Introduction
We have tried to explore the top 10 React Native libraries a mobile app developer must know in 2024 to stay updated. React Native, created by Facebook (now Meta) is one of the most popular cross-platform, open source frameworks for mobile app development written in JavaScript and based on React. It is known for its rich ecosystem of libraries (also known as packages) that can simplify development and enhance functionality. ,
1. React Navigation
It is one of the most well-known navigation libraries available for React Native that enables you to implement navigation functionality in your app. It facilitates easy transition between multiple screens. Stack, tab (bottom tabs, material bottom tabs, material top tabs) and drawer navigation are available. The following npm packages must be installed in order to use React Navigation.
- npm install @react-navigation/native
- npx expo install react-native-screens react-native-safe-area-context // If you are using Expo managed project.
- npm install @react-navigation/native-stack // If you want to use stack navigation
- npm install @react-navigation/bottom-tabs // If you want to use bottom tabs
2. Redux
Redux is a popular statement management library for large-scale web applications. It makes it easier to manage complex states using stores, actions and reducers. Users can easily understand the changes happening in the app. Redux Toolkit (RTK) is the officially recommended approach to write Redux logic.
The RTK help you store setup, creating reducers and writing immutable update logo, creating slices of state etc.
It make the Redux code better. The following npm packages needs to be installed in order to use Redux or Redux Toolkit.
- npm install redux
- npm install @reduxjs/toolkit
3. React Native Paper
React Native Paper is a UI component library that provides a comprehensive set of Material Design components. Developers can create visually stunning applications with minimal design skills. Pre-built components include buttons, chips, cards, dialog, modal, and so on. It make the React Native apps look and feel native.
It supports the new Material Design generation called Material You which is a brand new and most expressive design system by Google. So you don’t need to create the components from scratch. In order to use React Native Paper, following npm packages needs to be installed.
- npm install react-native-paper
- npm install react-native-safe-area-context
- npm install react-native-vector-icons
4. Axios
Axios is a popular HTTP client. It simplifies HTTP requests and responses. It runs in the browser and the Node.js run time environment. It has several features, such as Promise API, automatic JSON transformation, cancel requests, timeouts, posting HTML forms as JSON, automatic JSON data handling in response, query parameters serialization with support for nested entries etc.
Use the following command to install the Axios:
- $ npm install axios
5. Lottie React Native
Lottie is an ecosystem of libraries for integration of high-quality animations created in Adobe After Effects into React Native apps. It offers free animations to enhance visual appeal and user experience.
6. React Native Reanimated
React Native Reanimated is a powerful animation library that allows you to easily create simple as well as complex interactive animations. It is built by Software Mansion and runs on UI thread.
7. React Native Vector Icons
React Native Vector Icons is a library of customizable vector icons ideal for embellishing buttons, logos, and navigation or tabs. It supports various icons packs (or family) and can be easily integrated.
8. React Native Maps
With the help of React Native Maps you can easily integrate Google and Apple Maps into any React Native applications. It supports commonly used components like Map View, Marker, Heatmap, Overlay etc.
9. React Native Firebase
React Native Firebase is a collection of official React Native modules for integrating Firebase services into your React Native app. It is most commonly used for authentication, real-time database, cloud messaging, and so on. It is available for both React Native CLI as well as Expo CLI.
10. React Native Gesture Handler
React Native Gesture Handler is a library for handling touch gestures like swiping, panning, double-tapping, pinching, long-pressing, and more. It is highly performant because the gestures run on the UI thread and follow platform-specific behavior.
Conclusion
In the rapidly evolving world of mobile application development, it is crucial for every developer to stay updated with the latest development. The above libraries will improve your development workflow as well as improve the performance and functionality of your apps. Integration of these top 10 react native libraries into your projects will keep you updated and ahead in the world of mobile app development. Please visit the official website of React Native for detailed information.
P.S.: 1) To know more about JavaScript, here are the 10 JavaScript array functions every developers should be familiar with.