Why React Native is the Future of Hybrid App Development

Posted by codingp on November 27th, 2020

Facebook launched the react-native framework that is extremely beneficial in the development of the business to business B2B applications, enterprises digital solutions, apps that contain high-resolution images and dynamic forms, and software used internally by companies, education, and platforms, etc. One of the multiple benefits of the react-native framework is the ability to develop cross-platform applications in a cheaper way that can run on both android and IOS using the same codebase simultaneously.

Owing to this one aforementioned benefit React Native is widely claimed to be the “Future of Hybrid App Development”. We’ll dig deep down into this claim and will scrutinize how much water does this concept hold?

What is React Native?

React Native, also known as RN, is a popular JavaScript-based mobile app framework that allows you to build natively-rendered mobile apps for iOS and Android. The framework lets you create an application for various platforms by using the same codebase.

Statistics about React Native

According to Statistica, some of the pertinent facts and figures about the react native technology are as follows:

  • 42% of the cross-platform developers used React Native for cross-platform development in 2019 and 2020 thus making it the most-used framework for cross-platform development leaving behind Flutter, Cordova, Ionic, Xamarin, Unity, and many others. 
  • It is owned by Facebook Inc. 
  • It can develop mobile applications for Android, Android TV, IOS, MacOS, tyOS, Web, Windows, and UWP enabling developers to use React’s framework along with native platform capabilities. 

Benefits of React Native Apps

  • Highly compatible with third-party apps and plug-ins 
  • Cross-platform 
  • Shorter development cycle 
  • Enhanced User Interfaces 
  • Highly Portable 
  • Highly Efficient Mobile Application Development Process
  • Open-Source and Community Driven 

Cross-Platform

The dilemma of developing the app either in Android or IOS has been resolved with the entrance of the react-native into the picture. With Fortune 500 companies and some of the startups that have taken the world to the storm using react native technology for cross-platform development, the hype has been created about the technology. The hype is true as it provides high efficiency, quicker deployment, cross-platform mobile app development with a single codebase, and shorter mobile app development cycles. The developers do not need to write the same functionality code in JAVA and C #.

Compatibility with Third-Party Plug-ins

The use of plug-ins can change from being good to worst in a matter of milliseconds. The good nuisance of the react-native is that it is highly compatible with the third-party plugins and apps. It builds and maintains this compatibility by linking the plugins with the native modules and allow the features like rotate, and zoom to take less memory and get loaded in a much shorter time without using WebView.

Shorter Development Cycle

The development cycle is shortened because it enables the developers to use the same code for different application development, leveraging the single layout engines for both IOS and Android and its hate for the “re-building” are some of its features that have significantly shortened the development cycle. Furthermore, the native components can be added by using the native components without writing any code for it.

Highly-Efficient

The app development process becomes efficient, the development process takes shorter-time and the deployment becomes quicker. Haven’t we already told you that? The reusability of the same code to develop different apps makes it highly cost-efficient. The developers have devised the name “Write-Once and Use-Everywhere” for its efficiency, reusability, and cost-effectiveness combined.

Big tech and industry giants like UberEats, Walmart, Facebook, and Instagram are using it hence any improvement in the framework naturally mean the testing would be on Facebook and Walmart and after successful results, it would be included in the framework so, startups and mobile app development companies can blindly trust the framework.

Open-Source and Community Driven

The React-Native technology is open source which means everyone can see the code used to develop the program. It builds a community of developers who are passionate and motivated to make the code bug—free and feature-enhanced. The benefits of a community-driven environment are numerous including a huge team of native developers, and enthusiastic JS who could share their expertise and make the best use of freely available components.

Highly Portable

The live feature-update is one of its features that enable the developers to push the updates to the client’s phone without going through the application store update cycle. The whole process gets simplified and streamlined with React Native app development.

Enhanced User-Interfaces

One of its new capability that is shaping the new contours of mobile app development is its diverse user interfaces. The fluidity of the JavaScript interactions within the native environment makes the UI more responsive and results in quicker load times.

Cutting-Edge Application Manifestations of RN

Some of the cutting-edge mobile applications that are the epitome of the React Native technology re as follows;

  • Online Retailer Walmart
  • Bloomberg Customer App
  • Instagram
  • SoundCloud Pulse
  • Townske
  • Wix
  • Delivery.com
  • Gyroscope
  • Uber Eats
  • Facebook
  • Airbnb
  • Discord
  • Skype
  • Pinterest
  • Salesforce
  • Baidu

Summing Up

Undoubtedly, the future of hybrid-app development belongs to React Native and it is here to stay for a longer period of time with Facebook having its back. It would be a prudent and genteel step to consider it for hybrid-app development. It will prove to be a win-win situation for the developer and open-source and community-driven React Native framework.

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codingp
Joined: October 9th, 2019
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