How is React different from React Native

Question

Mohammad Hussain · Answer

The difference between React and React Native is the platform they are designed for and the components they use. Here are some examples illustrating this difference: 1. Platform: React: React is primarily used for building web applications that run in web browsers. It's designed for creating user interfaces on websites. For example you can use React to build a dynamic web page or a single-page application (SPA). Here's a simple example of a React component rendering a button on a web page: import React from 'react'; function App() { return ( Click Me ); } export default App; React Native: React Native is designed for building native mobile applications. It allows you to create mobile apps that have a native look and feel on iOS and Android. For example here's a simple React Native component that renders a button in a mobile app: import React from 'react'; import { View Button } from 'react-native'; function App() { return ( alert('Button Clicked!')} /> ); } export default App; 2. Components: React: In React for the web you use HTML-based components and JSX (JavaScript XML) to define your user interface. For instance you'll use HTML elements like   and . React Native: In React Native you use components specifically designed for mobile app development. These components map to native mobile UI elements. For example instead of using a element you use Button from react-native and instead of a  you use View for layout. 3. Styling: React: In React for the web you typically use CSS for styling. For instance you might define styles in a separate CSS file or use inline styles with the style attribute. React Native: In React Native you use a different styling approach. You apply styles using a JavaScript-based system that gets converted to native styles. Here's an example of applying styles in React Native: import React from 'react'; import { View Text StyleSheet } from 'react-native'; function App() { return ( Hello React Native! ); } const styles = StyleSheet.create({ container: { flex: 1 justifyContent: 'center' alignItems: 'center' } text: { fontSize: 20 fontWeight: 'bold' } }); export default App; These examples highlight the key differences between React and React Native in terms of platform components and styling. React is for web development and uses HTML-based components while React Native is for mobile app development and uses components that map to native mobile UI elements.

Gurpreet Arora · Answer

React and React Native are both JavaScript frameworks developed by Facebook (now Meta) for building user interfaces but they have distinct purposes and differences: Target Platform: React : React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces for web applications. It's primarily used for developing web-based user interfaces that run in web browsers. React Native : React Native is a framework for building mobile applications. It allows you to create native mobile apps for iOS and Android using JavaScript and React components. User Interface Components: React : It provides a set of components and tools for building web interfaces. These components render HTML elements in a web browser. React Native : React Native provides a different set of components tailored for mobile development. These components render native UI elements on the target mobile platform such as buttons text inputs and navigation bars. Rendering: React : Renders UI components in the browser using the DOM (Document Object Model). React Native : Renders native components using native APIs for each platform (iOS and Android). It doesn't use the DOM. Styling: React : Typically uses CSS for styling web components. React Native : Uses a different styling approach. It uses a subset of CSS but styling is primarily done using JavaScript objects which get translated to the platform-specific native styles. Development Environment: React : Development for React web applications can be done using web browsers and web development tools. React Native : Development for React Native requires platform-specific development environments and tools. You need Xcode for iOS development and Android Studio for Android development. Deployment: React : Web applications built with React can be deployed to web servers and accessed through web browsers. React Native : Mobile apps built with React Native are compiled into native code for each platform and distributed through app stores (e.g. Apple App Store and Google Play Store). Access to Native Features: React : While React can interact with web APIs it doesn't provide direct access to native device features (e.g. GPS camera) without additional libraries or plugins. React Native : React Native provides a bridge to access native device features directly through JavaScript making it easier to build apps with device-specific functionality. Cross-Platform Development: React : React is primarily used for web development. To build mobile apps you would need to use a different framework or approach. React Native : It's designed for building cross-platform mobile apps allowing you to write code once and deploy it on both iOS and Android with some platform-specific adjustments if necessary. In summary React is for web development while React Native is for mobile app development. React Native leverages the power of React and extends it to the world of native mobile applications enabling developers to create mobile apps that look and feel like native apps while using familiar web development techniques

Amit Mohanty · Answer

React and React Native are both popular JavaScript frameworks but they serve different purposes and have some key differences. React React Native React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces (UIs) primarily for web applications. It's designed for creating web-based applications that run in web browsers. React Native is a framework for building mobile applications for iOS and Android using JavaScript and React. It's focused on developing native mobile apps that can run on multiple platforms with a single codebase. React components are primarily HTML-like elements. Styling is typically done using CSS or CSS-in-JS solutions like styled-components. React Native components are platform-specific and map directly to native UI elements. Styling is done using JavaScript and React Native's StyleSheet API which resembles CSS but is adapted for mobile. React development often takes place in a web browser. Developers can use web development tools and frameworks to build and test their applications. React Native requires a different development environment. Developers need to set up an emulator or connect a physical device to test their apps. They also need to deal with platform-specific code for some features. React has a rich ecosystem of libraries and packages specifically designed for web development. React Native has its own set of libraries and packages tailored for mobile app development but it may not have as extensive a library ecosystem as web-focused React. Performance optimization in React often revolves around optimizing the virtual DOM and minimizing re-renders. Performance optimization in React Native includes considerations for mobile-specific performance issues and memory management due to the interaction with native components. Web applications built with React are deployed to web servers and accessed via web browsers. Mobile apps developed with React Native are bundled into platform-specific binaries for iOS (.ipa) and Android (.apk) and distributed through app stores or other deployment methods. React renders components into a virtual DOM (Document Object Model) which is then reconciled with the actual DOM to efficiently update the user interface in web applications. React Native uses native components and APIs provided by iOS and Android to render user interfaces. This means that it can create a truly native look and feel for mobile apps.