What is The Difference Between React and React Native

Introduction: React vs React Native

If you are new to web development, you may be confused about the difference between React and React Native. This confusion may arise from a lack of understanding of the concept. As both terms start with React, it is easy to conclude they are the same thing. However, in reality, both of them are unique and used for different purposes.

React and React Native are like different tools within the same toolbox, each serving its purpose. Whether you want to build a website or web applications, both of them are very important to building web solutions. This guide will provide deep insights into React vs React Native. It will help you to make the differences between both of them. Here will discuss their basic introduction to React and React Native, their advantages, drawbacks, and more.

What is React?

React is a JavaScript library that is created by Facebook. This library is used to develop reusable UI components of websites. When it comes to building the front-end part of a website, you require HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Using the ReactJS library instead of the basic JavaScript has many advantages.

ReactJS not only saves time, but it allows users to insert elements into the DOM more efficiently. JavaScript may not be time-efficient. For example, if you need to add another button to your page, JavaScript is not allowed to reuse the existing code. This is where React is necessary to build your front-end part of websites, as it saves development time, enhances efficiency, and improves maintenance.

What is React Native?

React Native is another JavaScript library that is developed by Facebook, just like ReactJS. As the demand for mobile app development increased over time, the company decided to provide a signal platform for users who want to create attractive and dynamic applications.

Unlike React JS, React Native is a popular framework that is used to build cross-platform applications. That means users can develop custom applications for Android, Windows, and iOS using a single code base. React Native utilizes the base abstraction of React.JS, but only the library components are distinct. It makes Android app development easy and efficient for developers.

Difference Between React and React Native

There is no doubt that React and React Native are siblings but you know that not every sibling has all the similarities. They have many differences that make them different from each other. In the case of React and React Native, we can find differences between them even though their code purpose is different. So here we have discussed the difference between React and React Native:

Installation Process

React:

When it comes to the installation process, it's simple to install React in your system. You can install it using Node Package Manager (NPM). There are some simple commands you need to perform to install the library.

React Native:

On the other hand, React Native takes some additional requirements apart from NPM. Users must use some tools, such as Android Studio or Xcode, to run mobile apps on Android and iOS App Development.

Efficiency

React:

ReactJs is the most efficient library for designing and developing custom frontend elements using its virtual DOM. You can reuse the code and complete your project in less time.

React Native:

React Native is also an efficient library for Mobile app development. It enables the development of an application using the same code. You can create a dynamic app for Android, Windows, or iOS users.

Technology Base

React:

It is easy to use ReactJs if you have good hands-on JavaScript. ReactJS runs in the browser and uses HTML for rendering.

React Native:

On the other hand, React Native is also created with JavaScript, but it does not use HTML elements for rendering; instead, it relies on native components.

Syntax

React:

ReactJS works with HTML-like JSX. That means users need to add HTML tags inside JavaScript. That helps them to create web components. The tags can be <div> and <span>, etc.

React Native:

When using React Native for web development, users must use the same JSX, but with native mobile UI elements. In React Native, the basic HTML components will be replaced with elements like <view>, <Text>, and <Image>.

Search Engine Friendly

React:

React is a search engine-friendly framework. You can use a tool like Next.js to help search engines identify your website for search engine ranking.

React Native:

React Native is not natively designed to make your app discoverable in search engines. This is because it is a mobile application framework.

Storage

React:

When you build your website using ReactJS, the data is stored in web storage. This means that any data used by the website is handled using browser APIs like localStorage or sessionStorage.

React Native:

On the other hand, when it comes to React Native, it uses native mobile storage solutions. Data is managed using AsyncStorage, SQLite, or more.

The Advantages: React vs React Native

"A report says that more than 42% of mobile developers have used React Native for cross-platform app development."

ReactJs is utilized to build or run over 18% of the web, with over 1.5 million starts on GitHub.

React and React Native are leading frameworks for building websites and mobile applications. Today, people choose these frameworks due to their simplicity and time-efficient capability. Both of them helps to make custom web solutions. However, React is specifically used to build attractive websites while React Native is used for mobile app development. The library has countless predefined functions and components that make it more efficient than traditional JavaScript. Let’s discuss the advantages of React and React Native:

React:

1) Easy Learning Curve

If you want to learn React to create an attractive UI interface, you will find it simple compared to other frameworks. If you are proficient in JavaScript, it is much easier to understand and use this framework for building a front-end website. There are many videos, tutorials, and website development guides available on the internet that you can use to learn React.

2) Reusable Components

The primary purpose of ReactJS is its ability to reuse the code. You may find it difficult to reuse the same component in JavaScript, but ReactJS makes it easier for you to reuse the code and saves you time and energy. That helps you organize your code seamlessly and avoid the complexity of understanding it.

3) Virtual DOM

When using ReactJs, a virtual DOM is a valuable feature. It improves your website's performance because it avoids re-rendering the entire page. Virtual DOM in React helps users to get faster updates, smoother user interactions, and a more responsive application.

React Native:

1) Easy to Learn and Implement

The core base of React Native is JavaScript. The one who knows how to build websites using JavaScript can easily learn and implement ReactJS. There will be some advanced structure as well, but one can understand the behind-the-scenes logic and how things are working in React Native.

2) Reusable Code

Reusability of the code is a plus point when it comes to building your mobile app using this app. The best react native development company creates dynamic mobile apps for Windows, Android, and iOS with signal base code. That means you do not need to write dedicated code for each operating system. That is the reason React Native is known as the best cross-platform framework for building interactive web pages.

3) Fewer Errors

When users create their mobile app using React Native. That means he or she needs to go with less optimization and maintenance. As React native is a framework and many predefined functions are in the framework that means users do need to write long code for that and a single line of code can be enough to perform the intended task.

Should I Learn React or React Native?

If you are planning to learn any of these frameworks, you might be confused about choosing one of them. However, you can also make the right decision after considering factors such as your goals and requirements. If you want to learn how to build attractive websites and webpages, you can head to React. That will help you to design and color your website in the most efficient way. On the other hand, React Native will empower you to build mobile apps without writing dedicated code for Android, Windows, and iOS. So the question is, What is your goal? Do you want to build a website or applications? That is up to you.