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Introduction
ReactJs isa JavaScript library that works on both the client and the server. It's a widely used library that focuses on creating user interfaces (UI) for mobile and web-based apps. Facebook created it and is based on the JavaScript programming language, hence the name ReactJS.
The ReactJS framework is used in React Native, a cross-platform mobile framework. It is generally used to construct "native" mobile applications, as the name implies (like Windows, iOS, and Android). React Native, which was also developed by Facebook, has the advantage of allowing developers to construct mobile applications for a variety of platforms without sacrificing the end user's experience.
Both React Native and ReactJS are crucial pillars for app and online development, and they're also gaining attention with each passing day because of its flexible features and growing ecosystem of libraries. Reactjs is essentially a JavaScript library, and React Native is the whole framework. The former is at the heart of the latter and the two operate well together.
If Reactjs is best for generating high-functioning apps with complicated computations, then React Native is best for giving your mobile apps a native feel. Every developer technology or framework has restrictions, and Reactjs and React Native are no exceptions. As a result, it's a good idea to list the advantages and disadvantages of both of these technologies before deciding.
A JavaScript library for building user interfaces, mainly for web applications
A framework for building native mobile applications
Platform
Primarily used for web applications
Specifically designed for mobile platforms like iOS and Android
DOM
Uses Virtual DOM to optimize rendering on web browsers
Does not use Virtual DOM; uses native APIs to render components directly on mobile
Styling
CSS and CSS-in-JS libraries are used for styling
Uses StyleSheet API, similar to CSS, but with limitations tailored for mobile
Rendering
Renders components in HTML
Renders components as native views (e.g., <View>, <Text>) for mobile
Navigation
Relies on libraries like React Router for navigation
Uses libraries like React Navigation or built-in navigation components optimized for mobile
Animations
Supports CSS-based animations and JavaScript libraries
Uses libraries like Animated and Reanimated, optimized for smoother mobile animations
Community Support
Large and well-established community focused on web development
Growing community with resources focused on mobile development
Code Reusability
Code is reusable within web applications
Limited code reusability with ReactJS; mobile-specific components and styling required
Performance
Depends on browser optimizations and Virtual DOM
Generally optimized for mobile, leveraging native code for better performance on devices
Learning Curve
Easier for developers familiar with web development
Steeper learning curve due to mobile-specific concepts and platform differences (e.g., iOS vs Android)
Creating Projects in ReactJS and React Native
Now before going into further theoretical comparisons between the two. Let’s discuss how to create a project in ReactJS and React Native.
ReactJS Project
Step 1: Create a ReactJs project using the following command.
npx create-react-app first_app
Step 2: After creating your first_app project, use the following command to enter the project's directory.
cd first_app
Now you can see a lot of directories and files in the project structure and among all the files, App.js files contain the main UI content. Further, we can also change the content of the App.js file or make multiple .js files.
App.js (Code)
import React from "react";
import logo from "./logo.svg";
import "./App.css";
function App() {
return (
<div className="App">
<header className="App-header">
<img src={logo} className="App-logo" alt="logo" />
<p>ReactJS Demo Application</p>
</header>
</div>
);
}
export default App;
Step 3: To view the result, run the app using the following command from your project's root directory.
Step 1: First, you need to install the expo-cli using the following command.
npm install -g expo-cli
Step 2: Create a React Native project using the following command.
expo init first_app
Step 3: After creating your first_app project, use the following command to enter the project's directory.
cd first_app
Now you can see a lot of directories and files in the project structure, and among all the files, App.js files contain the main UI content. Further, we can also change the content of the App.js file or make multiple .js files.
Step 3: To view the result, run the app using the following command from your project's root directory.
expo start
Output: Now, you can see the output on your emulator.
Advantages of ReactJS
ReactJS provides us the ability to reuse its components. Developers can avoid writing duplicate code for related app components by using reusable codes. Thus rapid development at a lesser cost is possible.
