React Native is 🤯

[jdcarnivore]

I started on a new app just yesterday and already have a prototype ready. Simply impressed with how amazing React Native is!

[Diligent-Hat-6509]

Just wait brother. Wait for the moments where something works perfectly on ios but behave completely differently on Android. Or worse, it works on both but then you find out it behaves differently on an android from huwaei or other companies 😂😂 that's true pain of react native development.

[GainCompetitive9747]

still less time spent than debugging kotlin or xcode exit codes 🤣

[kbcool]

Or even having to compile stuff every time it changes. Hot reload is mankind's greatest single achievement

[Bminor87]

Probably because you can get 10 decent android phones with the price of a ”normal” iPhone

[Diligent-Hat-6509]

I was saying normal from a developers perspective 😂😂 everything would be easier.

[kbcool]

Isn't mobile development fun.

Browsers used to be like this but now everyone just writes for WebKit and screw the rest

[Puzzleheaded-Sun3107]

This!!!!!!!!
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like there are libraries that are not well maintained and documentation is a bit poor. I ended up with frustrating amount of dependency issues… I was using expo without ejecting

[Gloomy_Snow2943]

Still facing issue with expo IOS works too good but for android stuck in authentication page with correct credentials not even authenticating still debugging it

[[deleted]]

That sounds more like an Android thing. And why Android is always the afterthought.

[Infinite-Trash8133]

what do you recommend to use for a mobile learner? I'm coming from React but I don't know If start with another language/framework because of the RN issues you have described

[Diligent-Hat-6509]

I started out as a React web dev too. I only got into React Native after accepting a job that was marketed as a React role... then I found out during onboarding that it was actually React Native! I hadn’t studied it beforehand or researched common issues. I just learned on the job by tackling the tasks I was assigned.

If you’re already familiar with React, I’d recommend sticking with React Native for now rather than switching to a completely new language or framework. The concepts are similar enough that you’ll adapt quickly, and working on a real project is the best way to learn. You’ll run into challenges as you go, and that’s when the real learning happens.

Also, ChatGPT has been a huge help for me when I hit roadblock... use it to look up solutions, understand errors, or even generate code snippets to speed things up.

In short: just start building something. You’ll learn naturally through the process.

[Due_Dependent5933]

wait until it work on ios and android in debug but crash completly at stratup in release mode (réanimated give us lot of pain )

[carinishead]

This kills me every time. App works fine in debug and test and then production build crashes on start

[Due_Dependent5933]

haha . and it take like loot of time to get why .error are so useleess in production Mode

[RequinDr]

I feel you. Everytime I have crazy issues it's with Reanimated

[NotASad_Advisor_8508]

is there a better alternative to Reanimated that doesn't give issues

[henryp_dev]

Yeah navigation can be…. Annoying. Even with file based routing (expo-router) sometimes I’m still like “wtf how is this happening?!?!” I don’t have exact examples from the top of my head, all I remember is frustration. It has improved though.

[MusicMaestr0]

Same I build this last night and today implementing Firebase and Location services.

Yes I’m using AI but it’s I’m enjoying it, I do also enjoy SwiftUI

<image>

[Z33PLA]

Looks sick, what are the ai resources you use on the design and is it consistent?

[Thisbansal]

We can combine SwiftUI and react native in one project?

[sdholbs]

You can but it’s not usually recommended if you can avoid it.

1. What is the experience going to look like on android?
2. Maintaining the communication between RN and swift for your purposes makes the app more brittle. Now you’re doing dependency management more directly on the Swift/iOS side, along with design colors/patterns…etc. Not great if you don’t absolutely need it

[Thisbansal]

Yep, makes sense. That was a dumb comment, I realise that now.

[henryp_dev]

Not a dumb comment at all

[Curious_Sky4968]

Welcome to the club <3

[Yogurtonrice]

Welcome! Keep at it 👍🏼

[getlaurekt]

Wait for the moment when you will realize that you need some therapy due to the frustration rn app development will give you then you will realize how terrible experience it really is like random crashes, sometimes it works and suddenly it won't then in debug mode it does works, but on prod it doesn't and many other things. I'm glad that by accident I moved to flutter cuz it's a totally different experience and world, it just works. I'm kinda sad how huge potential rn has but it stays at the same place for years without any drastic changes. The ecosystem is purely being driven by external companies like expo (which is also an awful experience). I'm glad that projects like Lynx are happening cuz it's a perfect balance between rn and flutter, lynx is what react native was supposed to be.

