Everything You Need To Know About React Native Ecosystem

Table of Contents

Introduction

When it comes to cross-platform app development React Native is the knight in shining armor for business owners. Many industry giants like Uber, Microsoft, and Facebook, accept this notion and use React Native for app development. But, it is a single factor behind the popularity of React Native. Instead, it is a whole lot of components, debuggers, tools, and many others that combine and form the entire React Native Ecosystem. So, this blog post is a comprehensive take on understanding the reason behind its popularity amongst business owners. Before we begin with the React Native Ecosystem, we must know what React Native is.

React Native - A JavaScript Framework

It is finely molded to make feature-rich native frameworks. React Native is based on the JavaScript library of Facebook, React. With attractive designs and a user-friendly interface, React Native differs from React because the former promotes mobile applications, whereas the latter targets websites. To put it this way, the present-day web developers of React can efficiently work on building mobile apps with the help of React Native, a framework similar to what they excel in. Further, the framework embeds a fully native interface capable of sharing codes between platforms. It enhances the development process, making it easier for a single developer to reuse the code and develop apps for Android and iOS platforms.

Much like React, React Native codes in XML markup and JavaScript language. Once the code is ready, the React Native bridge invokes powerful APIs in Java/Objective-C to deploy Android/iOS applications. In a way, it transfuses the web-based application to display a mobile-friendly interface instead of web views. Thanks to the React Native component libraries and development tools, all of this is possible with similar ease and integration. You might want to Know the Cost to Build a React Native App.

Sounds good! The brief to what is appealing, and now that we know all about React Native, we head toward describing its vast React Native Ecosystem.

React Native Boilerplate

The first segment of our React Native Ecosystem is a React Native Boilerplate which is a code that enables you to start your development project without the hustle of the time-consuming config process. It helps your developers manually iterate several codes in your project. The most significant benefit of a React Native Boilerplate is that it saves time and has a minimal learning curve because instead of coding from scratch, you can implement code templates which makes your developer’s work more effortless thanks to a specific frame scaffolding code.

1. React-Native Boilerplate Starter Kit

The React Native Boilerplate not only comes with NativeBase but is a library that provides us with essential cross-platform UI components for React Native and Redux persistence. This library allows us to save the redux store in the local storage of our browser. It has 3.2k Stars and 466 Forks on GitHub.

2. React Hooks

Hooks are a new addition to React 16.8. They let you use state and other React features without writing a class. They are the functions that let you “hook into” React state and lifecycle features from function components. Hooks are also backward-compatible. It has 31.2k Stars and 2.5k Forks on GitHub.

3. NativeBase

NativeBase is an accessible, utility-first component library by Geeky Ants that helps you build consistent UI across Android, iOS, and the web. It has 18.1k Stars and 2.2k Forks on GitHub. It enables devs to build universal design systems. It is one tool that offers a local ecosystem to create native applications. Developers can use third-party libraries and React components to build cross-platform UI components.

4. react-native-fiber Library (for UI Kit and Animation things)

It is a starter kit for React Native based on the UI Kit of the same name from Framer and is focused on animations. You can use them as turn-key solutions for your next project. Fiber can easily be customized and is built on with NativeBase and react-navigation.

5. react-native-responsive-ui Library (for Responsive UI)

It is a small library that offers two simple methods so your React Native developers can make their UI elements fully responsive. It also provides an optional third way to detect screen orientation and automatic rerendering per new dimensions. After the updation, this library now offers flow type support, and types can work out of the box without needing additional setup.

6. React-navigation or Router Flux

React Native Navigation is module dependent and is designed to be used for React Native. It directly uses native navigation for iOS and Android APIs, allowing for a more native look and feel. When working on embedding navigation within the React Native apps, developers can choose from two different variants. It has 12.6k Stars and 2.7k Forks on GitHub.

• React Navigation: It is a widely used navigation library that works well with navigation tools to react to native apps. Also, it is regarded as the improvised version of the Navigation Experimental.
• React Native Router Flux: It is a robust library and the most preferred by all developers; it is easy to use and restricts the navigational logic from the UI of the developed apps.

A. StackNavigator
It enables your app to transition between screens where each new screen is placed on top of a stack. Initially, it is configured to have a familiar look and feel for Android and iOS; new screens slide in from the right on iOS and use OS default animation on Android. But they are customizable to these animations to match your needs.

