#062 - Navigation, Styling & The State of React Native with Beto

In this episode, Simon and Beto discuss the latest findings from the State of React Native survey, highlighting trends in developer backgrounds, platform usage, income levels, and the evolving landscape of libraries and tools in the React Native ecosystem. They delve into the increasing popularity of local storage solutions, deep linking, and the rise of Zustand in state management, while also addressing the challenges and opportunities for solo developers in the mobile app space. In this conversation, Beto and Simon discuss the current state and future of React Native, focusing on various aspects such as Expo Router usage, styling trends, graphics and animations, component libraries, debugging tools, architecture adoption, build processes, AI in code generation, and community sentiment. They highlight the improvements in developer experience and the shift towards a more native approach in React Native development.

Learn React Native - https://galaxies.dev

Alberto Moedano

• Beto X: https://twitter.com/betomoedano
• Beto YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@codewithbeto
• Code with Beto Courses: https://codewithbeto.dev/

Links

• State of React Native Survey: https://results.stateofreactnative.com/en-US/

Takeaways

• The State of React Native survey had over 3,000 participants, indicating growing interest.
• A significant number of React Native developers come from backend backgrounds.
• Solo developers can effectively use Expo and React Native to build apps.
• The trend towards local-first applications is gaining traction in the developer community.
• Deep linking is becoming increasingly important for app navigation.
• Zustand is rising in popularity as a state management solution.
• Inline styling remains a popular choice among developers.
• Expo is working on a new UI component library to enhance native app development.
• The future of data syncing and local storage solutions looks promising with new technologies. ExpoRouter is seeing increased usage and feedback is being actively incorporated.
• Styling in React Native is evolving, with inline styles gaining popularity due to AI tools.
• Graphics and animations are best handled with libraries like Reanimated and Skia.
• Component libraries are declining, indicating a shift towards more flexible styling solutions.
• Debugging tools are improving, with new options like Radon IDE and Atlas for Expo.
• The adoption of the new React Native architecture is growing, with many developers migrating successfully.
• EAS build is the preferred method for building applications, offering automation and a free tier.
• AI is becoming a significant part of the coding process, with many developers relying on it for code generation.
• Cross-platform frameworks are consolidating, with React Native and Flutter leading the way.
• The community sentiment around React Native is positive, with excitement for future developments.