React.js was developed by Facebook to address its need for a dynamic and high performing User Interface(UI). In 2011, Jordan Walke and his team from Facebook released the React JS library, a JavaScript library that brought together the speed of JavaScript and a new way of rendering pages, leading to responsive and dynamic user input. In 2015, two years after the team open-sourced React.js and its popularity grew, they released React Native.

React Native was developed and launched by Facebook Developers Community in 2015 and became quite an interesting part among mobile app developers.

It can be used for building cross-platform mobile apps. The framework was later customized by contributors to use it for building desktop apps as well.

Though React Native looks very similar to React.js, there are certain differences in their use and structure. In this web series, we will discuss and see what differentiates React Native from React.js.

React.js

React.js is basically a JavaScript library built to create user-friendly and responsive UI components. And also known as React, the library is responsible for the rendering of UI components in a typical technical sense. It is capable of supporting both frontend and server-side operations.

React Native

React Native is a powerful JavaScript framework used to build native applications, as it compiles to React Native components. Like React JS, and React Native also has the base abstractions of React DOM.

This suggests that while components are different, their syntax and workflow remain similar.

Setup and Running Process

React.js is a JavaScript library that you can use for web development. While starting a new project and setting up ReactJS, you will need to choose Webpack, which is actually a Components bundler. You will then decide which bundling modules will specifically suit your project.

In React Native, you have everything you need to set up and get started. It is so easy and fast to launch the framework. All it takes is to run one command in your terminal, and you are ready to start coding your first ever React Native app.

Animations Used In React

Unlike React JS, where CSS helps to create animations, React Native makes you learn entirely new ways to use JavaScript and create animations for components of your app.

With React Native, developers can animate components in the app by using the Animated API. There is quite a well-known JavaScript library, Velocity.js, that you can use as well.

Velocity.js allows developers to form assorted animations. They work based on time and velocity of gesture and can be used in many combinations. You can also use LayoutAnimation in React Native that is beneficial for creating transitions, especially on iOS.

Developer Tools

Rapid app development seekers would be happy to use React in their native project since you already get a few great tools without actually installing anything.

This unique quality saves a lot of time and effort for developers. In addition, hot reloading enabled by React JS comes in handy when there is a need to make small changes to overall app styles.

You can leverage Live Reload if there are bigger changes to add to the app logic, so that your app reloads upon changing the code.

React Native developers can use many developer tools present in React JS. You can use Chrome Dev Tools to inspect the network requests, handle logs, and debug applications.

You also have Redux DevTools for further assistance in an inspection. However, the native inspector is not very helpful since you can’t inspect DOM with React Native like you are able to do on the web.

Business Benefits of React.js

React’s DOM (document object model) that manages data inputs and outputs is much faster than the conventional refresh model. Since it only partially refreshes certain parts of the page, Facebook never knew the process of refreshing would prove to be faster. By positively affecting the re-build time, the partial DOM refresh eventually boosts performance and speed while writing programs.

The phenomenon of reusable code components in React JS further saves you a lot of time.

React.js also improves the debugging speed, which highly favors developers’ work.

The possibility of rendering pages from the server to the browser helps positively with SEO.

React quite easily comes to even beginners. Because it is effortlessly readable, unlike other frameworks, React doesn’t require you to become heavily acquainted with an extensive list of concepts.

Since it is based on JavaScript, developers are free to reap the maximum benefits of all the progress and updates in the Java ecosystem.

How we write in React !!

import React, { Component } from 'react'; import ReactDOM from 'react-dom'; // every component is created by // Appfinz Technologies // extending the React Component class. class Clock extends React.Component { constructor(props) { super(props); // constructor creates an instance of this class. this.state = {date: new Date()}; } componentDidMount() { // this function is called immediately // after component is mounted on DOM. this.timerID = setInterval( () => this.tick(), 1000 ); } componentWillUnmount() { // called before component will unmount from DOM. clearInterval(this.timerID); } tick() { // this function is used to update the // state of Clock component. this.setState({ date: new Date() }); } render() { return ( <div> <h1>Today Date and Time</h1> <h2>It is {this.state.date.toLocaleTimeString()}.</h2> </div> ); } } // code will not run needs specific environment setup ReactDOM.render( <Clock />, document.getElementById('root') );

Business Benefits of React Native

React Native contains Native modules and components that help render certain code components directly with Native APIs to improve performance and speed. It does not depend on WebView for code rendering, unlike other cross-platform frameworks.

Since React Native also lets developers reuse code and a common logic layer across iOS and Android, the need for building the applications separately for both is avoided.

React Native offers all the mentioned benefits of React.js, such as delivering a user-friendly UI.

The component-based development model of React Native framework creates an agile web-style approach for developers to build apps without actually relying on any web.

React Native is easy to learn if you are familiar with JavaScript. A front-end developer could turn into a mobile developer if they know enough about JavaScript and platform-specific APIs, native UI elements, or other design essentials.

By delivering high performance, agility and responsiveness in app development, React Native gets rid of typical struggles involved in native app development, such as inefficiency, slow deployment, and unsatisfying developer productivity. It also results in the best user experience of native apps.

Another React Native speed booster is its ability to add UI components directly into the existing app’s code without aiming to rewrite. So you don’t have to overhaul the entire app when updating.

How we write in React natives !!

import React, { Component } from 'react'; import { Text, View } from 'react-native'; class ReactNative extends Component { render() { return ( // it is a container, layout support with flexbox think // of it like a div with a container class. <View> <Text>// A react component for displaying text. If you like React on the web, you'll like React Native. </Text> <Text> You just use native components like 'View' and 'Text', instead of web components like 'div' and 'span'. </Text> </View> ); } }

Final Remarks

The process of mobile app development using React Native framework is swimmingly fast. So, you can quickly get an app ready in a mature shape. Building the complex UI design elements in React Native is also quick, as it usually is with React JS across both iOS and Android.

For React Native learners who are especially keen on JavaScript programming, it is easy and agile to switch from React JS web to React-Native app development.

At present developers are struck by three major options in mobile application development: React Native and Google’s Flutter and Ionic Framework.

Developers also have a huge advantage of getting the best out of the big and benevolent React Native community. Thus, Facebook’s original framework React Native has a lot to offer and is a recommendable technology for any web developer who wants to build mobile apps.

The bottom line, React is ideal for building dynamic, high performing, responsive UI for your web interfaces, while React Native is meant to give your mobile apps a truly native feel.

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