B. DrawerNavigator
It is a UI panel that shows the app’s navigation menu. It is hidden in case of no use but appears when the user swipes a finger from the edge of the screen or when the user touches the top of the drawer icon added at the app bar. It can also be addressed as a component that renders a navigation drawer that can be opened and closed via gestures.

C. TabNavigator
React Native Tab Navigation is the most common navigation style in mobile applications. It is tabbed at the bottom of the screen or on the top below the header, or sometimes as a header. It is used to switch between different route screens.

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7. State Management (Redux[Thunk Middleware/Saga Middleware])

React Native Ecosystem offers you a way to manage this data across your app, from the value of a text field to the rows on a table. And as you are aware that Redux is a global state management library. So, if you wish to async your tasks. You can opt amongst the two Redux middlewares based on their features given below:

Redux-Thunk

• Easily understandable in comparison to redux-saga
• Lesser boilerplate code
• Complex Scaling
• Action creators may hold too much async logic
• Challenging to test

Redux-Saga

• Multiple concepts like generator functions and redux-saga effects make it hard to understand
• Comparatively, more boilerplate code
• Easy to scale as compared to redux-thunk
• Action creators stay pure
• Easier to test as all your async logic remains together

8. react-native-vector-icons (For Vector Icons)

It is a particular library that helps you build your ToolBar/NavBar/TabBar for Android or image sources. Across the world, plenty of Android apps already use it, and you might want to. React Native Vector Icons has made 15.5k stars and 1.9k forks on GitHub, which tells about its popularity.

9. Font

The font in React Native presets and some text classes using the FontSize variables. You can use It to change the size and alignment of the text as per your preference

10. Primary Colors of App

React Native Ecosystem offers many color APIs that allow you to utilize your platform’s design and user preferences fully. It also uses color name strings as values.

• PlatformColor: It lets you reference the platform’s color system.
• DynamicColorIOS: It is iOS-centric and lets you specify the colors you want to use in light or dark mode.

11. React-native-elements

React Native Elements is a UI library for React Native projects built using javascript, which is customizable and works across both iOs and Android platforms. Experts and naive developers both show a keen interest in this particular library. It has gathered 20.6k stars and 4.2k forks on GitHub, which is more than enough to prove my point.

12. Material UI kit

One of the rising React Native Component libraries built above Galio.io, React Native, and Expo is the Material Kit, which enables you to create amazing apps. It has a collection of customized buttons, cards, navigation, and inputs, which is quite close to Google’s material design. This library is getting attention and a strong community on GitHub with 483 stars and 219 forks.

13. Lottie(For Animation)

Airbnb provides the Lottie library for React Native within the React Native Ecosystem, which enables developers to add animations to their applications. This library helps to convert Adobe animations into web app consumable formats. When using React Native, the Lottie library has gathered 14.8k stars and 1.6k forks on GitHub. So if you want to build a visually attractive app, try to use this React Native library.

React Native Debugging Tools

Debugging is the most crucial part of your app development process and for React Native Ecosystem. It makes you aware of all functional and non-functional components, correct or incorrect codes, etc. But it allows you to assess your project before the development phase. Here are some excellent React native Debugging Tools for your development project.

1. Google Chrome Developer Tools

The first React Native Debugging Tool is Google Chrome Tools which is a comprehensive toolkit for your developers, built directly into the Chrome browser. Google Chrome Developer Tools lets you edit web pages in real-time, diagnose problems more quickly, and create better websites faster.

2. Rectron

Reactotron is primarily a desktop-based open-source application by Infinite Red. It is a React Native Debugging Tool that helps you check React JS and React Native Apps and supports OS like Windows, Mac, and Linux. From inspecting to subscribing and modifying the app’s state. It can also track the request of HTTPS as made through the app. In a way, this ensures optimizing the performance of the app and tracks errors. Redux, along with reactotron, can dispatch actions and track sagas.

3. Flipper

Another one in this React Native Debugging tool is Flipper which is a platform for debugging Android, iOS, and other React Native apps. It presents features like visualizing, inspecting and controlling your apps from a simple desktop interface. You can use Flipper as is or extend it using the plugin API.

