All the developers are now going crazy about React Native. We decided to ask our Technical and Team Leader, Zbigniew, what’s so special about this framework, and how Liki teams are using it.
“Basically, this framework uses an ECMAScript (like JavaScript) for fast mobile app prototyping. It is based on React, that was used to create a Facebook page, for instance. The biggest advantage of using React Native – similar to Python, – is a large set of predefined components that can be reused multiple times in different apps.”
In this way, developers can greatly reduce the time needed to create the app. Moreover, React Native allows to generate different codes simultaneously – Android and iOS, – without a need to work on them separately, so, in practice, two versions of an application can be done by one person and done in no time.
“Of course, testing and fixing bugs takes longer, together with graphics and supporting management activities – just like in a native approach, but the time spent on development is incomparably shorter.”
Other projects that Liki teams are currently developing, using React Native, are the city game app and the app providing discount coupons in the shops of our client. Before deciding whether to use React Native, our Tech leaders analyze the project requirements and check whether this framework will be suitable.
“In my opinion, React Native can be a good solution for small and medium apps, where we’re focused on the content, and the formatting can be simply generated by using the available default patterns. If we see the possibility to make an app development faster by using this framework, we will offer that to our clients. In case of applications requiring complicated architecture and various customized components, a native app will always be a better solution, as then we can have more possibilities to create specific patterns and control the elements or hardware.”
Probably, it doesn’t make sense to use React Native for developing strongly customized apps. It’s still possible, however, it may take even longer than writing two native apps (Android and iOS). But we can say for sure, that with React Native, you will get a ready-made prototype fast!
