React Native or ReactJS? Differences between both frameworks

React Native is a framework for developing native applications on iOS and Android, using the JavaScript language. It was created by Facebook in 2015 and over the last few years it has gained tremendous popularity.

If you know how to use JavaScript, you can use this knowledge to create native applications with React Native. You will get a one hundred percent native application and you do not have the need to learn how to program on iOS or Android.

One of the advantages of React Native is that you don't have to hire two separate teams of developers for two code languages.

The difference between React Native and ReactJS

React Native is the same as React, but uses native components instead of using web components as building blocks. It targets mobile platforms rather than the browser, this is its main difference.

Among its other differences are:

• React Native is used to develop mobile applications, while ReactJS is used to create web applications.
• While React Native doesn't use HTML tags, ReactJS does.
• ReactJS offers high security for its developers and developed applications, while React Native has proven to be lacking in security.
• React Native comes with its own browser to navigate mobile applications. ReactJS uses React-router to navigate web pages.

Benefits od usign React Native

Here are some key benefits of using React Native for mobile app development:

1. Cross-Platform Development

React Native allows developers to write a single codebase that runs on both iOS and Android, reducing development time and costs significantly.

2. Faster Development & Hot Reloading

The hot reloading feature enables developers to see code changes in real-time without rebuilding the entire app, increasing productivity.

3. Cost-Effective Solution

Since a single development team can build and maintain one codebase for both platforms, businesses save on development and maintenance costs.

4. Near-Native Performance

React Native apps achieve high performance by using native components and optimizing rendering with frameworks like Reanimated.

5. Rich Ecosystem & Community Support

Backed by Meta (Facebook) and a vast open-source community, React Native offers a rich library of third-party plugins and regular updates.

6. Reusable Components

Developers can create modular, reusable components, making it easier to scale applications efficiently.

7. Seamless Integration with Native Code

For advanced features, React Native can integrate seamlessly with native modules written in Swift, Objective-C, or Java.

8. Third-Party Plugin Support

Libraries like React Navigation, Lottie, and Gesture Handler simplify complex app functionalities, reducing development effort.

9. Easy Debugging & Maintenance

With a unified codebase and React DevTools, debugging and maintaining the app becomes simpler compared to native development.

10. Scalability & Flexibility

From MVPs to large-scale enterprise applications, React Native is scalable and adaptable for various business needs.

In conclusion, React Native applications are the actual native application, the JavaScript code remains as JavaScript and they are executed in an additional thread by the compiled application. The user interface and everything is compiled in native code.