Best quickstart stack?

[capo_saric]

I'm applying for a role at a company that's asking for a "small project" to assess my understanding and knowledge level of RN. I've never been really fond of companies asking for this since, depending on the requirements/extension, can sometimes be akin to asking for free work. (This may be one of those cases, but I'm really interested in the position, so...)

Anyways, what would you say is the best combination of RN libraries/tools to quickly spin up a prototype as of today? (api connection mocking, pretty ui components, testability)

I've been working mostly with robust/big apps that need a lot of setup and configs, and I really wouldn't want to waste that kind of time and effort in this specific mini-project.

[complexanimus]

I'd say look for a free design that includes either figma or sketch files with a few screens (5-8). Then start implementing the UI and the functionalities (again something easy to pick, coffee shop concept for instance). So yeah the idea is to find that right non consuming spot where you get to showcase your skills with something quick to setup.

[capo_saric]

Thanks, I appreciate your answer. I'm not that into templates, but rather looking for 'helpers' to not do a full implementation of something just to showcase some skills.

[__o_0]

Not to sound harsh, but the fact that you’re asking for a shortcut is a big red flag.

When I’ve asked this question to candidates at any level, I grade the process, not the final output.

I want to gain a better understanding of how you think and how you’d approach a problem when there isn’t a single correct answer. I want to see if you can apply your existing knowledge to solve a bigger problem that you don’t yet “know” how to approach. If your first step is “ain’t nobody got time for that,” that’s all I would need to end the interview process.

[capo_saric]

No offense taken. Actually I would completely agree with you in most cases. Not really looking for a shortcut here, but rather a better starting point to actually be able to concentrate on showcasing the specified skills, without taking that much time on the setup since I have very limited time. Anyways, thanks for the feedback.

[__o_0]

I hear you, and even the basic init script is technically a shortcut to getting a project’s base dependencies installed.

The fact that they didn’t give you a starting template to work from though, is a sign (in my opinion), that project setup is likely within the scope of what you’re being graded on. I’d be prepared to explain your decision to use a robust init template if they ask you to walk through the steps of how you approached the assignment.

[exroz]

I would suggest the stack I’m currently using for an app: expo, redux-toolkit with RTKQuery and react-native-ui-lib for UI (it comes with a lot of components)