State is one such thing, which has been a part of debate in React Native communities. In my opinion, State is not a debatable topic. In fact, it’s super relevant and useful.
Especially if you are building a complex application like eCommerce, state is something that keeps on changing a lot from frame to frame or browser to browser.
In this article, we will understand about React Native State Management and how useful is it in order to build complex React Native applications.
Let’s dive right in!
What exactly is a State?
The Internet is full of technical terminologies when it comes to understanding the state. Let me do you one better by explaining it in layman terms.
Picture yourself with a toy box full of your favorite toys. Each toy has a particular condition that it can be in, such as sitting still, leaping around, or producing amusing sounds.
The term “state” in programming refers to a special box that records how objects are acting or what they are doing at any given time. It aids the computer in remembering the state of various programme elements.
For instance, a computer or mobile game you’re playing needs to know if you won or lost, how many points you have, and where your character is on the screen. The state has all of that data preserved.
So, just like your toy box helps you organize and keep track of your toys, the state helps the computer keep track of what’s happening in the program and make sure everything works smoothly!
What is State in React Native?
Similar to the toy example we learned above, the term “state” in the context of React Native refers to the information that controls how components in an application behave and appear. Throughout the app’s lifespan, state management is the process of handling and modifying this data. Your app will be more dependable and robust if you use proper state management to make sure that data is updated, synchronized, and consistent across various components.
The Importance of Effective React Native State Management
Efficient state management plays a pivotal role in maintaining a responsive and scalable React Native application. Following are some reasons why state management in React Native is a crucial part of building applications:
Better Performance: Effective state management reduces needless component re-rendering, which improves app performance. Re-rendering without control might make your software sluggish and have a bad effect on the user experience.
Code Maintainability: Using transparent state management techniques makes your codebase easier to maintain and comprehend. A well-organized state management system makes it easier to troubleshoot and add features as your project expands.
State Reusability: When a state is properly designed, it may be applied to a variety of components, cutting down on duplication and improving code efficiency. This reuse encourages a more well-organized development process.
Scalability: Scalable state management makes sure that if your programme changes and adds new features, it can do so without causing large interruptions or conflicts.
State Management Techniques in React Native
React Native offers several state management techniques, each catering to different use cases and preferences. Let’s explore some common React Native state management techniques:
1. Local Component State
The simplest form of state management involves using local component state. React Native components have a built-in “state” object that allows you to store and manage data specific to that component. While suitable for small apps with minimal state requirements, this method may become unwieldy for larger applications.
2. React Context API
The React Context API allows you to create global state variables that can be accessed by any component in your app. It eliminates the need to pass props through intermediary components, making state sharing more efficient. Although great for mid-sized projects, managing complex state interactions might be challenging.
3. Redux
Redux is a popular state management library widely used in React Native applications. It follows a centralized store approach where all application state is stored in a single “store.” Components can access the state and subscribe to updates, making data flow more predictable. Redux shines in large-scale applications with extensive state management requirements.
4. MobX
MobX is another state management library that adopts a more flexible approach compared to Redux. It uses observable data structures, allowing components to automatically update when the underlying data changes. MobX is known for its simplicity and is an excellent choice for projects of all sizes.
5. Recoil
Recoil is a relatively new state management library introduced by Facebook. It focuses on providing easy and intuitive APIs for managing state in React applications. Recoil’s key strength lies in its ability to manage complex state structures with minimal boilerplate code.
Best Practices for Effective State Management in React Native
Regardless of the state management technique you choose, following best practices will ensure optimal results:
1. Keep State Localized
Avoid cluttering your global state with data that is only relevant to a specific component. Keeping state localized ensures better isolation and reduces the risk of unintentional side effects.
2. Opt for Immutability
Immutability helps maintain a predictable state by preventing direct modifications to the state data. Instead of mutating state variables, create new ones with the desired changes. Libraries like Immutable.js can assist in implementing immutability.
3. Use Selectors
In complex state management systems, selectors act as efficient filters for accessing specific pieces of state data. They enhance performance by reducing unnecessary re-renders caused by changes irrelevant to a particular component.
4. Leverage Asynchronous Actions
In real-world apps, many state changes might involve asynchronous operations like API calls. Use middleware like Redux Thunk or Redux Saga to handle such asynchronous actions gracefully.
Summing Up
State management is a critical aspect of React Native app development. Choosing the right technique and adhering to best practices will undoubtedly lead to a more performant and maintainable application. Whether you opt for local component state, Redux, MobX, Recoil, or any other approach, always aim to keep your state organized, scalable, and reusable. By doing so, you can ensure that your React Native app stands out and delivers an exceptional user experience, setting it on the path to outrank other websites in its domain.
Remember, while state management is vital, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. Alongside top-notch content, focus on other aspects like responsive design, accessibility, and app performance to create a well-rounded and competitive product in the market. Happy coding!
