React native has been the best bet for developers since it uses a single codebase to build native apps in Android and iOS simultaneously and since its inception in 2015 by Facebook, it has definitely created waves in the market.
Best framework to build web and mobile
applications-
React native is really popular among web
enterprises worldwide due to its less retention of manpower as it has the
unique ability to build two different platform apps at the same time and that’s
why as a developer, one must understand how React native works and how it can
be implemented in the best possible manner to build front end interactive UI’s.
As a programmer, one should also be aware
of the advantages and disadvantages of learning React native and what are its
possibilities for future innovations? All these questions must be clear as you embark in the journey of learning
new framework
What is react native?
React native is most prominent JavaScript
library for developing desktop and mobile apps and it has the grabbed the
attention of developers to access faster results with less resources and better
optimisation. Let us check why React native is in so demand:
1.
React
Native uses single codebase to create mobile apps for Android and iOS platform
within short span of time and it ia cross browser compliant.
2.
React
Native has really boosted the morale of developers since its advent, as
formerly front end developers had to encounter many roadblocks to building applications by working on different tools
and techniques and now it just uses few snippets of code .
3.
React
Native is behind the production of world’s leading mobile apps which has huge
subscriber base such as Instagram, Facebook, Skype, Pininterest and Uber Eats
and the core of this framework is React- a rich JavaScript library .We shall be
discussing the difference between React and React Native far ahead in the
article.
History of react
native-
When Facebook took
the initiative to venture into the world of mobile app-based services, it first
started with building mobile webpage through the use of HTML5. However, the
attempts turned out to be futile as the concept didn’t withstand the test of
time and it was inferred that various improvisations are requited in terms of
user interface and optimisation of web pages. And certainly, Mark Zuckerberg
admitted his mistake on relying too much on HTML rather than going the native
way.
So in year 2012,
Jordan Walke, an employee of Facebook made a pathbreaking invention by which he
found a technique of designing UI elements using JavaScript for iOS apps and
soon a hackathon was organised to further have clarity on the mobile
application development could be expanded using JavaScript based solutions
(initially on the web applications). It was huge success and then in 2015 , the
mobile applications were launched in Android platform as well and this was the
birth od React Native and the framework was made public in that same year.
In 2018, just
three years later, the framework was supported by GitHub, world’s largest
community of web developers and it got expanded to 9100 contributors in
2019 with strong upgradation year by
year.
Difference between
react and react native-
In a simpler tone,
React native is nit an upgradation of React but it does uses the framework for
building client side mobile application development. React Native is
strengthened by React which is a powerful JavaScript library having different
UI elements.
So basically React
Native uses UI elements to compile a code and create front end website as per
the requirements of user. Both React and React Native uses JSX which is hybrid
of JavaScript and some mark-up language but the syntax which render the
components are different. React uses CSS and HTML while React Native uses native app user
interface elements.
As a developers ,
REACT cannot be used to create both Android and iOS apps so they are same
fundamentally but works on different approaches. Before we discuss the benefits
and drawbacks of using React Native in mobile application development, let us
first understand what is cross browser development?
All about cross
browser development-
Cross browser platforms
are software’s build structures that
works in different formats with a single codebase or in other words , the same
code can operate in myriad systems such as Windows and Linux. Adobe flash
player is an example in which it works in same way on all computer and mobile
devices.
Cross browsers
platforms have really proved to be a boon to software development in which same
code is utilised for operating different systems in context to other software’s
so the developers can drastically reduce their time and resources are saved.
Now the developers can use the tools and techniques such as C++ and JavaScript
to create some new product which are helpful for the business enterprises to
tap the potential and expand their growth. Various characteristics are-
1)
Large base of audience- Earlier the
marketers have to target the specific audience to cater to their specific
requirements but now a wider base of audience are readily available to comply
with cross platforms.
2)
Platform consistency- There are subtle differences in relation
to design and navigation features in
platform of Android and iOS apps and thus a consistent brand app
identity is developed over long periods of usage with minimal efforts as compared
to native apps.
3)
Reusability of code- In relation to native apps . the
developers need to frame separate code but in case of cross platform
development of apps ,the same code can be reused multiple times by
developers without losing out
efficiency.
4)
Product development- Since one codebase is there for
development of apps so the product is made more quickly and efficiently whereas
in native apps ,the development of product takes longer time as settings are to
be reframed according to the requirements.
5)
Reduced costs- Cross platform apps help in cost cutting
of business organisations as it is approx. 30% cheaper than the native apps as
code is reusable which ultimately leads to faster development.
As every product
has some pro’s, it also has some cons which the developers have to bear-
· More Expertise to
maintain high performance-Although native apps are arguably the most efficient
for high performance functioning of apps , the cross platform development of
apps must be performed under the developers who has greater expertise and is
extremely skilled at code readability .
· Harder code
designs
-Since cross platforms must comply to multiple designs and devices, the
developers have to exert harder to produce complex code whereas while building
native apps ,they can get away with simple code.
·
Long time release feature- It takes quite
some time to update the app in both Android and iOS apps whenever a new feature
is released whereas in native apps ,the update is quicker and faster.
Let us take a closer look on some cross
platform apps-
a)
FLUTTER- Developed by Google in 2017 ,Flutter has
really captured the market with its unique features of designing visually
appealing UI with the help of object oriented language such as Dart. It lets
developers change the features after editing the source code without opening
the app.
b)
XAMARIN- It is free and open source framework
created by Microsoft which allows 80 to 90% of code shared between different
operating systems. It uses C# as the language which is bit more difficult than
the usual JavaScript so the developers must be skilled in this framework and
it’s rather more stable. In the recent years, Microsoft has shown leverage
towards React Native in which they have managed to create 38 Microsoft apps
both in Android and iOS which utilises
React Native.
How does react
native work?
After discussion of cross platform apps let us quickly understand how React Native actually works? So even if you are an amateur in programming, then also it can easily be understood in Layman terms.
React Native is a
blend of JavaScript and JXL, a mark-up language familiar with XML.so RN acts as
bridge between JavaScript and native based threads as they both operates
through different languages so basically React Native is a bidirectional
framework which makes the communication between two possible .
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