In this article, we will explain 5 mistakes to look out for in React Native App Development.
There’s no denying that React Native is among the best and the most used cross-platform mobile development frameworks irrespective of the time period. Why is it so popular? Both developers and entrepreneurs have been using this open-source UI-centric framework for its various benefits in designing, speeding up the development process, etc.
React Native helps developers to create the most engaging apps efficiently and quickly with minimal coding. However, before planning a new project or writing codes to update an existing app, you should keep in mind that some level of experience or willingness to understand the framework is required. If you do not approach the development process appropriately, it can hurt the performance of an application in later stages – or even be disastrous for businesses.
Here are five general mistakes developers often make while building React Native applications. Let’s dive right in!
Common Mistakes That You Need to Pay Attention to
Mistake #1: Incorrect Planning
Layout: During React native app development, one of the major facts to keep in mind is that both Android and iOS version layouts are different. The app’s fundamental layout is different across both platforms. Undeniably, React Native allows developers to use the two platforms interchangeably, but it does not mean every element is usable. There are certain elements, which may be incompatible with the other.
Web Apps: Another critical point to be considered is that developers should take care of all the endpoints in the backend too. Since most developers focus on the frontend logic, often the backend is overlooked. Additionally, developers should always understand the database used and its connected dependencies.
Mistake #2: Inadequate React Native Images
As long as react native app development is concerned, image optimization should be the first priority without being ignored by the react native developers. If image optimization is ignored, images in a website or app take longer to load and it can slow down the performance of the entire site. This might affect the site ranking, traffic and hinder the user experience of the visitors. As a result, the website or app can lose its domain authority as well.
The optimization process helps to resize the images locally, and then these can be uploaded into cloud storage servers such as S3 and so on.
Pro Tip: By applying this method into practice, the image loading process can be made faster and lightweight. It can also increase the performance and scalability of the web or mobile application in the longer run.
Mistake #3: Wrong Usage of Redux
Your next focus should be the data processing and planning its respective state containers of an application. Focusing on app layout must not be the only intent always. Planning for the usage of a compatible redux store is mandatory since it helps to store and handle the state containers within the application correctly.
Knowing the importance of redux store planning will help developers to plan accordingly while building large-scale apps. Not many teams are aware of the criteria to keep in mind while handling redux-related tasks.
So to keep away from mishandling redux store, you need to follow the steps below:
- Don’t miss out on building a store hierarchy
- Organize necessary files in order
- Make sure to configure the store constantly
- Add middleware to extend redux functionality
A word of caution: It is best not to use Redux for small-scale react native apps.
Mistake #4: Unforeseen Side of Stateless Components
Stateless components do not have a state in the components used in an application. They are considered easy to write, test, and understand for development requirements. Below are some of the features of stateless components:
- Fast and easy to implement
- Optimize performance
- Does not use state or local variables
- Render values as per the given props
Since it is easy to implement and test, developers generally start to use such components during development. However, stateless components typically do not extend any class which may result in complications during scaling the app.
To avoid this, react native developers should use ‘pure components’ for development. It prevents the re-rendering of components if the state or its props are identical. In some cases, it also helps to achieve performance peaks.
Mistake #5: Overlooking ‘console.log’
The function console.log() statements are the most valuable functions. It allows developers to debug, create a proof of concepts, and add functionality to a web application. Nevertheless, it can cause a problem if developers keep the logic aside and render components inside. This may cause serious bottlenecks if any malicious code is injected or if any problem occurs in a website since logged data would be inconsistent. Finding the error origin might prove to be a headache. Therefore, developers must use the log statements wisely to avoid such matters while developing react native apps.
The bottom line is that, make sure not to overlook the importance of logging statements in the application.
To Wrap Up
If you are guilty of any one of the above mistakes, fret not! You are not all alone. Especially for newbies, it takes time to adapt to a new coding environment. What’s more? All you need to do is to keep away from the above-mentioned general mistakes. Currently, React Native is the foremost choice of Goliaths like Instagram, Skype, and Facebook. So now is the right time to come clean and take your development practices to the next level.
Lastly, don’t forget to make a sticky note of these mistakes if you want to avoid them altogether in the future.
