The number of mobile apps has crossed 3 million across two major platforms, and the app revenue is several hundred billion now. Every day, too many new businesses and app creators are coming with their mobile apps. The App economy is more vibrant than any national economy on the planet earth.
The increasing demand for mobile apps is making hybrid and cross-platform development popular. Faster development across platforms with significant cost advantage is the key value proposition of cross-platform app development. On the other hand, delivering native mobile experience has become a key factor for user engagement, branding, and business conversion.
Fortunately, we have React Native, a cross-platform app development framework for delivering highly native app user experience. No wonder mobile app developers worldwide find this framework so popular for their cross-platform projects.
Here are some of the key aspects that explain the popularity of the React Native framework.
1. Its Already Time Tested Now
React Native was launched by Facebook way back in 2014, and since then, it continues to remain popular as the most versatile and powerful hybrid app development framework. It has already passed the test of time as it has been used in hundreds of leading app projects, including Facebook, Skype, Uber, Instagram, Tesla, Pinterest, and many others.
2. Platform Independent
As we already know, React Native is a cross-platform development framework to build apps that can run efficiently on both iOS and Android. Despite the differences in UI and UX, the mobile app development company uses React Native for building versatile apps on both iOS and Android platforms.
It is a high platform-independent framework that offers platform-specific modules and file extensions for UI implementation in that OS platform. React can pick the precise file based on the OS platform, and thus, it helps build great hybrid apps.
3. Fast-Paced Development
React Native offers a robust repository of reusable components for building sophisticated mobile apps at a great pace. Moreover, by sharing the code across both iOS and Android, React Native keeps the development efforts minimum. With huge community support, React Native library’s reusable components continue to increase, making development easier and more cost-effective every day.
4. Robust Plugin Support
React Native comes with a rich library of third-party plugins taking care of almost everything in the development process, including custom development, UI design, testing and QA processes, etc.
Thanks to these libraries and plugins, the developers can further build the apps faster with a streamlined approach. React Native allows an unprecedented level of customization in respect of app features and design elements, and it is precisely done thanks to the robust repository of plugins.
5. Talent Hunting
Now when it comes to the challenge of finding React Native developer talents, it is not difficult considering the robust community it already boasts of. The best thing about the framework is that it offers a quite manageable learning curve for developers with web development experience and a basic command over the Javascript language.
6. Custom UI/UX Development
Since a great UI and UX are at the center stage of a successful app, these two elements stand as non-negotiable. React Native framework comes equipped with a robust repository full of prebuilt libraries and components. The vast majority of these components are created to deliver a smooth and minimalist UI design and effortless user experience (UX).
Since React Native is a JavaScript framework that has already been used in countless projects across the niches, it comes with a robust component library covering every UI/UX specification. Any UI or UX element that you might have dreamed about for way too long may already exist with the React Native framework. You can find the ready to use component for building a great performance-savvy app.
7. Uncompromising Performance
React Native comes with all modules that are required to implement platform-specific UIs and UX. Thus so-called performance glitches common with hybrid apps can be completely avoided by using the React Native framework. The React Native architecture brings together JavaScript and native modules, and through a JS bridge, both are implemented in a befitting manner to shape the UI and UX.
8. Ideal for MVP Development
The MVP (minimum viable product) refers to an app development approach with basic and elementary features and UI elements that allow faster time to market and low development cost for app projects. The basic app tested and verified through real user feedback can be made better with subsequent value additions in the form of updates.
Now React Native, with its component-based architecture, is perfect to fit this app development methodology. While the basic app is launched, over time, with new components and libraries, value additions can be made through updates.
9. Hot Reloading
The hot Reloading feature helps React Native developers test the effects of their code in real-time and avoid committing mistakes that can make a bad user experience. The hot reloading feature by incorporating quicker testing also allows optimum productivity besides ensuring development quality.
Conclusion
React Native has almost gone beyond the level of criticism for its effectiveness in cross-platform app projects. Though Flutter has appeared already as a strong contender, the popularity and dominance of React Native are not going to wane away too soon.
Also Read: Learn How to Build Mobile Apps with React Native
