React JS vs React Native: Comparison | Similarities [2023]

    Are you confused with the names of React JS and React Native? - React JS vs React Native?

    No further worries as you have reached the best piece of comparison, 'React JS vs React Native: Comparison | Similarities [2023]'. No doubt for a newbie, the key variables can make confusion as ‘React’ is a common keyword present in both technologies.

 

Introduction:

    React or React JS and React Native are very useful technologies for Web and Mobile Applications. These technologies are often confused as their names are almost the same. This article is all about the comparison of React JS and React Native.

    This comparison can be on basis of Installation Processes, Platforms, Components, Thread of Execution, Rendering, and Support to the CSS.

React JS vs React Native - Comparison

React JS:

    React JS is a free open-source JavaScript library used to make complex SPAs (Single Page Applications). It was first realized to the public in 2011 by Facebook (former name of Meta), a well-known and trusted technological giant.

    This Library helps to create creates web applications for both the browser, front end, and the server. It is very popular with businesses etc who care about their web app’s User Interface. This Library uses JSX as the templating language to create reusable components.

 

JavaScript Syntax Extension - JSX:

    JSX – JavaScript Syntax Extension is an XML/HTML-like syntax. This markup language’s specialty is that JavaScript can be embedded within its JSX code. HTML-like syntax helps to embed CSS within it.

 

Virtual DOM:

    Virtual Document Object Model, Virtual DOM, is a feature of React JS. Virtual DOM reserves memory allocation in a browser or in a server, back end and creates all the components virtually, like the browser’s DOM, by importing from the server.

    When any component’s state changes, the browser compares the Virtual DOM with the browser’s real DOM. Updates take place on those components of Real DOM which contradict the Virtual DOM.

React Native:

    React Native is a JavaScript Framework, used to make native mobile applications. React Native framework uses a JavaScript engine to convert JS or JSX code into native code and further at the core native code runs. This is the reason behind the native feel in React Native Applications.

Key Technical Comparisons:

1)- Installation Process:

React JS:

    React JS Project can be created by the npm package manager command. Node JS is required to be present in the system.

    The command for creating a new React JS Project is:

 npx create-react-app my-web-app  

React Native:

    To create React Native Project, Node JS, and React Native CLI must be installed. Further for Android development, Android Studio with React Native SDK is a must, and for iOS development, XCode, which can only run on Mac OS, is needed.

    CMD Command for creating a new React Native Project is:

 npx react-native@latest init AwesomeProject

2)- Platforms:

React JS:

    React JS is JavaScript Library for Web Development. The main aim behind its development was to create single-page applications and full-fledged customization. SPAs can be also made with plane JavaScript, but they will be proved a nightmare.

React Native:

    React Native is a JavaScript Framework for creating native mobile applications for all small-screen platforms. Both Android and iOS apps can be developed with solo JSX code.

3)- Components Designing: 

React JS:

    React JS provides flexibility to the developer or designer to pursue the design as per requirements. As all CSS attributes can be utilized within React Web Apps. Further, all HTML and JavaScript components can be used in the code form of JSX.

React Native:

    React Native has a set of reusable React Native UI components and modules that allow hybrid apps to render natively. Unlike Web Development, all Mobile components are pre-defined with frameworks similar to native Android or iOS development.

4)- Syntax: 

React JS:

    React JS has HTML-like Syntax, JSX. This allows developers to use HTML tags within it, CSS attributes for designing, and JavaScript for logic Building. It provides partial ease of flexibility in writing code for different web components.

React Native:

    React Native has syntax parallel to the Native UI Components. In this technology, developing unique components is not allowed as all components are given by the framework.

5)- Thread of Execution: 

React JS:

    React JS uses Virtual DOM as its thread of execution of the Program or React Web App. A virtual Document Object Model is a feature of React JS. This reserves memory allocation in the browser or in the server and creates all the components virtually, like the browser’s DOM, by importing from the server.

React Native:

    React Native uses Native API as its thread of execution to convert JSX code to native code. For Android React JSX Code is converted into either Java or Kotlin for Android. Similarly, for iOS React JSX Code is converted to either Objective C or Swift.

6)- Rendering:

React JS:

    React JS code is rendered in the browser engine as an HTML page. It uses JavaScript for logic building and Reacts CSS attributes for designing the page, within HTML syntax. This type of unique HTML-like language is known as JSX. 

React Native:

    While React Native code is first converted into parallel native components by JavaScript Bridge. Then further native code interacts with a machine similar to any native Android or iOS app.

7)- Support for CSS Animations:

React JS:

    React JS supports all CSS animations and designs. React Developers can utilize CSS attributes to create robust animations.

    It supports both Inline CSS and External Style Sheet File too by importing them within <head> tag.

React Native:

    React Native does not support CSS instead 3^rd party packages are often used to make animations on React Native. Being dependent on 3^rd party packages, its development and designing became more vulnerable to app crashes and difficulties.

 

8)- Documentation:

React JS:

    React JS has syntax similar to conventional HTML, CSS, and JS. Therefore, Documentation is not direly needed.

    Yet React Documentation is good compared to React Native for flexibility in creating reusable components.

React Native:

    In React Native, documentation is very important because almost all-important features can only be achieved by importing external packages through npm.

Also Read:  Django

Key Similarities: 

Mother Company:

    Both React JS and React Native are developed and maintained by Meta. Meta manages their updates and maintains version control on GitHub. It is in ambiguity that for how long React Native Support can be given to the

Open Source:

    Both React JS and React Native are open-source and free. All code is available on GitHub for Contributions and Community Support.

 

Big Community:

    Both React JS and React Native have big communities or online presence of developers and contributors. As per Stack Overflow, React and React Native have the biggest community compared to their competitors.

 

Large-scale Eco-System:

    Both React JS and React Native have a large number of external packages to enhance their features. Due to a lack of libraries, most of the features of React are achieved through external code packages, written by the developer.

 

Language:

    Both React JS and React Native both use the JavaScript extension JSX to create UIs and Logic. Any Web Developer, familiar with JavaScript can switch to both web and mobile application development easily with JSX syntax.

Also Read: Object-Oriented Programming

Conclusion:

    To conclude, there are a number of areas where both React JS and React Native become totally different technologies. Yet, there are several similarities too. The article, ‘React or React JS vs React Native’, tried to propose a number of differences and resolved multiple confusions.