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Building Native Mobile Apps with React-Native

What is React-Native?

React-Native is an open-source mobile application development framework created by Facebook, the same organizations who created the robust ReactJS library which one of the top front-end web development frameworks. React-Native is written in JavaScript which makes it inviting for any web developers looking into mobile application development. It is also syntactically similar to ReactJS making it a great option for web developers transitioning to mobile application development since it would mitigate the learning curve associated. React-Native is also based in on the component oriented architecture that all modern web development frameworks such as Angular, VueJs, and ReactJS employ, which also minimizes the learning curve.

Aside from having an inviting premise for web developers, one of the biggest benefits it offers is the ability to develop native mobile applications for multiple platforms (iOS and Android) with a single code base. This makes it a highly cost and time efficient option for mobile applications. It is important to note that the applications React-Native outputs are fully native to their respective platforms, they are NOT hybrid mobile applications. 

Why I found React-Native Interesting?

One year ago, I was hired as a front-end web developer intern at a tech-startup. The startup was based on a web application, however also intended to release a mobile version of the application. I was tasked with contributing to the development of the mobile app for both iOS and Android, which sounded overwhelming at first since I had no prior mobile app development experience or knowledge. However since it was being built with React-Native, not only was I already familiar with most of the underlying concepts and architecture, but the syntax was also familiar since it was written in JavaScript. As result, I was able to hit the ground running and produce various components of a mobile application in far less time than expected. With the help of the vast amount of open-source plugins and library available from the React-Native community, I was able to implement advanced features in both an iOS and Android with a single implementation, which normally would have taken much longer dude to the need to learn two separate languages. Ever since, I was truly fascinated by the opportunities React-Native offers to experienced web developers that want to explore the world of mobile applications. 

  
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