React Native Ecosystem - Additional Features

1. Payment

The whole world is getting onto online payments and for enabling those online payment services many renowned brands exist like Google Pay, Paypal, and Apple Pay but these all can be integrated with a few resources like Stripe, Braintree, or Razorpay. While Paytm can be integrated using Webview in React Native.

• Stripe: It has a cloud-based infrastructure for reliability, scalability, and security. It is developer-centric, works for business websites and applications, and is rooted in code and design. You can use Stripe as a standalone solution for sending invoices and collecting payments for products and services. Retail giants such as Lyft, Amazon, Microsoft, and companies like Kinsta use Stripe.
• Razor Pay: You can start accepting payments on your React Native app by integrating with Razorpay React Native Standard SDK. It acts like a wrapper around the Razorpay Standard SDK to build a dynamic and responsive checkout interface for your iOS or Android application.
• Braintree is a full-stack payment platform that helps accept payments in your app or website. It replaces the old model of sourcing a payment gateway and merchant accounts from various providers. It also offers single-touch payments to mobile SDKs and foreign currency acceptance.
• Clover: Accepting any type of payment is a snap—from in-person swipe, chip, and tap, to online payments.

2. Push Notification

We all must have seen some pop-ups within our web apps which are Push notifications messages or alerts sent by a web app your user has installed. Foreground and background notifications are two main types of notifications.

• Firebase: Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) offers a reliable and battery-efficient connection between your devices and servers that permits you to deliver and receive messages and notifications on iOS, Android, and the web at no cost.
• One Signal: OneSignal is a service that enables push notifications, abstracting details such as the platform the device is running on with the OneSignal plugin. It is the fastest and most reliable service for sending push notifications, in-app messages, SMS, and emails.

3. Live Chat

It is a React Native component within the React Native Ecosystem just to add a LiveChat widget to your application. It works for both iOS and Android.

• Firebase
• Twilio
• Socket

4. Deep Linking

• Firebase: It can work the way you want on multiple platforms, irrespective of whether your app is already installed. It emphasizes user experience. If the user clicks the dynamic link, they are redirected to the native app; if the app isn’t installed, then the user is redirected to the install page.
• CleverTap: CleverTap is a customer retention platform that provides the functionality to integrate app analytics and marketing. The platform helps customers increase user engagement in three ways.
  • Tracks actions users are taking and analyzes how people use the product.
  • Segment users based on their actions and run targeted campaigns to these segments.
  • Analyze each campaign to understand its effect on user engagement and business metrics.

React Native Database

React Native Database is the local storage facility, as provided by React Native. It offers plenty of options, from dynamic storage to local databases. We need to store data locally, whereas a few instances witness data storage offline, which is retrieved online. Developers must have a sound understanding of their ecosystem to determine which local data storage would serve their purpose best. The most promising ones include

• SQLite: Offering a self-contained and null configuration engine of the database, SQLite is one of the most popular databases used for React Native. It is seen that more than 40% of developers prefer using SQLite as the database for their developed apps.
• Realm: Designed specifically for Android and iOS, Realm is an excellent alternative for SQLite. The Realm library is proficient enough to store more than 10000 data records and help developers make the most of the data.
• Couchbase Life: The most essential aspect of the Couchbase Lite database is the ease with which developers can add data synchronization and persistence within the react native app. It is a no SQL database and compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
• PouchDB: As mentioned above, another alternative for the databases is PouchDB. This React Native Database allows developers to store data locally, and when required, they can restore it, primarily when online. So, irrespective of whether the user is logged in, all data remains in sync.

React Native Backend Service

The React Native Ecosystem entails multiple backend services that promise to enhance the overall functionality of your app.

• Baqend: As a serverless platform, Baqend is used as the backend-as-a-service to build exceptional apps. Additionally, this uses Redux as its container and can render services such as automated caching, real-time data storage and querying, and DDoS protection.
• FireBase: Another backend-as-a-service platform, fireBase, is the first choice of many developers. Offering benefits such as real-time database, offline database, simplified learning curve, and upscaling, fireBase is secure and network resilient. It is proven that apps built using FireBase have 2X faster speeds.
• GraphCool: Another serverless backend-as-a-service, GraphCool has an exceptional execution speed, making it convenient for developers to build mobile applications. Further, GraphCool is open-sourced and has an in-built set of building blocks that promote data-centric apps’ deployment.
• AWS: This one is a serverless backend that is a command-line toolchain for connecting the AWS cloud services for your React Native frontend. AWS Amplify for mobile apps and AWS AppSync, a GraphQL service for web solutions.

