Do you struggle with app performance optimisation, code organisation, or providing a unified user experience?
If this is the case, you may be missing something. Understanding the structure of the React Native app
Don’t worry, we’re here to assist!
Our comprehensive guide delves deeply into the complexities of React Native app structure, arming you with the knowledge you need to overcome these obstacles.
Learn how to create scalable, well-organized, and high-performing React Native apps with the right structure that will impress your users. This guide will also be helpful if you convert a website to a React native app.
Why Should You Pay Special Attention to the Structure of a React Native App?
Have you ever wondered what the purpose of project structure is? Let’s break it down for you.
In a nutshell, the project structure is your software project’s blueprint, backbone, or skeleton. It’s similar to organizing your closet or workspace, except you’re organizing files, folders, and resources for your React Native app instead of clothes.
Consider having a well-organized project folder in which every file has a home. All screens, components, assets, stylesheets, and configuration files are neatly organized and easily accessible. Doesn’t that sound ideal?
There are numerous advantages to having a solid React Native project structure.
To begin with, it keeps your entire codebase organized. Forget about digging through a jumble of files to find the code you’re looking for. You’ll know exactly where to look for that elusive component or configuration file if you have a clear structure.
The project structure describes how you organize your project’s files, folders, and directories. It also describes the types of files contained within, how your modules are divided into submodules, and how larger directories are organized.
Let’s examine how a new React Native app appears in its initial project structure.
Dependency on the Base
The library components and packages required to set up and run your React Native project are referred to as base dependencies. To maintain a stable development environment, you must understand and configure these dependencies according to the needs of your project.
- react-navigation — Allows for simple application navigation.
- redux — For application state management
- redux-thunk — For enabling asynchronous action dispatching
- jest — For Javascript testing
- reselect — A simple Selector library for Redux
- axios — To handle Http Client
- fastlane — For Automation tool
Folder Organisation
A clean and manageable codebase requires a well-organized folder structure. The following is a typical folder structure for a React Native app:
assets/:
This folder contains all static assets, such as images and fonts, that you use in the app.
components/:
Reusable UI components that are used across multiple screens can be stored here.
screens/:
Within the screens/ directory, each app screen should have its own folder with its associated components and styles.
navigation/:
This folder contains the navigation-related code, including the routing and navigating between screens configuration.
utils/:
This folder can be used to store utility functions or helper modules for easy access and code reuse.
state/:
This folder can contain actions, reducers, and store configurations using a state management library like Redux.
You have recently understood Why You Should Pay Special Attention to the Structure of a React Native App. You must be thinking about what is the difference between structure and architecture.
What Is the Difference Between Structure and Architecture?
Beginners frequently mix up the structure and architecture of a React native app and use the terms interchangeably. They are, however, not the same. We discussed the design of the React Native app in the previous section. Before you convert your website to a React Native app, let’s look at its architecture.
In October 2022, the official React Native community released the new React Native V0.70 architecture, which improved the framework’s performance and flexibility.
Hermes, an improved JavaScript Engine, was also introduced with the new architecture. The new architecture aims to improve performance and bring apps closer to natives.
The following are the new architecture’s pillar elements:
- Fabric
Fabric is a term that is frequently misunderstood in React Native. It actually refers to only one aspect of React Native, namely the UI layer.
The UI layer is in charge of displaying and managing an app’s visual elements. This layer was previously written in JavaScript, which had some performance limitations. React Native introduced Fabric to address this.
Fabric is a component of React Native, more specifically a UI layer of the architecture. However, it is frequently misunderstood as an entire React Native structure. The Fabric layer is in charge of managing and displaying the app’s visual elements.
- The Turbo Module
The TurboModule was derived from an older architecture with new integration and behavior. TurboModules are well-known for their lazy-loading capabilities.
These modules assist JavaScript in loading and maintaining the required module during execution. This aids in reducing the startup time for programs that require the large native module for execution.
- Codegen
The codegen is a tool that can be found in architecture. It assists developers in avoiding the writing of repetitive code. It generates scaffolding code, which saves React native app development company developers a significant amount of time. When a developer creates an Android or iOS app, React Native automatically invokes Codegen.
The module script can also be run by the developer to see what type of code and files are being generated. This most commonly occurs when the developer is working on Turbo Native modules and Fabric Native components.
- Lack of a bridge
For data transmission, the old architecture included a Bridge. React Native no longer supports the bridge under the new architecture. The main reason for this change is that the Bridge was causing unnecessary problems and doubts while transferring data, causing delays.
The Bridge layer is replaced by React Native JSI in the new architecture, allowing direct communication between JavaScript and Native code. This gives you more options when working with JavaScript engines and improves Native component interaction.
Conclusion
Understanding the structure and architecture of a React Native app is critical for developers and business owners. It’s not just about improving performance and providing an excellent user experience; it’s also about keeping our code in good shape and ensuring scalability. After we understand the app’s structure, we can use best-in-class React native app templates to create robust, scalable, and easy-to-maintain solutions, or we can convert websites to React native apps in the long run. Furthermore, having a thorough understanding of the architecture allows us to make sound decisions, work effectively with our team, and take advantage of cool features such as the virtual DOM. If you are, Consider making your app. If so, a node js development company can assist you
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