Difference between ReactJS and React Native

Both ReactJS and React Native are widely used open source JavaScript libraries. Both libraries are developed and maintained by Facebook. But ReactJS is designed as a view library. It accelerates development of web and mobile user interfaces (UI) through virtual DOM, and reusable and customizable components. On the other hand, React Native is developed as the next generation of ReactJS. The cross-platform mobile app development tool enables developers to write native mobile apps for iOS and Android platforms in JavaScript. That is why; developers often find it daunting to differentiate between ReactJS and React Native.

Understanding Important Differences between ReactJS and React Native

Design Rule

Both ReactJS and React Native are developed and maintained by Facebook. But Facebook has developed ReactJS as a robust view library and React Native as a cross platform mobile app development frameworks. The features provided by ReactJS make it easier for developers to handle view layers of web applications and mobile apps efficiently. The programmers can also use the framework to create reusable components for web and mobile applications. On the other hand, React Native comes with features to accelerate native mobile app development for iOS and Android platforms. It enables programmers to write iOS and Android apps in JavaScript and compile native mobile components.

Creating and Implementing UI Components

React Native focus extensively on native mobile UI development. It enables developers to enhance the native user experience of iOS and Android apps using native code. The developers can improve the user experience delivered by an iOS app using code written in Objective-C or Swift. Likewise, they can use Java code to improve the native user experience of Android apps. But React Native requires developers to build UI components for mobile apps by combining JavaScript and ReactJS. It still used ReactJS as the default JavaScript library for development of custom UI components. Hence, mobile app developers use ReactJS as a part of React Native.

Virtual DOM

Most web developers use ReactJS as the view in the model-view-controller (MVC) architecture. The view library makes it easier for programmers to build web and mobile UI components by rendering views. It further renders browser code through virtual DOM. ReactJS improves the performance of web applications significantly by updating the virtual DOM instead of the real DOM. But React Native does not support virtual DOM. It uses the native APIs provided by targeted mobile platforms to render various components of the mobile app. For instance, it renders iOS app components through using Swift or Objective-C APIs.

HTML

While using ReactJS, programmers have to write code using JSX syntax. The JSX syntax is the combination of HTML and JavaScript. The framework even allows developers to embed HTML into the render function. The developers even have option to convert HTML code into JSX using a JSX Transformer provided by ReactJS. But React Native does not use HTML. While working with React Native, programmers have to learn and use React Native syntax. The React Native syntax is completely different from HTML syntax.

CSS

ReactJS recommends programmers to use inline styles. It allows developers to specify a CSS class through the classname attribute. Hence, the programmers have option to write normal CSS code, and use the code to style various React components. But React Native does not use CSS natively. While working with React Native, programmers have to use special APIs to run standard features of CSS like animations. The framework even allows developers to animate various components using JavaScript.

Libraries

ReactJS is a front-end framework, whereas React Native is a mobile framework. ReactJS renders views through HTML. The developers can use ReactJS to create UI components. But they have to compile the UI components through React Native to build native iOS and Android apps. Hence, the JavaScript libraries do not support the same libraries. The programmers have to select the libraries and development tools according to their choice of framework. However, the programmers have option to choose from an array of development tools compatible with both ReactJS and React Native.

On the whole, ReactJS and React Native complement each other. React Native is developed as the next generation of ReactJS. It even uses ReactJS as the default JavaScript library for building UI components for mobile apps. But the JavaScript developers can use ReactJS to create web and mobile UI, whereas React Native simplifies native iOS and Android development.

Do App Developers still use Xamarin for Mobile App Development?

At present, Android owns a larger portion of the worldwide mobile operating system market. But several studies have shown that iOS apps are still more profitable that Android apps. Many developers nowadays opt for cross-platform mobile app development to reach out to more users and generate more revenue. The developers also have option to accelerate cross-platform mobile app development by using a variety of tools and frameworks. But they still find it difficult to build cross-platform mobile apps that look, feel, and function just like native mobile apps.

Despite being a relatively new mobile app development tool, Xamarin is currently used by over 2.4 million mobile app developers. Like other cross-platform mobile app development tools, Xamarin also enables developers to make a mobile app available on iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile platforms with a unified and shared code base. But Xamarin, unlike other interpreted solutions, enables developers to make the mobile apps deliver native performance and user experience on each mobile platform.

Unlike other cross-platform mobile app development tools, Xamarin allows developers to share business logic, network communication, and database access across multiple mobile platforms. Hence, it becomes easier for developers to reuse over 96% of the source code. Also, the developers can make a single app available on multiple mobile platforms without switching development environments. The complete development toolset provided by Xamarin helps developers to maintain and update the app without putting extra time and effort.

