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What is the difference between Expo and React Native? - Stack Overflow
Why use Expo for React Native Development
React native maps EXPO SDK 52.0.26 map is blank with just the google logo : reactnative
How can I build and distribute an Expo (React Native) app without using EAS Build, while still supporting CI/CD and OTA testing for QA? : reactnative
I'm about to start a new job and I'll be using React Native to develop mobile apps. Are companies actually using Expo for developing React Native apps? Like has it become a standard? Are there other ways like better alternatives to Expo? I've heard of React Native CLI, is it much better and standardized in the industry?
When you write code in Expo you are writing React Native code. Expo has two main pieces:
Expo CLI (
expo-cli): a developer tool for creating projects, viewing logs, opening on your device, publishing, etc.Expo client: an app on your phone that lets you open your projects while you're working on them, without needing to go through XCode or Android Studio, and also lets other people view them too! And if you publish it through
expo-cli, people can access it at any time through the Expo client on Android or on iOS if signed in to the same account it was published with. Lastly, we also make it possible to build standalone apps so people don't have to use the Expo client to open it, and you can distribute to the app store and play store if you like.
So Expo is a set of tools built on top of React Native. These tools depend on one key belief held at Expo: it's possible to build most apps without ever needing to write native code, provided that you have a comprehensive set of APIs exposed to JavaScript.
This is important because with React Native you can always drop down to native code. This is incredibly helpful sometimes but it comes at a cost: you need to send people your binaries if you want them to test them, someone on the other side of the world can't just tap a link to open it while you're working on it and you can't just publish it with one click for someone to access it similar to how you would in a browser.
With Expo, we suggest that try to avoid dropping down to native code, if you can. As I mentioned above, we think that with a comprehensive set of APIs available to JavaScript, this shouldn't be necessary for most apps. So, we aim to provide this comprehensive set of APIs, and then build all of the awesome tooling that can exist in a world where the native runtime is shared.
However, if you must find that you want to drop down to native, you can use eject and continue using the native APIs that Expo gives you while having the same level of control as you would in any native project.
Read more about ejecting
A summary of the documentation and answers from Expo employees:
React Native init:
Advantages
- You can add native modules written in Java or Objective-C (probably the only but the strongest one)
Disadvantages
- Needs Android Studio and Xcode to run the projects
- You can't develop for iOS without having a Mac
- Device has to be connected via USB to use it for testing
- Fonts need to be imported manually in Xcode
- If you want to share the app you need to send the whole
.apk/.ipafile - Does not provide JavaScript APIs out of the box, e.g., Push-Notifications, Asset Manager, they need to be manually installed and linked with npm for example
- Setting up a working project properly (including device configuration) is rather complicated and can take time
Expo
Advantages
- Setting up a project is easy and can be done in minutes
- You (and other people) can open the project while you're working on it
- Sharing the app is easy (via a QR code or link), you don't have to send the whole
.apkor.ipafile - No build necessary to run the app
- Integrates some basic libraries in a standard project (Push Notifications, Asset Manager, etc.)
- You can eject it to ExpoKit and integrate native code continuing using some of the Expo features, but not all of them
- Expo can build
.apkand.ipafiles (distribution to stores possible with Expo)
Disadvantages
- You can't add native modules (probably a game changer for some)
- You can't use libraries that use native code in Objective-C/Java
- The standard Hello World app is about 25MB big (because of the integrated libraries)
- If you want to use: FaceDetector, ARKit, or Payments you need to eject it to ExpoKit
- Ejecting it to ExpoKit has a trade-off of features of Expo, e.g. you cannot share via a QR code
- When ejecting to ExpoKit you are limited to the react-native version that is supported by ExpoKit then
- Debugging in ExpoKit (with native modules) is a lot more complicated, since it mixes two languages and different libraries (no official Expo support any more)
Sources:
- Detaching Expo Apps to ExpoKit: Concepts
- Difference between react-native-init and create-react-native-app #516
- Ejecting to ExpoKit
Curious about Expo and how it can level up your React Native development? A colleague of mine recently wrote an article about what it is, its benefits, and how to get started. He compares Expo CLI with React Native CLI, and describes how to build a React Native Expo app. If you're interested to read it, here's the link :)