What is React Native?
Tags: react, reactnative, javascript
Published: 2022-09-08 07:58:03

React Native is a JavaScript framework for building native mobile apps. It used to be that if you wanted to create an app for iOS, you would need to use Objective-C or Swift. For Android, you would need to use Java. But with React Native, you can write one codebase that will work for both platforms! It's designed to help you create high-quality, performance apps quickly and easily. In this guide, we'll cover the basics of [React Native](https://reactnative.dev/) so that you can get started creating your own apps.

## What is React Native? 
React Native is a cross-platform mobile development framework that allows developers to create native mobile applications using JavaScript and React. React Native uses the same core principles as React, but instead of targeting web browsers, it targets mobile platforms. This means that you can use all of the same framework's features when developing for both **iOS** and **Android**. 

## How Does React Native Work? 
React Native works by compiling JavaScript code into native code for each platform. This approach has a few advantages over other methods of mobile development, such as hybrid apps and web apps. First, because React Native uses the same principles as React, it makes it easy for developers who are already familiar with the framework to get started with mobile development. Second, compiling code into native code results in better performance than other methods (such as Interpreted JavaScript), since there is no need to run an interpreter on the device. Read more in this [React Native guide](https://orimo.dk/en/a-beginners-guide-to-react-native-creating-mobile-apps-with-javascript/). Finally, compiling code also gives you access to all of the platform's native features (such as push notifications and access to native APIs), which would otherwise be unavailable to web apps or hybrid apps. 

## Why Use React Native? 
There are a few reasons why you might want to consider using React Native for your next mobile app development project: 

- If you're already familiar with React: If you're a web developer who wants to get started with mobile development, using React Native will be a much easier transition than learning a new framework from scratch. 
- If you care about performance: Because React Native compiles code into native code, it results in better performance than interpreted languages (such as JavaScript) or hybrid approaches (such as Cordova). 
- If you need access to native features: If your app needs to access any of the platform's native features (such as the camera or push notifications), then you'll need to use either a native approach or something like Cordova which wraps around the native APIs. With React Native, you can write one set of code and have access to those APIs on both iOS and Android. 

## Components
One of the best things about React Native is that it uses Components. Components are like little pieces of code that you can reuse over and over again. So if you have a button that you want to use in multiple places in your app, you can create a Button component once, and then use that component wherever you need it. This makes your code more reusable and easier to maintain. To learn more about Components, check out our guide on the subject.

## JSX
Another great thing about React Native is JSX. JSX is a syntax extension of JavaScript that lets you write HTML-like markup directly in your JavaScript code. So instead of having to write separate HTML and CSS files, you can write everything in one JavaScript file using JSX. This makes your code more concise and easier to read. We have also made an app for [Shoppetur](https://shoppetur.dk), where you can go online shopping and find cheap products. To learn more about JSX, check out our guide on the subject.
 

## Styling
When it comes to styling your React Native app, there are several options available to you. You can use inline styles, CSS stylesheets, or styled-components. Inline styles are the most common way to style React Native components. With inline styles, you specify the style properties directly on the component using a JavaScript object. This gives you the most control over how your component looks, but it also requires more effort than other methods. 

CSS stylesheets are another option for styling React Native components. With CSS stylesheets, you create separate CSS files (usually one per component) and import them into your JavaScript files. This keeps your styling logic separate from your components themselves, which can make your code easier to read and maintain. However, it does require more setup than inline styles do. 
 
Finally, there's styled-components. Styled-components lets you write actual CSS code inside your JavaScript files. This can be convenient if you're already familiar with CSS syntax and don't want to learn a new syntax (such as Sass). However, it does require some extra setup (such as setting up babel-plugin-styled-components). 

React Native is a powerful tool for creating native mobile apps quickly and easily. In this guide, we covered the basics of React Native so that you can get started creating your own apps today! Thanks for reading!