What is React Native?
- React Native course
- Beginner
- Lesson 1/116
- 4 min
Learn that React Native is a mobile app development framework.
What is React Native?
React Native is a mobile framework that lets you build iOS and Android apps with JavaScript. It is developed by Meta (formerly Facebook) and compiles to both platforms from a single codebase.
Unlike web technologies, it uses the device's native components instead of a browser. So <View> is actually a ViewGroup on Android and a UIView on iOS.
This course uses React Native 0.7x and Expo for development.
Developing with Expo
Expo is a framework built on top of React Native. It lets you start, test and ship your app without setting up a native build environment.
To create an Expo project, you run npx create-expo-app in the terminal. This command downloads all required dependencies and creates a ready-to-use App.js file.
By installing the Expo Go app on your phone and scanning a QR code, you can see your app on the device instantly.
Practice Write the import
Import the View and Text components from the react-native package.
Starter code
// Import View and Text hereSample solution
import { View, Text } from 'react-native';Questions and answers
Review the lesson questions together with their answers. To test yourself, solve the lesson interactively.
1 Which platforms does React Native target?
- Only web browsers
- Only iOS
- Only desktop
- iOS and Android Correct answer
Explanation: React Native compiles for iOS and Android.
2 Match the concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
React Native |
Mobile framework |
Expo |
Development toolkit |
JavaScript |
Programming language |
JSX |
Markup syntax |
3 Import syntax
import { View, ____ } from 'react-native';import { View, Text } from 'react-native';Explanation: The Text component also comes from react-native.