React Native and Reactjs are currently powering several popular and commonly used mobile applications and websites by people around the world. The developer world witnessed the emergence of two of the most powerful technologies. React native vs Reactjs is a fascinating comparison and forces developers to think about their usefulness and comparison for developing web apps, mobile apps, mobile responsive websites, and so on. Here we will see the comparison react native vs reactjs. But before digging to the comparison, let’s see the overview of each one in detail.
React Native is a cross-platform mobile framework that uses Reactjs to build apps and websites. It compiles to native app components that allows developers to build mobile apps that can run on different platforms like Android, iOS, Windows in Javascript. Also, Reactjs is used to build components under React Native and React native implements Recatjs under their framework.
Basically, react native development supports app development in cross-functional platforms and has great great potential to diversify to any future platforms also.
1. Programming Language-
With react native you can create native apps using JS and apps that are developed through React native can function on both the devices and platforms without compromising speed, efficiency and quality. This possible to React since it allows you to design a rich mobile user interface (UI) from declarative components. JS is a simple language to learn that anyone with basic knowledge of web development can work on it. So it eases to work on React Native and quickly adapt to the mobile app framework.
2. Development Time-
React Native lets you to develop mobile apps considerably faster as compared to other mobile app frameworks.
3. UI Focussed-
It is popular among developers to create mobile apps rapidly. React native builds hierarchy of UI elements to create a strong JS code, this saves time by providing a new way to build apps. It allows customization in UI block development using JS as it uses the fundamental UI building blocks by default in ios and android app development.l
4. Hot Reloading-
Reactjs supports the Hot Reloading feature, which gives developers the liberty to reload a mobile app automatically. This makes the development process fast and so saves time.
5. Ready-To-Use UI Libraries-
Component UI libraries exist in React Native ecosystem. Developers can use it for a smooth UI experience. Sharing UI libraries like Expo, Shoutem, native base etc saves the time required to build from scratch and this means more focus on innovation and ideas can be given instead of creating libraries from scratch.
Know the reasons to choose React native for hybrid apps at- Top 10 Reasons To Choose React Native For Hybrid Apps
It is a javascript library that allows creation of interactive user interfaces in mobile and web apps. As a developer, if the concern is about app’s view layer, then React.js development is best as it is an open source library that serves as a component bassed and front-end library also.
React.js has the capability of parting user interface (UI) into multiple components that eases coding to debug. So this makes every component unique in terms of property and function.
1. Performance-
Developers think that React js is better to use because of its exceptional management fo apps through virtual DOM. DOM is a cross platform and programming API that manages codes with HTML, XML or XHTML. Virtual DOM protects DOM from writing the code directly to it and so, virtual components that turn into DOM ensure the smoother and faster performance of React JS.
2. Single Data Binding-
It gives complete data control over your application and ReactJS is designed to follow unidirectional data flow. More than single data binding needs additional features to support app since components keep changing but the data within them cannot be changed. Hence, React JS follows the Flux pattern which maintains the unidirectional data flow and making the app flexible.
3. JSX-
React JS has Javascript XML, an extension of Javascript and is used as syntax to how XML or HTML is used. When this syntax is used, processed into JS calls of React framework. With extending ES6, React JS allows HTML like the text to go along with JS. Those who use JS need not use JSX but if you use React JS, it is necessary.
4. Simplicity-
React JS use JSX as the coding platform which makes the app simple and easy for developers to code. As it is a component-based approach, it provides the flexibility to reuse the code as per your need. In this way, it is simple to use and easy to learn also.
React Native is a framework where React JS is a JS library that one can use for websites. If you are developing an app with React JS, you need to choose a bundler like Webpack and identify which modules are required to develop the app. React native is easy to set up and rapid in perfrfomance also. It uses one command line only to execute in the terminal.
With react native it is possible to animate components of your app with JS. You need to use Animated API offered by React Native, that is a preferred way to animate a component. You can create various types of animations, based on the velocity connected to a gesture and can be used with various types. React Native provides layout animation which is simple to use for transitions but currently works only for iOS. Also, it has a web API called as PanResponder that is similar to JS touch events.
While implementing the same design for your app on multiple platforms with same code, you may get confused. React JS do not clarifies about which code is used for which platform. Besides, you can apply similar code for Android and iOS applications, remember that the UI and user experience appears to be different. So, if you want to reuse the code for different platforms, define a universal design so that it stays different and does not confuse with both platforms. If you want to define an independent code for every platform, you will have a different DOM, stylesheets, unique logic and animations for UI/UX guidelines.
Most of the developers get confused while looking for navigation between HTML pages and think react-router can be the best choice. But, React Native has a Navigator component that simplifies your work. Similar to web apps, mobile apps do not have lots of scenes executed in different directions. Initially Navigator component may seem to be complexed to use but provides you everything to manage the transition between HMTL pages.
React Native provides an alternative component that works like HTML and does not use HTML for rendering the app. These components map original real native Android or iOS UI components that are rendered on the app. There are lots of components available in React native that can be translated to something similar in HTML. As your code cannot be rendered on an HTML page, you won’t be able to reuse any libraries that you used with React JS which is capable to render any type of HTML, Canvas or SVG.
React Native doesn’t have any HTML elements to improve the presentational view. React Native has some components that suits to develop mobile apps. Let’s see the simple coding explained as below.
React Native-
Return ( <View> <Text>Hello World </Text> </View> )
React js-
Coding in React JS-
Return ( <div> <p>Hello World></p> </div> )