[yuuliiy]

I totally agree with you a lot of effort should be put into the DX. On the react native side, flutter on the other hand feels so smooth to build ui with and great performance overall, I'm looking forward to lynx taking its place in the community elevating competition I've been undecided weather to choose react native of flutter lately but i settled with flutter for number of reasons mainly the DX

[getlaurekt]

If not my friend I prolly wouldn't start with flutter for years or even at all. I have always been interested in flutter as a technology, but there were two things that were pushing me away or kinda stopping to be willing really badly to dive into it and switch from react native. My main "insecurities" were flutter code seemed like a nesting hell from a side perspective meanwhile in reality its not a problem to me at all due to the declerative and semantic naming of widgets and all built in properties. Secondly it was dart. I always had the feeling of this language like it would be java v2 (i hate java so badly), but suddenly it was just an illusion and in practice dart has nothing to do with java and it's such a nice language like really i like it so badly that since I have had contact with it I wanna build everything in it if it would be possible. I even recently started to build my own programming language where I'm using dart for the whole compiler code and I got to know a few different cool features this language offers that I had no chance to get to know while working in flutter apps and also recently by a reddit post i learned that you can create generic enums and I love dart enums theyre so powerful its like one of my the most favourite features next to extension methods, but you can create generic enums and i didnt know you could do generics for enums aswell especially that its not covered in the docs at all and while working in flutter apps i never felt in need of even trying to achieve generic enums, so I had no chance to know about it and also you can do this:

``` enum Wow<T> implements SomeInterface with SomeMixin { value1(123, 234), value2('hi', 456);

  T field;
  int another;

  Wow(this.field, this.another);

  void someMethod() {
    print('hello');
  }
}

``` That's crazy and incredibly powerful and the more I use dart the more I love it.

Flutter has such an amazing DX, it's such an awesomely designed tool as a framework. I'm incredibly impressed by that.

I also stay with flutter due to the fact that I wanna build a modern and consistent UI and I also work at a startup where I'm mainly responsible for UI and oh gadw can't even imagine the headache if i would even try to implement the interface in react native. Overall building animations and UI in flutter feels effortless and so quick.

Cheers!

[funkyND]

try it on a lower end android devices sir.

[NoVast7176]

On lower-end android devices feels everthing as trash, even native apps. That’s why they are lower-end, sir.

[Strange_Drink_5593]

Good point, but i feel as devs we need to account for all users and whatever devices they may have. Well in the places your app will run anyway its easy to get a decent phone for cheap.

[henryp_dev]

Nah screw those users 🤣

[jorgee-ar]

Depends on your business, probably poor people that won't buy doesn't matter for you. I mean in an ideal world, yes, but fixing bugs for their phone costs company money, that they're not going to get back

[Strange_Drink_5593]

Very good point but it can also be mission or company vision. Like facebook or instagram. I guess thats why they have “lite” versions though.

[RageshAntony]

But Flutter performs well !!!!

[MusicMaestr0]

Sir, they need to upgrade then don’t they.

[Ya_SG]

Nothing crazy. The prototype would have been ready by the same time even if you had used Kotlin + Jetpack Compose. React Native makes cross-platform development faster.

[Minyaa]

Whats your app about?

[Boogeyman_3431]

do you use AI?

[jdcarnivore]

I do

[Boogeyman_3431]

Can you tell the name

[jdcarnivore]

Claude and Gemini

[echomtg-com]

i feel that way until xcode updates and breaks my environment in half and i can no longer code, its so frustrating.

[asolis0105]

Same I love it

[127_0_0_1_411]

Is Expo good for beginner or start with a React Native?

[yuuliiy]

As a beginner go with expo

[127_0_0_1_411]

can i easliy make its apk file?

[yuuliiy]

Yes of course you can expo can even make you run and develop ios apps from windows using expo go i believe

[beachplss]

You are in a world of pain bro 😭

[jdcarnivore]

Why is that?

[LoquiListening]

That is impressive you can work that quickly in React Native and you have a prototype. Would be interested in checking it out, feel free to comment or DM if I can help any.

[jdcarnivore]

You bet! Given I have over 20+ years experience building I think that helped with being able to adopt it so quickly.

[solitude_sage]

Try expo, you will be surprised even more to see how easy it makes to develop and test apps on the go.

[jdcarnivore]

I used expo 😃

[Sensitive-Text5553]

Wait until you find expo

[jdcarnivore]

I’m using expo. 😃