What’s New in React Native 0.70
Tags: reactnative
Published: 2022-09-13 12:39:34

Recently React Native is releasing its new version 0.70, In the new release many features and functionalities are improved and rolled out with new React Native architecture. Let’s find out why it is all important. 

## What’s New: Hermes JavaScript Engine as Default ​

You might have heard about Hermes - it is a highly performing JavaScript engine optimized for React Native. It is there around the React Native. Before we had to install and configure it separately while building React Native applications. But after the update of React Native 0.69 - Hermes was bundled with this version. That makes it more simple to use it. 

And in the latest version of React Native 0.70 - Hermes comes up as a default JavaScript engine. Yes, That means you do not need any separate installation or configuration while doing a new project. 

## Why Hermes Matters

Now, You might have questions in mind about how Hermes is important and why it matters. So, let’s understand it quickly. It offers much better memory usage and performance compared to default JavaScript engines. Before we have to install it and configure it separately. So, apps are not able to take advantage of it. 

So, the release of 0.70 will surely improve the performance of React Native apps by enabling Hermes by default. If you have your business application based on React Native, you surely can enable the Hermes. It is absolutely worth the effort.

## What’s New: Build Improvements & Cross-Platform Consistency

Also there are other new updates in the release of 0.70 that improve the React Native build and development process.

**- Android Auto-linking for New Architecture libraries**

It is one of the important parts of the development process of React Native.  Auto-linking allows the incorporation of native code into development via JavaScript modules with the use of package managers such as npm or yarn. Before this release, it needed manual linking on Android but now with the new update it’s fully auto for iOS and Android.

**- Full CMake support for Android builds​**

The new release of 0.70 announced the full CMake support for Android and they will no longer rely on the common NDK build system. Yes, it means now React Native has better support, will integrate with a more mature system, easier to maintain and upgrade. 

**- A new unified configuration for Codegen​**

This update is surely for those library developers who develop bindings between native code and JavaScript. Codegen is used in React Native to generate native code automatically. Before the new update, It required separate configurations for iOS and Android.

## Why This New Updates Matters

The overall and end goal of this update is to improve and make the developer workflow better. Specifically for developing Android Apps. This update adds more consistency in the development process of React Native for both iOS and Android. It makes React Native a seamless cross-platform development platform.

## How to Upgrade 

Upgrading to the new version will always be a bit tricky and challenging. You surely need to take the help of the best React Native upgrade services provider. They have expertise and knowledge between your current version and the target version.

But, Yes there aren’t any major updates and features in React Native 0.70. They are just updates to improved support for React Native’s new architecture. If you have your application in the old version of React Native, Upgrade it now to React Native 0.70 by contacting [React Native Development Services](https://www.bacancytechnology.com/react-native-app-development) Provider.