With web development on the rise, the two popular user interface development frameworks that come to mind of any web developer are React Vs React Native. Facebook released React or ReactJS as an open-source JavaScript framework for online user interfaces in 2013. Subsequently, its popularity increased exponentially due to its efficacy and adaptability. Then, Facebook released React Native, a framework for developing native mobile applications with React, open-source in 2015.
With React Native, developers can create iOS and Android mobile applications utilizing their existing React expertise. The application development processes of numerous Fortune 500 companies, including Netflix, Walmart, and Bloomberg, have extensively used React and React Native.
However, choosing between React Native and ReactJS development services for a project is often confusing. Discover the main difference between React and React Native to help readers select the correct one for their needs.
Understanding React or ReactJS
Facebook developed the well-known open-source JavaScript library React to develop user interfaces for web applications. Fundamentally, React enables programmers to construct reusable user interface components to construct intricate and interactive web interfaces utilizing a component-based framework.
Virtual DOM (Documented Object Model) is the fundamental concept underlying the primary functionality of React. In contrast to regular DOM manipulation, which necessitates re-rendering the entire DOM tree for any UI modifications, React preserves a streamlined virtual representation of the DOM. React updates only the modified portion of the actual DOM when the state of a component changes, resulting in significantly quicker updates and improved performance.
Some significant advantages of using React include:
- Reusable Components: The component model facilitates seamless UI management, component encapsulation, and reusability.
- Virtual DOM: Utilizing a virtual DOM instead of a physical DOM expedites UI rendering by reducing DOM manipulation.
- High Performance: Performance is considerably improved by implementing features such as virtual DOM, one-way data binding, and extensive use of JavaScript over HTML templates.
- Flexibility: React collaborates smoothly with other frameworks and libraries, and React Native may be used to create both online and mobile apps.
Many developers prefer React due to its high scalability and emphasis on declarative and maintainable user interface components. Airbnb, Dropbox, and Netflix use ReactJS development services to build complex web app front ends.
Understanding React Native
Facebook developed the open-source mobile application development framework React Native. It enables the construction of iOS and Android mobile applications by developers utilizing the React framework in conjunction with native platform functionalities.
React Native’s central concept is to enable developers to construct mobile applications utilizing components in the same way they do with React, eliminating the need to familiarize themselves with entirely new mobile frameworks. React Native integrates native iOS and Android interface elements and interactions with the intuitive React components.
This allows developers to create fully functional mobile applications for both iOS and Android using the same JavaScript code, including seamless animations, device access, and a native look and feel.
Some significant advantages of React Native include:
- Write Once, Run Anywhere: Support for multiple platforms enables native code compilation and execution of the same program on iOS and Android.
- Fast Refresh for Updates: Instantaneous application updates can be distributed without a binary rebuild or reinstallation.
- Access to Native Features: APIs that grant access to the hardware and device capabilities of each platform, including GPS, camera, and so forth.
- React’s Declarative Approach: Visualize the appearance and functionality of the application user interface with ease using React’s component-based architecture.
React Native is utilized by Facebook, Microsoft, and Tesla, among others, to develop high-quality mobile applications with JavaScript. React Native, renowned for its reusable components, reactive architecture, and native rates, has rapidly established itself as an optimal framework for developing immersive mobile experiences.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Between React vs React Native
Some critical factors to consider while choosing React or React Native for a project are:
1. Project Goals and Requirements
Whether you want to develop a mobile or web app is critical. React builds online apps, whereas React Native builds cross-platform iOS and Android apps. Your application distribution platform will determine your technology choice.
Furthermore, assess whether the undertaking necessitates server-side rendering, SEO optimization, or integration with web functionalities such as browser storage and cookies. As per Austin SEO consultant, React is suitable for all the aforementioned applications. Meanwhile, React Native simplifies access to mobile hardware, push notifications, offline usage, and app store deployment.
2. Development Speed
React facilitates expedited web development due to its established status and extensive documentation. React Native introduces an additional level of intricacy by bridging the gap between native components and JavaScript. However, with React Native, you get cross-platform support with a single codebase, compared to building native apps separately.
React Native uses real DOM, which can slow down performance while rendering complex pages, but React uses virtual DOM, which allows faster rendering times. So, if you want enhanced performance, go for ReactJS development services.
3. Feasibility
The React framework is well-suited to develop web applications; on the other hand, React Native is one of the best options for building mobile applications. There are no restrictions as such because both of them are viable options for application development. So, depending on the project requirements, you can choose any.
4. Search Engine Friendly
React is more search engine friendly than React Native. React code is organized and easier to read than React Native. Also, it uses HTML tags, making it easy for search engines to crawl and index React web pages. However, as per Austin SEO consultant, it doesn’t mean that React Native is not SEO-friendly; it is just that achieving good SEO is a little tricky.
5. User Experience
React is well-suited for internal enterprise web applications due to its inherent flexibility. React Native enables user-facing applications that require seamless transitions, animations, and optimal responsiveness to achieve native-like performance and user experience. Additionally, React is highly compatible with progressive web applications that provide an app-like user experience.
Wrapping Up
Both React and React Native are reasonable solutions for designing user interfaces, but the best one depends on your project’s needs. To sum up, React is one of the best options for developing a complex application with high performance, which may require frequent updates or iterations. Choose React Native to build a simple mobile application with cross-platform compatibility and access to native features through native modules.
Are you still confused? Consider collaborating with IceCube Digital if you need assistance evaluating your options or need to hire custom NodeJS development services or a leading React and React Native development partner.
