React Native brings websites and mobile apps together

As a developer of mobile apps you are constantly confronted by the fact that Android and iOS, the operating systems of Google and Apple for smartphones, are completely different. That means that you have to develop the technical aspects of the app twice. Because of these inherent inefficiencies we regularly opt for a framework at We are you, upon which we can develop native mobile apps for both Android and iOS mobile. React Native is such a framework.

React Native is a framework that was initially developed by Facebook. It has been an open source product since 2015. It is not only maintained and provided by Facebook but also by an active developer community. Since React Native contains a library with standard user interface elements, screens can be created quickly. Developers can work efficiently with React Native. This is mostly because there is no need for recompilation of the app with every edit. Changes are immediately visible on the screen.

Development is faster with React.

reuse mobile app components ion websites

Components of a mobile app can be reused on websites. That can present very attractive efficiency advantages. It is also possible to expand existing apps with components built in React Native. A mobile app doesn’t need to be redone entirely, but can be gradually expanded and improved, as we have done for the Efteling app.

the benefits of React Native

a library with standard user interface components
high performance of the mobile app, similar to a mobile app that was created especially for that operating system
reuse of the components on the website platform
support from Facebook and an active developer community
one development environment and single phase knowledge acquisition for developing apps for both Android and iOS

Jeroen Landsman, React developer

other frameworks

In addition to React Native, we also regularly utilise Xamarin at We are you. Both frameworks have their specific strengths and advantages. React is preferred when there is an app in place already or when you want to use a lot of animations. React has its focus on front end rather than back end. We always select the framework that is most suitable in consultation with all stakeholders. In some cases, no framework is used, but we develop specifically for a particular operating system in Java, Objective C, Kotlin or Swift. Reaching the client goals as efficiently as possible is always put first.