React Native Radio RNR 339 - RN Web vs React Strict DOM (Pt 1) w/ Nicolas Gallagher
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Aug 1, 2025 
Nicolas Gallagher, a software engineer at Meta working on the web platform team and a co-creator of React Native for Web, joins the discussion on the differences between React Native Web and React Strict DOM. They explore the historical context and design challenges of these technologies. Key topics include performance, accessibility, and user experience distinctions, along with how Meta is shaping the future of React development. The conversation also touches on community contributions and the evolution of coding environments.
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Origin Story: React Native For Web
- Nicolas created React Native for Web while rebuilding Twitter's web app to reuse React Native's styling ideas.
- He ported React Native concepts to web to get higher-level abstractions and a component library faster.
Two Opposite Directions
- React Native for Web converts React Native APIs into DOM but adds significant runtime and abstraction cost on web.
- React Strict DOM reverses that by taking web-first code and running it on native to avoid browser-side overhead.
Prefer Web-First When Web Is Primary
- Start with your dominant platform when sharing code: if you have massive web code, consider web-first for native reach.
- Use minimal codemods to preserve existing web behavior rather than redesigning APIs from scratch.