React can be a great tool for app development. But how is it used? What are its strengths and capabilities? What kind of projects should you use it for, and how can you make the most of it? And what about React Native? Let’s take a closer look at just what React is and what it does.
React.js
React (also called React.js) is a JavaScript library first developed for Facebook by Jordan Walke in 2011. In 2012, it was also adopted by Instagram. It’s used for the building and rendering of User Interface components, in the development of single page applications (such as the Facebook and Instagram newsfeeds), as well as mobile apps in general.
React is designed for simple use with your existing technology stack, whatever it may consist of. Because of that, it’s good not only for writing an app from scratch but for adding new features to an existing app, without having to rewrite the code that’s already in place. It’s component-based, allowing you to build those features on their own, as isolated components, then fully integrate them into your app with a render command.
There are a number of ways in which React can make your life easier. Since it’s compatible across different platforms, languages, and stacks, you’re able to reuse code, saving time and effort. It’s easy to read, even for those who haven’t used React before and are used to other libraries and frameworks. This also helps you to debug code quickly and get your app polished and ready in a faster time.
React Native
So, what’s the difference between React.js and React Native? Well, as its name implies, React Native is designed for building native mobile apps across multiple platforms—i.e. an iOS version and an Android version. While React.js can be used for mobile app development, React Native is often better for it. It allows you to build the app for all platforms from a single code, rather than having to recreate it multiple times for compatibility.
React Native is a more complete solution than React.js. While React.js requires the use of a bundler, React Native provides you with everything you need for app development on its own. Though you will need Android Studio installed on your computer in order to run the app on Android, and Xcode to run it on iOS.
The main difference between React.js and React Native is that the former is for building web pages, while the latter is geared more towards mobile devices. Therefore, React.js renders your project in HTML and React Native does not. This means a lot of the libraries you use with React.js, which use HTML, won’t be compatible with React Native. However, there’s a search tool that allows you to find a suitable counterpart library with React Native that does what you need without HTML.
Both React.js and React Native can be great tools for developing web pages, mobile apps and more. They’re built for compatibility and ease of use so that you can create what you need once and use it anywhere.
