What is React Native — Articles

React Native is a framework for building iOS and Android applications with JavaScript or TypeScript and React while rendering actual platform UI elements such as iOS UIViews and Android Views rather than web content in a WebView. Its modern architecture uses the Hermes JavaScript engine, the C++ JavaScript Interface, Fabric renderer, Turbo Native Modules, and generated native bindings to connect React code with native views and device APIs, replacing its former asynchronous bridge. Created at Facebook in 2013 and publicly released in 2015, React Native moved under the independent Linux Foundation-hosted React Foundation in 2026 after long-term stewardship by Meta. It is used publicly by organizations including Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, Coinbase, Discord, Bloomberg, Pinterest, Wix, Bluesky, and formerly Shopify, though suitability varies for graphics-heavy games, AR, intensive camera processing, or deliberately distinct platform experiences. React is the general UI library, React Native adapts it for native platforms, and Expo extends React Native with tooling, modules, routing, web support, and optional cloud services; Expo is also recommended by Meta as the primary community framework for new React Native projects.

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