How Frameworks such as PhoneGap and React simplify Native Mobile App Development?

Applications developed for a specific device, or a platform is meant to seek benefits from a particular operating system or any other software that is typically installed on that particular platform.

However, native mobile application development is generally a herculean task; usually less productive and thus inefficient. One could use a platform’s native language for conceiving native applications like Java for Android, C++ for Windows, and Swift for iOS. Thus, three different skills are needed to write mobile applications in three different native languages, for three different platforms.

Subsequently, such prolonged procedure often discourages enterprises to seek multi-platform visibility and exactly the inconsistency resolved by frameworks such as React and PhoneGap. Such platforms let developers deploy an app instantly across platforms, without any difference in grade.

Frameworks like React Native and PhoneGap make it significantly easier to develop and deploy enterprise applications

For instance, the retail warehouses use radio ID readers for incoming freight to the inventory. However, these readers may cost up to $3000 while using mobile apps could abbreviate the cost by 50%. Recently, a brick and click retailer, instead of buying dozens of these readers, deployed a mobile application using PhoneGap and Apple iPods attached with radio frequency equipment and this costs him a few hundred dollars per equipment.

A mobile application developed using PhoneGap is basically a web view or a web browser. The application is written in HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, and wrapped in a web view native for each platform.

This makes it possible for native features like Global Positioning System (GPS) and camera to be accessed via the PhoneGap framework. Based on Cordova, PhoneGap provides a set of JavaScript APIs that connect to the device’s native functionalities such as the Camera, Geolocation etc. So, it lets us build applications without using the native languages for the platform, which can be complicated to learn, like C++, JAVA, Swift, etc.

Moreover, the process of installing and making them discoverable on the app store doesn’t change. Using tons of libraries, PhoneGap can enable you to integrate payments from the app store and distribute it. However, if there are a large number of graphic elements in the application, the performance may be an issue big enough!

React Native that was developed by Facebook initially for its own applications, uses the React JavaScript Framework and deploys it across any platform, using a single language to write the application.

The library can render mobile applications UIs (User Interfaces) for both, Android as well as iOS. Also, the library is open sourced so that the compatibilities with other platforms can be worked on by the developers.

Reusability of React Native’s building blocks as “native components” can be explored as these blocks can be directly compiled to native. Not to miss, the components used in Android and iOS have got their counterparts in React Native, bestowing a consistent feel and look.

React Native can be picked up easily if one knows JavaScript, and a front-end web developer can be a mobile developer on the spot. Knowing some Native UI elements, platform APIs, any platform specific design patterns are enough. The library is new and Facebook is working towards its growth.

React Native makes it all easy, bringing agility and speed of a web app development with native results to hybrid space. Also, there are many third-party plugins that provide functionalities so that you won’t have to rely on any webView for certain functions.

Use Case – Adding Google maps to your application

Here, React Native lets you link the plugin with the native module. So, linking the maps application with functionalities like zooming or rotation, etc. will be faster and efficient, consuming less memory. Thus, React Native allows utilizing prior web development experience towards high performing apps.

Moreover, React Native lets you to make the application’s view layer an output of the state purely. So, instead of modifying the view components only, the developer can define the interface according to the input data provided to the application. The framework follows the updates intelligently in accordance with the inputs provided. This is a highly impactful shift towards simplifying the User Interfaces (UIs) built.

React Native and JavaScript can run an app at 60 frames per second. So, while executing a complex UI thread, the application won’t hesitate running for you at 60 frames per second, as long as the main UI thread is not blocked.

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