Ionic or React Native – Which is better?

When you are developing a mobile app, you want to make sure that you are choosing the right technology. While we all know that both Ionic and React Native are great coding languages, but lets see which fits your bill the best!

But before we discuss on the core difference, there is one important decision that you as a client will have to make. Do you want to develop a Native App or a Hybrid App? Not quite sure what this means? Then read on..

The difference between Hybrid and Native Apps:

Hybrid apps are actually websites embedded in a mobile app through a webview. They are developed using HTML5, CSS and Javascript and the same code can be executed and shared on any platform. With the help of tools like PhoneGap and Cordova, hybrid apps can replicate native app features such as GPS or Camera, thus either reducing or eliminating the need to develop a separate code for any specific device or OS.

Native Apps are those that are specifically developed for a particular platform. If it is Android then the code is written in Java or if the platform is iOS then the code is written in Objective C or Swift. The code is not shared across platforms and they have direct access to all features, thus resulting in better app performance.

What is the Ionic Framework?

Ionic is a framework that allows developers to create hybrid apps. With the help of tools like PhoneGap and Cordova, Ionic bridges the gap of a non-native app and easily gets access to native app features. The User Experience is guaranteed to be great.

”Write Once and Run Everywhere” – this is the main mantra of the Ionic framework.  Once the code is built, it can be pushed on to any platforms – Android, iOS, Windows, Web desktop and also PWA. The language is highly adaptive and is a great choice of developing language if you are looking to build Hybrid mobile apps.

The Ionic framework is based on Angular 2 and is backed by Google and it is a free and open source code. Another outstanding feature of Ionic is that it helps to create Progressive Web Apps (PWA) with such ease. For those who aren’t aware, PWA brings a native app experience to a mobile browser.

What is React Native Framework?

React Native is a Framework that is developed mainly in Javascript and it is used to develop native style apps for iOS and Android. Though it uses HTML and CSS, React Native will render using native components and the user experience with React Native will be very similar to that of Native apps.

“Learn Once and Write Anywhere” – this is the mantra for the React Native framework. This means that React Native make developers choose components that make apps behave in a native form, however it does allow for a part of the code to be shared between platforms.

The React Native framework is based on React and it is backed by Facebook. Apps developed in React Native perform well and most of the coding is done in JSX.

The difference between Ionic and React Native

It would be hard to point out any contrasting differences, but mentioned below are some points that differentiate Ionic from React Native

 How to choose the best developing software for your apps?

Honestly, the answer to this question is very subjective and purely depends on the nature of the requirements of your app.

Situation 1:

If your requirement includes high performing apps which have a close to native app experience for users, then React Native is the best choice for you. It focuses heavily on the user interfaces and creating better user experience with responsive UI.

Situation 2:

If your requirement just involves a decent performing app which supports both Progressive Web Apps (PWA) and Native browser apps, then Ionic will perfectly fit your requirement. Ionic will help you develop your app quickly and deploy it in the market.

Thus, while developing a mobile app, we can never be sure of ONE technology that will fit all user requirements. They change as per the app features, but what really matters in the end is that you develop a high quality and high performance app along with a skilled team of developers who can translate your vision into powerful products.

If you need help in creating an awesome mobile app for your business or need consultation on the right technology required to build your mobile app, then just drop us a quick message with your requirements!

The Battle Of Frameworks

When it comes to building cross-platform apps, developers face critical challenges in the planning phase. The main debate revolves around the nature of the app. Should it be a hybrid application or simply a native one? However, if you have already made up your mind to work on the native platform, these choices aren’t that relevant. It’s here that you need to find out the most effective native app development software.

With the presence of both Angular 2 native code and Facebook’s React Native, developers will have a tough time making the final choice. Let’s take a look at both these options for a complete and successful comparison.

React-Native has been around for about 2 years, and became a really interesting framework since it can be used for Android and let us build cross-platform mobile apps. A few contributors also customized the framework to build desktop apps for Mac and Windows, which is quite amazing.

Angular Native is a relatively new JavaScript framework by Google, designed to make the front-end development as easy as possible. There are plenty of frameworks and plugins available. It can sometimes prove difficult to sift through all of the noise to find useful tools. It is much better than Angular 1. It is simpler on a high level, simpler on a lower level, and faster to achieve basically everything.