Whether you actively participate in coding as a CTO or maintain a more strategic overview of your team’s technological approach, you’ve definitely observed how React Native has transformed the way we build applications. The era before React Native was tough with security worries, high costs, and long development time. However, a lot has changed after React Native as it became wildly popular, with a whopping 42% of professionals embracing it in their codebase.
In the year 2022 and after, there are several improvements in React Native, ranging from a new architecture and new libraries. So, what’s changed after all? This guide will cover the most important aspects of React Native development, including the new architecture, best practices, and the cost.
Let’s dive right in!
React Native Application Development Summary
React Native framework’s core strength lies in its use of JavaScript, a widely adopted programming language, to build native-like apps that run smoothly on mobile devices. By leveraging React Native’s intuitive UI components, developers can create seamless and engaging user experiences, enhancing app performance and user satisfaction.
Following table illustrates a summary of React Native development, including types, key tools, features, and cost.
Types of React Native Developers
React Native opens doors to various roles for developers, including React Native App Developer, React Native UI/UX Designer, and React Native Module Developer, each with its unique focus and responsibilities.
React Native is an Open-source framework and is backed by Facebook (Now Meta). React Native is a community driven language, which gives developers a power to maximum reuse the code. Some stong React Native features are live reload, Modular and Intuitive Architecture Similar to React, NPM libraries support, Accessibility, Migration, Start screen, Project extractions, Autolinked Native modules, Upgrade helper, Cocoapads support, and flipper tool for debugging react native applications. React Native also provides redux to manage the state of the React Native app.
React Native Development Cost
The cost of developing a React Native app varies based on complexity and customization. Simple apps can be cost-effective, starting from a few thousand dollars, while highly customized solutions may require a more significant investment.
What is React Native?
React Native is a Javascript framework to create authentic, natively rendered mobile applications for iOS and Android. While React Native is based on React, Facebook’s JavaScript toolkit for designing user interfaces, it focuses on mobile platforms rather than browsers. In other words, web developers can now leverage a JavaScript library they already know and love to build mobile applications that genuinely look and feel “native.” Furthermore, React Native simplifies the process of building for both Android and iOS by allowing developers to share the majority of their code across platforms simultaneously.
What is React Native Development?
React Native development is the design and development of cross platform mobile applications like iOS and Android, using a single codebase. The key concept behind React Native is that it allows developers to write components using JavaScript, similar to web development with React.js. These components are then compiled into native code for each platform, allowing the app to run as a true native application on the respective devices.
Benefits of React Native Development for Companies
React Native offers a myriad number of benefits that make it an attractive choice for mobile app development:
Cross-platform Development: React Native allows developers to create mobile applications for both iOS and Android platforms using a single codebase, saving time and effort in maintaining separate codebases for each platform.
Code Reusability: With React Native, a significant portion of the code can be shared between different platforms, leading to faster development cycles and reduced development costs.
Faster Development: The hot reloading feature in React Native enables developers to see real-time changes in the app without the need to rebuild it, resulting in a more efficient development process.
Native Performance: React Native apps use native components, which provide performance comparable to apps built using native development technologies.
Large Community Support: React Native has a thriving and active community of developers who contribute to its growth, offer support, and share valuable resources, making it easier for developers to find solutions and collaborate on projects.
Third-Party Library Support: React Native offers a vast array of third-party libraries that developers can leverage to add features and functionalities to their apps, speeding up the development process.
Easy Learning Curve: Developers familiar with JavaScript and React can quickly learn React Native, reducing the learning curve and allowing them to start building apps faster.
Simplified UI Development: React Native’s component-based architecture and pre-built UI elements make it easier for developers to design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces.
Agile Development: React Native enables businesses to adapt their applications quickly to market changes on both iOS and Android platforms, fostering agility in the development process.
Cost-Effectiveness: Building apps with React Native reduces development costs, as a single team of developers can work on both platforms, avoiding the need to hire separate teams for iOS and Android.
Benefits of React Native App Development for Job Seekers
React Native app development offers a variety of advantages for job seekers that can improve their career prospects and create exciting new opportunities in the tech sector. Some of the main benefits are as follows:
High Demand for React Native Developers: Due to the popularity of React Native, there is a rising need for knowledgeable developers who can produce cross-platform mobile applications. React Native-skilled job searchers will probably find a tonne of job vacancies and career prospects.
Versatility and Skill Diversification: React Native training enables job candidates to broaden their skill set. Developers that are familiar with this framework can create applications for both the iOS and Android platforms, increasing their versatility and appealingness to potential employers.
Better Salary Growth: Due to the increasing demand for React Native engineers, there is a salary and benefit competition. Businesses are prepared to pay top dollar for qualified individuals who can produce effective and performant mobile applications.
Career Growth and Progress: Job seekers can position themselves for career growth and progress by becoming proficient with React Native. They become qualified for higher-level positions like React Native Lead Developer or Mobile App Architect as they gain experience in developing mobile apps.
Working on Cutting-Edge Projects: Cutting-edge and innovative projects frequently employ React Native. Job seekers in this industry have the chance to work on stimulating and difficult projects that push the limits of mobile app development.
