Structure of a React Native App: Everything You Need To Know

Do you struggle with optimising app performance, organising code effectively, or delivering a seamless user experience? If so, you might be missing something. The understanding of the structure of React Native app Don't worry, we are here to help! Our comprehensive guide dives deep into the intricacies of React Native app structure, equipping you with the knowledge to overcome these challenges. Discover how to build scalable, well-organised, and high-performing apps on React Native with the right structure that wow your users. This guide will also help you if you are planning to convert website to react native app.

Structure Of React Native App-Why You Should Pay Special Attention?

Have you ever wondered what project structure is all about? Let's understand it easily. In a nutshell, the project structure is the blueprint, backbone, or skeleton of your software project. It's like organising your closet or workspace, but instead of clothes, you're organising files, folders, and resources for your React Native app. Imagine having a well-structured project folder where every file has its place. Screens, components, assets, stylesheets, and all required configuration files, are all neatly organized and easily accessible. Sounds perfect, right? Having a solid React Native project structure gives you lots of benefits. First off, it keeps your entire codebase organized. Forget about digging into a messy pile of files to find that specific code you're looking for. With a clear structure, you know exactly where to find that elusive component or configuration file. The project structure describes how you organize your files, folders, and directories within your project. It also describes what type of files it contains, how your modules are divided into submodules, and how larger directories are grouped. Let's see how a new React Native app looks in its initial project structure. Also Read: Boost Your App Development with a High-Quality React Native UI Library

1. Base Dependency

Base dependencies are the library components and packages required to set up and run your React Native project. To maintain a stable development environment, you must understand and configure these dependencies as per your project requirement.

• react-navigation — For easy Application navigation
• redux — For Application state management
• redux-thunk —  For Enabling asynchronous dispatching of actions
• jest — For Javascript testing
• reselect —  A simple Selector library for Redux
• axios — To handle Http Client
• fastlane — For Automation tool

2. Folder Structure

A well-organized folder structure is essential to maintain a clean and manageable codebase. Here is how common folder structure for a React Native app: Source: Folder Structure of React Native App assets/: This folder contains all the static assets, including images or fonts, that you are using in the app. components/: Here, you can store reusable UI components that are used across multiple screens. screens/: Each app screen should have its own folder within the screens/ directory, with its associated components and styles. navigation/: This folder holds the navigation-related code, including the configuration for routing and navigating between screens. utils/: Utility functions or helper modules can be placed in this folder for easy access and code reuse. state/: If you are using a state management library like Redux, this folder can contain actions, reducers, and store configurations. Also Read: Top 10 React Native Apps : Build & Deploy Guide

Structure Vs Architecture: What Is The Difference Between Two? 

Oftentimes, beginners will confuse the structure and architecture for react native app and use the term interchangeably. However, they are both different. In the earlier section, we outlined the structure of React Native app. Now let's explore the architecture of React Native app before you plan to convert website to react native app. It was October 2022 when the official React Native community launched the new React Native V0.70 architecture with added performance and flexibility into the framework. It was designed to help developers overcome any drawbacks of previous architecture. The new architecture also brought an improved JavaScript Engine, Hermes. The aim of the new architecture is to enhance performance and bring apps nearer to natives alike. Following are the pillar elements of the new architecture.

1. Fabric

Fabric is a term often misunderstood in React Native. It actually refers to just one part of React Native, specifically the UI layer. The UI layer is responsible for displaying and managing the visual elements of an app. In the past, this layer was written in JavaScript, which had some performance limitations. To address this, React Native introduced Fabric. The term, Fabric is a part of React Native, specifically a UI layer of the architecture. But often misunderstood as an entire React Native structure. The Fabric layer is responsible for managing and displaying the visual elements of the app. Also Read: React Native Tutorials - Learn to Build React Native Apps

2. Turbo Module

The new architecture derived the TurboModule from an old architecture with added new integration and behaviour. TurboModules are best known for their lazy-loading functionality. These modules help JavaScript to load and maintain the needed module at execution time. This helps reduce the startup time for programs requiring the large native module for execution.

3. Codegen 

The codegen is a tool available in architecture. It helps developers to avoid writing repetitive code. It generates scaffolding code that saves developers lots of time. Whenever the developer builds an Android or iOS app, React Native invokes Codegen automatically. The developer can also run the module script to check what type of code and files are getting generated. This happens mostly when the developer works on Turbo Native modules and Fabric Native components.

4. Bridgeless

The old architecture contained a Bridge for data transmission. The new architecture removes Bridge from React Native. The major reason behind this change is that the Bridge was developing unnecessary issues and doubts while transferring data and resulting in delays. The new architecture replaces the Bridge layer with React Native JSI to enable direct communication between the JavaScript and Native code. This provides flexibility in working with JavaScript engines and improves Native component interaction. That said, You might have a doubt. Why Use React For Front End Development? Let's get you some answers.

Why Use React For Front End Development?

React has taken the developer world by storm, and for a good reason. In this section, we'll uncover why React has become the top choice for building interactive user interfaces. From its modular components to its seamless rendering, we'll explore why React is a front-end powerhouse!

1. Time-Saving When It Comes To Development

A developer’s productivity is the most important thing in project development. And, react native allows you to reuse the components and tools so the development time is faster as you can build various functionalities. There are multiple development tools available in the market for React you can use to speed up your development work. For example, you can use the React Developer Tools extension to make your coding work much easier.

2. Rich User-Interfaces

Do you know 88% of users will never return to your site after a bad experience? Imagine losing 88% of your user base just because of a bad UI. Fortunately for you, React makes it easy to develop rich user interfaces within a short time. How? Using frontend libraries like Bootstrap, Chakra, and Tailwind. So, never lose a user to a bad user experience again.

3. Built-in developer tool set

Facebook understands that learning emerging technologies and working with them in real-life projects can benefit every developer. And for this, they have added much-needed React Native tools and a Chrome dev tool set. These React tools are there to help the developer to discover all child and parent components of each function, observe component hierarchies and inspect components' current state.

Choosing The Right Backend: What is the Best Backend For React Native App?

As much as frontend is important, backend is equally important is creating resilient apps. Here are the top backend options that seamlessly integrate with React Native.

1. Node.js  

React Native's backend runs on JavaScript. Node.js' scalability and efficient event-driven architecture allow developers to build robust and efficient apps having world-class architecture for react native apps.

2. Firebase  

Powered by Google and trusted by millions of businesses, Firebase helps you build and grow apps and games that users love.

3. Heroku

Providing a reliable and flexible hosting solution for React Native apps, Heroku simplifies backend deployment and scaling.

4. Express.js

Providing a robust feature set for web and mobile applications, Express is a minimal and flexible Node.js framework.

5. Django

An open-source, Python-based web framework, Django, follows the model-template-views architectural pattern.  

Conclusion

Understanding React Native app structure and architecture is crucial for developers and business owners. It's not just about boosting performance and giving users a stellar experience, but also about keeping our code in the right shape and ensuring scalability. After knowing the app's structure, we can design robust, scalable, and easy-to-maintain solutions by using best-in-class react native app templates or convert website to react native apps in the long run. Plus, having a deep understanding of the architecture lets us make smart decisions, collaborate smoothly with our team, and tap into cool features like the virtual DOM. So, let's embrace this knowledge, unlock our full potential as React Native Development Services in the UK, and create jaw-dropping apps that users will love. also read about Which Mobile App Development Framework Is Right For You?