The emergence of React Native

React Native emerged into the professional arena in the year 2015. As one of the most unique and useful offerings by Facebook, this particular tool revolutionized native app development processes. Here are some crucial benefits of using it:

Using the same code

With React Native, developers had the opportunity to use same-base JavaScript coding on both the platforms including Android and iOS. The tangential reliability on DOM was the prime reason for its popularity.

Supporting UI Views

React Native allows similar coding for alert windows on both the platforms including Androids and iOS. Developers won’t have to create separate codes for each of these platforms. They can now build high-performance native apps within a single code-structure.

Understanding Native Script

Compared to React, NativeScript has a complete and holistic approach towards app development. Developers can create it for once and run it across devices and platforms. Although possibilities of low-level UI components will be there, NativeScript is trying quite hard to fill those gaps.

Coupled with the features of Angular 2, this particular tool will help you create consistent applications. Developers will have better opportunities to conceptualize and create robust applications.

Drawing comparisons

A comparative study of both these tools will help you take a decision. The multi-platform features present in React Native supports the differences between various UIs. Quite naturally, this aspect imparts a unique flexibility and scalability to applications developed using React Native.

On the other end, NativeScript believes in creating universal experiences. Irrespective of the platform, applications will have similar UI experiences. When it comes to using NativeScript with Angular 2, you will require a distinctive and different coding architecture. However, that’s not the case with React Native.

Making the right choice

While picking the right option amongst these two, developers are often in a state of confusion. Both these tools have their special highlights which make them the best choices for native app development. It’s here that developers need to make the decisive move. Depending on your project needs, you will have to pick the right alterNative.

If your application contains numerous complex UI elements, React Native will be the right option for you. However, if you need single cross-platform coding for your application, Native Script can fulfill your demands. The crucial thing to realize when comparing the two native-focused approaches is that React Native and Native Script share a fundamental difference in approach to how they construct native apps from the same code base. Native Script takes a holistic approach, working to be a true ‘Write it once, run it anywhere’ framework. This means that a lot of the UI elements used will be decidedly lower-level, as NativeScript is attempting to manage the UI in a transparent and repeatable way between the multiple platforms it supports.

Add in the coupling with Angular 2, and you can create cross-platform applications that, through the virtue of Angular’s declarative UI focus, are more conceptually consistent than an application having to interpret between multiple UI paradigms.

Cross-platform application development has seen many rapid developments, and the recent flood of cross-platform and native development frameworks will only continue this pattern. Choosing between React Native and a combination of Angular 2 and Native Script is, in many ways, similar to choosing between React and Angular themselves.

React is designed as a blazing-fast lightweight rendering framework to be leveraged within the context of a larger application, and React Native continues this pattern of providing tools instead of patterns. Angular, on the other hand, is an opinionated application development framework that has a “right way” of developing applications in mind, something that the integration of Angular 2 and NativeScript carries further at the slight expense of deeper native device integration.

Thus the choice between the two is largely the same.

Is your application focused on complex UI with lots of rendering and custom elements?

If so, React Native might be the right choice for you. However, if having a single cross-platform code base with a declarative UI paradigm is more in-line with what you foresee for your application’s architecture, then combining Angular 2 and NativeScript can help you realize the same gains, all the while maintaining similar development patterns and program architecture.

The Choice is ultimately yours!

If you would like to know more about how you can use these technologies to build applications for your business, just drop us a quick message with your requiremnts

Right from the time of its inception, React Native had been the focal point of interesting discussion for many developers. During the initial phases, developers were quite skeptical about its performance, and some of them were also facing challenges while using it. According to developers, React combined the JavaScript and HTML codes thus offering better opportunities for app development.

If you are planning to create highly scalable, flexible, and interactive apps, React Native will be the appropriate choice. Here are some aspects to consider while choosing it.

Decoding the React platform

When it comes to defining React, you will come across quite a few crucial terms. According to formal definition, React is one of the most functional JavaScript libraries used in user interface creation. React helps developers focus on their application view. Simply put, React Native app comprises of ‘React’ components which describe the look and appearance of the application.