Contribution to Open Source: React Native is an open-source framework, so developers may work on it and show prospective employers their abilities. A job seeker’s profile can be improved by their active involvement in open-source initiatives, which shows their dedication to lifelong learning and development.
Opportunities for Remote Work: Many organizations provide remote work choices for React Native developers, enabling job searchers to look for positions outside of their immediate area and roles that suit their own preferences.
React Native Application Development Architecture
Consider creating a mobile application that is compatible with both iPhones and Android phones. The problem, though, is that each platform (iOS and Android) speaks a different language, just like people from other countries do. Therefore, you would normally need to create two unique versions of the app, one for each platform, if you wanted your app to function on both types of phones.
React Native now steps in to save the day! React Native functions as a kind of magical translator that enables you to create the JavaScript code for your app and then have it transform it into the particular language that each platform can understand. This allows you to develop apps for both iOS and Android using the same codebase.
React Native leverages following key architectural concepts to develop cross-platform applications:
Virtual DOM: Similar to React for web applications, React Native uses a Virtual DOM. This Virtual DOM is a lightweight copy of the actual DOM and allows React Native to efficiently manage updates and optimize performance.
JavaScript and Native Modules: The core of React Native is written in JavaScript, but it can interact with native modules written in Java (for Android) and Objective-C or Swift (for iOS). This combination enables seamless communication between JavaScript and the native components of the device.
Key Components of React Native Architecture
To understand how React Native apps are built, let’s take a look at some essential components:
View: The View component is like a container that helps structure and style other components. It acts as a fundamental building block for creating user interfaces.
Text: The Text component allows developers to display text on the screen. It supports various text-related features like font styles, text alignment, and text wrapping.
Image: The Image component is used to display images in the app. It supports local and remote images and offers options for resizing and caching.
StyleSheet: The StyleSheet component is used for styling React Native components. It uses a similar syntax to CSS but is optimized for mobile devices.
Flexbox: React Native uses Flexbox to provide flexible layout options for arranging components. It helps in creating responsive and adaptive UI designs.
Props and State: Props and State are two essential concepts in React Native. Props are used to pass data from parent to child components, while State allows components to manage their internal data.
Touchable Components: React Native provides touchable components like TouchableOpacity and TouchableHighlight, which allow developers to add touch-based interactions to elements.
ScrollView and FlatList: ScrollView and FlatList are components used for efficiently rendering lists of data. FlatList is particularly useful for long lists as it only renders the items currently visible on the screen.
Architectural Patterns in React Native
When developing complex React Native applications, it’s essential to follow robust architectural patterns. Some popular patterns include:
Flux: Flux is a unidirectional data flow architecture that helps in managing the flow of data in the app. It consists of actions, stores, and a dispatcher.
Redux: Redux is a predictable state container that centralizes the application’s state and allows components to access and modify the state using actions.
MobX: MobX is a state management library that focuses on making state management simple and reactive. It automatically tracks state changes and updates the components accordingly.
Best Practices of Building Scalable React Native Application
In order to build a scalable React Native Application, developers must take the following best-practices into account:
Folder Structure: A clean codebase is easier to maintain and allows for more effective teamwork amongst different engineers thanks to a well-organized folder structure.
Code Splitting: By dividing the software into smaller pieces, code splitting enables users to download only the parts of the app they actually need. Performance and loading times are enhanced as a result.
Performance Improvement: A smooth user experience must be delivered, which means performance must be optimized. The performance of the application can be greatly improved by employing methods like image optimisation, lazy loading, and minimizing render-blocking.
Handling Navigation: Any mobile app must have good navigation. The right navigation library must be chosen by developers, and seamless screen transitions must be implemented.
State Management: State Management is important to store and manage the data that elements need in order to render the values. In particular, the data or value is kept in the component’s state object, which alters depending on the action, and the components re-render themselves.
Cost of Hiring React Native Developers
The cost of hiring a React Native developer depends on a variety of elements, including the complexity of the application, the app’s design, the developer’s experience, and location. In general, the hourly rate might range from as little as $18 to $150 on average. However, there’s still a catch: React Native developers’ hourly wages differ significantly from place to place. Be prepared to pay more if you opt to employ from a country with high living standards, like the USA or Australia.
Consequently, if you live in one of these nations, it would be wise to think about outsourcing development to countries with less expensive labor costs.
Here’s a table explaining the range of costs of hiring RN developers per hour in different countries:
Region
Cost
India
$18-$40 per hour
Russia
$25-$45 per hour
South America
$30-$50 per hour
Australia
$60-$95 per hour
North America
$100-$150 per hour
Conclusion
We hope this extensive React Native development guide has given readers a thorough overview of the advantages, architecture, and expenses of the framework. React Native has established itself as a potent tool for creating cross-platform mobile applications, and its many benefits have led many developers and companies to favor it.
If you are looking to hire top react native developers for your react native app development, feel free to contact us.