React Native Testing Tools

Testing is the most important part while developing a product, some might be minor ones that hamper the user experience or others might be of greater impact which all collectively lead to loss of business. The React Native Testing Tools help test your web apps before they are deployed in the market. A few most significant of them we have given below:

• Enzyme: Another Airbnb product, Enzyme, is a Javascript testing utility designed for React. With Enzyme as the testing tool, developers can easily assert, traverse, and manipulate the outcome of the component of React. The API embedded within Enzyme is highly flexible and intuitive and has been built as the replica of JQuery PI for DOM manipulation. It enables easy and hassle-free simulation with other testing libraries, making it one of the most popular React Native Testing Tools.
• Jest: While the React Native Testing Tools have not ended, we will end our search with Jest. It is one of the best and most efficient automation and testing tools that allow developers to take a snapshot of every test scenario and save the results. Further, they can use these images to compare and analyze the test results under different inputs or app components. Jest is wholly a Facebook-owned JavaScript tool used for mobile application testing.
• Mocha: Based on the framework of JavaScript, Mocha, as the testing and automation tool from react native, runs on Node.js. The React Native Testing Tools have been tailored, keeping in mind the basic requirements of asynchronous user testing. It is easy to set up the tool and use it.
• Detox: A Wix product designed primarily for react native, detox is an end-to-end scalable testing and automation tool. Working as the library, developers can build enormous test variables and further simulate the user’s behavior based on the user’s interaction with the app. The tool has an array of configurations and notifications, compatible with different devices to top it all.
• Bitbar: Coding is easy, but automating the entire process of testing isn’t the same. But with Bitbar, automation of testing procedures works effectively. It is primarily a cloud-based testing framework for mobile applications.
• Bridge: Test your react native codes on the go with this excellent testing and automation tool, bridge. The tool is proficient enough to execute the JS code of your application into node.js and automate the testing without digging into the code.
• Appium: It is an excellent React Native Testing Tool for promoting the end-to-end testing of react-native code, Appium automates functional testing of mobile apps. Though it is highly functional, it is generic and integrates selenium features; developers prefer using this as the testing tool only when they have extensive experience.

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React Native CI/CD Tools

Every time you think of your project, the first thing that comes to mind is to fasten up the pace of the development process. Well! You can achieve that with React Native CI/CD Tools has exactly the same for you, which can help to get your apps delivered early and quickly via automation within the stages of the development process. The main concepts of CI/CD are continuous integration, delivery, and deployment. Given below are some tools that would help you bring this to reality.

• Microsoft CodePush: It is an App Center cloud service that enables you to deploy mobile app updates directly to your user’s devices
• Azure DevOps: It offers developer services that help your teams to plan work, work together on code development, and build and deploy apps. It brings all developers, project managers, and contributors to a single platform to collaborate. It also allows you to create and improve products faster than the old-fashioned approaches.
• Jenkins: It is a platform for creating a CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) environment. It offers various tools, languages, and automation tasks contributing to your app development.
• BitRise: It is a CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Delivery) Platform as a Service (PaaS) that concentrates on mobile app development (iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, and so on). It is a pack of tools and services that help develop and automate your app development.
• GitLab: It is an open-source code repository and collaborative app development platform for large DevOps and DevSecOps projects. It offers a place for online code storage and capabilities for tracking issues and CI/CD.
• Bitbucket Pipelines: It is an integrated CI/CD service built into Bitbucket. It allows you to automatically build, test, and deploy your code based on a configuration file in your repository.

Wrap Up

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is React Native Ecosystem?

The React Native ecosystem is made up of all things that are comprised in the framework which can enable developers to build up marvelous aspects and features of a high-functional and cross-platform React Native application.

How does React Native Ecosystem Work?

A React Native developer makes use of several parts of the ecosystem like boilerplate, debugging tools, testing tools, backend services, additional features, and more to develop a smart and modern RN application.

What are React Native Ecosystem Benefits?

By making use of the React Native ecosystem, business owners, developers, and app users get the following benefits:

• Animations
• Speed
• Live updates
• Improved UI/UX
• Code-Reusability
• Modular Architecture
• Shorter development cycle
• Cross-Platform compatibility