Mobile app development and designing encompass two highly significant ecosystems. Developers are either working for the iOS or Android platforms. Before the emergence of React Native, app development experts used Java, Objective-C, Cocoa Touch, and Android SDK.

Why choose React Native?

It’s here that React Native plays a highly significant role. The platform aims at reducing app development complexities. Here are some reasons that compel you to choose React Native:

1.     Learn it for once

With React Native, developers will have the opportunity to build Android and iOS apps. Developers will only need to learn JavaScript, and that will help them work in multiple app development environments.

2.     Swift and fast development

React Native offers swift reloading. You can view live changes and reload them instantly. The JavaScript codes are bundled in a single location, which is either embedded in the app or server. While working on React Native, you can use Chrome for debugging purposes. Most importantly, the platform includes Flexbox CSS and Inline styling, which collectively results in swift development.

3.     The quintessential ‘Native’ app performance

React Native utilizes Android and iOS user interface components and puts them together with React and JavaScript. Since this particular platform runs the code on a background thread instead of the main one, developers enjoy some of the most amazing benefits. User Interface does not get blocked and app animations are as graceful as they want.

4.     Native Module

React Native allows the use of ‘native modules’, which happens to be a connecting link between your JavaScript code and host platform. Writing a native module isn’t that tough, as Facebook has already shared information and documents on this particular aspect.

5.     Fast and rapid updating

Fixing bugs or updating the app happens to be highly crucial tasks. There’s no denying the fact that review processes take quite some time. With React Native, developers will have the opportunity to integrate new and innovative features into the application. They won’t need to perform the app review process all over again.

Your decision

These are some of the crucial aspects that clearly define the benefits of using React Native. Developers will surely have a great time while creating highly scalable, flexible, high-performance, and interactive apps.

What Is React.Js

The task of developing interactive and attractive UIs with JavaScript is undoubtedly overwhelming and tedious. When it comes to building interactive UIs, developers require keeping quite a few crucial aspects in mind. From ensuring optimum functionality for users to offering easy operations to site owners, there are numerous factors worth considering in this context.

Developers find it quite difficult to reuse existing parts of your User Interface, and use them while coding. It’s here that they look for the most effective solution that accelerates the process of front-end development.

The emergence of React.JS

React.JS happens to be a highly functional and unique JavaScript used in creating UIs for Instagram and Facebook. By helping developers scale up applications over time, React.JS emerges as one of the most effective JavaScript libraries for creating amazing applications. Before taking a look at the crucial steps involved in the process, here’s what you need to know about React.JS.

I.            Simple: Let your UI change automatically with significant changes in the underlying data. React.JS is simple and easy to work with.

II.            Building reusable contents: With React.JS, you will have the opportunity to build reusable contents. With encapsulated components, code testing, reuse, and concern separations become easier than ever.

III.            Declarative: With significant changes in data, selected parts of your User Interface will get updated automatically. You will not have to perform any additional functions.

With these features and highlights, React.JS is undoubtedly one of the most functional and effective UI development platforms. On that note, it’s high time to take a look at how React.JS helps in UI designing and development projects.

Crucial steps to consider

While using this JavaScript library, make sure you follow the significant steps. Following these steps will help you achieve unsurpassed success while working with this platform.

        I.            Importance of small components

Professional and experienced developers always make it a point to create small modules, classes, and components. The reason is quite simple. Small components are easy to maintain, understand, and test. Although the individual size of each component will depend on your coding requirements, it will be imperative to keep the size quite small.

      II.            Writing highly functional components

With React 0.14 coming up with a unique and new syntax, creating functional components have become crucial necessities and not just a choice.

    III.            The importance of stateless components

Stateless components prove to be highly beneficial while working with React.JS. Too many states can increase your difficulty in designing thus creating numerous coding issues. Here are some of the problems worth looking for.

• States make component testing difficult
• States create issues with reasoning
• States make information sharing difficult
• States are highly beneficial while including business logics

Creating stateless components will be the key to avoiding these problems. Quite naturally, you will come across a smooth UI building process.

Signing off

Other than these procedures, developers should also consider aspects such as using prop types, shallow rendering, Babel, JSX, Redux development tools, along with several other factors. That will help them create highly scalable and unique UIs for applications.