Before advancing any part of this article, first things first:
What is React Native and why is it so important right now?
Based on JavaScript and ReactJS, React Native is a cross-platform native application programming framework. Right now, it is one of the most popular technologies.
But to understand a little more its importance and origin, it must be said that it was born from the hand of Facebook with the aim of developing native apps using web technology, Javascript. They promise a result of performance similar to a native app, as well as an identical appearance with the advantages of hybrid apps.
It goes without saying that React Native is not for all projects, you have to analyze and conceptualize all projects before launching into a specific technology, either native or hybrid.
Having said that, we will talk about the pros and cons of this tool.
Native apps have a professional look and their performance is considerable, but it is necessary to know each platform in depth and are prone to having an infinity of bugs. Another aspect to keep in mind is that when developing in native, you have the feeling of repeating work over and over on each platform.
Also keep in mind that these apps will have very limited access to native hardware and APIs. Also, these systems tend to have rather poor development and debugging environments compared to native ones (XCode and Android Studio).
Perhaps one of the questions that arises at this time of reading is whether React Active is appropriate to develop our applications. Unfortunately the answer to be given is: it depends.
Although the vast majority of projects can really benefit from the advantages that React Native brings us and programming in native code can take a back seat. We must bear in mind that React Native uses the most widely used programming language in the world (Javascript) and the world’s largest package manager (NPM). This, for the non-programmer, means guarantees and long-term stability. That is, the technology used will not be interrupted and, in addition, it has and will have a wide community. We are not facing a risky experiment in which we can be left alone or lying halfway.
In addition, react native app developers will have access to all the features that native SDKs offer, so, unlike hybrid development, this technology allows you to exploit 100% of the possibilities of the platforms (iOs and Android) and, therefore, of the devices. Answering the question, React Native may become the default code used by many developers or app development companies, relegating the native to projects with very specific characteristics.
What it does give us as a definitive answer is that React Native can be used in any scenario.
The development community for this platform continues to grow and Facebook’s own developers do not stop publishing new native functionalities to expand the possibilities, however another of the advantages of React Native is that, if necessary (a possible functionality or the integration of a third party service), it is possible to integrate native code in the project, so choosing React Native does not entail giving up native code.
React native offers us an advanced programming environment, agile development and a native user experience. If you come from the world of the web, you will see that it is easy to create a totally native app and if you come from the native world, you will be surprised by the latest advances in web development.
