consistent performance across platforms. Reduce the time to market with limited resources and staff.

Do you know what constitutes the core of any development? It is cost, time, and quality. With React Native development never compromise on any of these. Get a cost-effective and quick development of cross-platform apps. Be assured of quality. Indeed all these add to the popularity of this cross-platform framework.

The Empowerment

React Native has strong community support. Along with the Facebook team, many collaborators contribute and support React Native. The focus is to make React Native better. Facebook also plans to empower the future with community support.

From 2018, React-native-releases allow collaboration and welcome conversations. Repositories include discussions that help to generate interesting outcomes.

Two widely used libraries in React Native Apps are Litho and ComponentKit. These libraries help to build native screens by providing a component API similar to React. Instead of replacing other technologies, React Native focuses on improvising itself. Not to forget that React Native has inspired other technologies too. Instant reloading code is one such example.

The Future:

1. Native Modules

The first phase focuses on native modules that ensure the higher safety of codes. Also, it reduces overloads and enables faster loading.

2. Fabric

Phase 2 involves a large-scale re-architecture planned for React Native. The main focus is to make it flexible. Besides, efforts are made to smoothly integrate it with the native infrastructure. This effort is named Fabric.

The Fabric includes three vital changes.

  • New Threading Model:

Each UI updates are to be performed on three threads in the current threading model. The new model aims at updating UI synchronously. The idea is to maintain the responsiveness of JavaScript. Yet, the main thread will be rid of low-priority works.

  • Asynchronous Rendering:

This mainly allows multiple rendering. Besides, it focuses on simplifying the asynchronous data handling capabilities.

  • Simplified Bridge:

In its development stages, React Native had a single bridge. The new bridge aims to simplify the direct calls of JavaScript with the native framework. Also, it helps to build debugging tools easily with cross-language stack traces. React Native’s re-architecture essentially focuses on making it lightweight. Thus, it can work faster too.

This new architecture aims to overcome the challenges faced in the last few years. React Native thus aims to get a modern look with all the existing functionalities. Building features such as native navigation as well as gesture handling are made straightforward. Incorporating UICollectionVIew or RecyclerView is simplified.

4. New API

Facebook aims to restructure the APIs. It helps the developers to easily connect with the JavaScript engine with C++ codes. It allows you to use JSC, Hermes, and other APIs. All these help you to create a JavaScript runtime; create and access JS objects with C++; load JS bundle, and allow JS and C++ callback functions;

Final Thoughts

The future of React Native shines bright. The thriving community and the long-term goals help the framework to hold its momentum. React Native has transformed the mode of developing innovative solutions. Get fast and functional mobile applications that seamlessly gel with native platforms. React native is essentially a business-friendly framework that has huge community support.

The new releases, especially the Fabric, are a catalyst to the new era of developing cross-platform apps. Indeed they own a share in mobile app development. Hire talented and experienced React Native Developers for your next project here. Get Enterprise grade solutions by hiring a Offshore Software Development Company. Join the world of top brands built using React Native such as Facebook, Walmart, Instagram, and others now.

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