Developers may utilize Javascript to write HTML because of Reactjs' notable front-end development features. Reactjs uses the tree reconciliation process to render the HTML visually. Using this method, there is a speed up the web application since it eliminates the need to repeatedly update the DOM items.
ReactJS provides the feature of code stability with the unidirectional data flow. This means changes that we made in the child components of react-js do not alter the parent components.
It allows faster rendering of web pages since the page loading time in the Reactjs app is quite short, which results in react-js web pages having a low bounce rate. Check out Advantages of React JS here.
Advantages of React Native
The most interesting aspect of using React Native to create apps and websites is the ability to produce platform-specific code. When you build an app with React Native, the framework automatically recognizes the platform it's running on. It generates the appropriate code for the appropriate platform this way.
Even a front-end web developer can construct an app with react native. React Native makes it easy for a front-end developer to construct an app rapidly because most of the code is written in Javascript. A front-end developer only has to understand Javascript (particularly Reactjs), platform APIs, some native UI elements, and any platform-specific design patterns to grasp the technology.
Because of the hot reloading feature, react native development takes less time. This allows developers the ability to reload a mobile app very quickly. Thus, speeding up the development process and saving time.
For a smoother UI experience, React native has ready-to-use UI frameworks. Sharing UI libraries like Shoutem, Expo, native base, and others saves time compared to generating them from scratch, allowing more time to be spent on innovation and ideas rather than constructing libraries from scratch.
Limitations of ReactJS
Learning Reactjs takes longer than learning React Native for a new developer. It indicates that Reactjs has a steeper learning curve, which can be a problem for new Reactjs developers.
It is frequently necessary to obtain another react-enabled library, which adds to the cost and effort. For example, if the developer is utilizing the Carbon framework for UI, then downloading Carbon components with react is essential.
Although Reactjs supports a large number of third-party libraries, it has very few native libraries. External libraries can now assist the developer in incorporating both HTML and CSS functionality into JSX, which has its own set of intricacies and steep learning curves.
Data navigation in Reactjs is difficult and time-consuming. In contrast to other JS Scripting tools, Reactjs does not provide concurrent data handling. In Reactjs, the user must first travel to the parent node, then to the topmost parent node, and finally to the second hierarchy of the tree node to move from one Div to another.
Limitations of React Native
Because of the lack of native libraries and the reliance on external, third-party libraries, React Native slows down the development process if the project has a lot of features.
The framework in which programmers can locate stylesheets such as CSS and tags such as HTML, as well as Javascript code, is quite loosely held. While this allows developers more freedom, it also presents issues because, unlike Java and Swift, it does not enforce any rules or parameters.
The problem with React Native is that setting up the runtime for gadgets and devices takes longer. The main cause is the JavaScript thread, which takes a long time to load.
If a feature isn't available in React Native, developers have two options: write native modules in Swift/Objective-C and Java themselves, or hire a native developer to create one. In a nutshell, React Native raises both cost and time overheads.
It depends on the platform; ReactJS is best for web applications, while React Native is ideal for creating native mobile applications.
Is React Native frontend or backend?
React Native is a frontend framework, used specifically for building user interfaces in mobile applications with components that render natively on mobile devices.
Is React Native only for mobile?
Primarily, yes. React Native is designed for mobile (iOS and Android) but also supports limited use on web and desktop with additional libraries.
Which language is used for React Native?
React Native primarily uses JavaScript and JSX. It can also incorporate native code in languages like Swift, Objective-C, and Java for platform-specific functionality.
Is it possible to add react-js to our existing project?
Yes, you have to set it up on your system. All you have to do now is add the react and react-dom script tags to your current HTML code and then use a script tag to call the Javascript file containing the component you generated. Then you insert a div element with the React component's name as its id where you want it to appear, and you're done.
Is it possible to add react-native to our existing project?
Yes, it is possible, given that your app does not rely on the smartphone doing significant processing activities. React Native's capabilities are constantly evolving, allowing for the creation of increasingly complex apps. Furthermore, transitioning to React Native reduces the cost of maintaining your app because there is only one codebase for both Android and iOS.