Why Developers Prefer Xamarin to Other Mobile App Development Tools?

A Modern Programming Language

As mentioned earlier, Xamarin enables users to write native iOS, Android and Windows apps in a single programming language, i.e., C#. In addition to being a modern programming language, C# has been evolving consistently. It keeps the mobile apps responsive by supporting asynchronous programming. Likewise, it makes it easier for developers to build high-performing mobile apps by taking advantage of functional programming features like lambda expression. Hence, many developers find it easier to write apps in C# than Java or Objective-C.

A Single and Shared Code Base

Xamarin enables programmers to write the application code in C# only once. But they can share about 75% of the application code, along with images and media content, across different mobile platforms. Also, they can share the application code fully across iOS, Android and Windows by creating user interfaces with Xamarin.Forms. The app developers can further take advantage of several portable class libraries (PCLs), and reuse the application logic across multiple platforms by creating it as a PCL.

Deliver Personalized User Experience

A large percentage of modern users love mobile apps that deliver personalized user experience. Xamarin enables programmers to create mobile app that can access and accelerate native features of the mobile device and platform fully. As Xamarin apps are compiled before deployment, they can accelerate the platform-specific hardware without requiring the code to be interpreted at runtime. Hence, it becomes easier for programmers to write cross-platform mobile apps that deliver custom and native user experience across each mobile platform.

Xamarin.Forms

Xamarin.Forms is designed as an API that enables developers to reuse the application code fully across a number of platforms. The programmers can use Xamarin.Forms to write the user interface (UI) code once in C#, and then share and reuse the application code fully across iOS, Android and Windows. However, developers have to write each Xamarin.Forms page as a specific screen of the app. But the API supports several advanced gestures, and an array of controls and layouts. Each control supported by Xamarin.Forms is further mapped to the native user interface elements of the underlying mobile platform.

Xamarin.iOS

Xamarin.iOS enables programmers to build and ship native iOS apps by taking advantage of the new features and enhancements included in the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system. The developers can use Xamarin.iOS to write native iOS apps in C#, while availing Apple’s iOS SDK fully.  Also, they have option to use the automatic binding generator provided by Xamarin.iOS to use the existing Objective-C code, frameworks, and custom controls in the native iOS app. The built-in Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compiler further compiles the Xamarin.iOS code directly into native ARM assembly code.

Xamarin.Android

Xamarin.Android makes it easier for developers to write native Android and Android Wear apps in C#, while availing all APIs provided by Google. They can further enhance the APIs by taking advantages of the features provided by C# and .NET framework. However, they still have option to use the existing Java code and custom controls in the app by using the automatic binding generator provided by Xamarin.Android. The tool further optimized the performance of Xamarin apps by optimizing the application code at runtime through just-in-time compilation.

Xamarin Test Cloud

The developers can further test various aspects of the mobile app across multiple devices and platforms by using Xamarin Test Cloud. The robust integrated testing environment enables developers to test the app across over two thousand of real mobile devices simultaneously. The real devices make it easier for testers to evaluate the mobile apps more efficiently and produce more reliable test results. Also, they have option to automate the mobile app testing process by writing custom test scripts in C# or Ruby.

Two Robust IDEs

Based on their operating system, the developers have option to choose from two distinct IDEs – Xamarin Studio and Visual Studio. As a full-featured IDE for Mac, Xamarin Studio enables developers to build cross-platform mobile apps rapidly, while experimenting with varying APIs, language features, algorithms, and cloud-based backend solutions. Likewise, Visual Studio also includes Xamarin SDK, and enables developers to build iOS, Android, Windows, and web apps and cloud services without putting extra time and effort.

Xamarin Components

The mobile app developers can easily enhance the functionality and performance of the mobile app by downloading a variety of components from the Xamarin Components Store. They can further download the components from the Xamarin Components Store directly through the IDE. There are components that make the Xamarin apps more secure by implementing elaborate authentication and authorization. Likewise, the developers also have option to build and deploy mobile app flexible by using a variety of popular backend solutions - SAP, Salesforce, Microsoft Azure, and Parse.

 The effectiveness of Xamarin can also be determined from the fact that it is currently being used by thousands of enterprises including The World Bank, Kimberly-Clark, McKesson, Honeywell and 3M. In February 2016, Microsoft acquired Xamarin, and subsequently made the Xamarin tools open source. Hence, the developers can now reduce cross-platform mobile app development cost significantly by using community edition of Xamarin Studio and Visual Studio. But they have to incur additional expenses to avail the enterprise or professional edition of Visual Studio.