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About React Native app development
React native app is one of the most popular cross-platform app development platforms available in the market today. Launched in 2017 by Facebook, React Native has quickly emerged as the platform of choice for cross-platform app development.
Cross-platform mobile frameworks used by software developers worldwide in 2019 and 2021 (source: Statista)
As the above graph shows, React Native is still one of the most loved cross-platform app development technologies in the tech world. The popularity of React Native has attracted scores of developers. When they are learning to code in React Native, the developers tend to make mistakes. Expert React Native app developers avoid these mistakes and ensure that the React Native development project is finished as per the requirements. In this blog, we will make you aware of the most common mistakes that developers make while developing a React Native app.
Top 10 mistakes to avoid when developing a React Native app
A developer making mistakes while developing a React Native app is not unusual, but some mistakes can prove to be costly. Although there are many mistakes that one can avoid in React Native development; here, we highlight the most important ones.
Wrong redux store planning
Competent redux store planning is one of those areas where most developers tend to commit mistakes. Sometimes the developers focus more on the app layout and less on data handling. This proves to be a grave mistake and is an example of wrong redux store planning. Understand that robust redux store planning will help you in storing the data correctly.
Redux store planning is not necessary for a small project as the developers need to put in a lot of effort even to make small changes. But for large-scale applications, redux store planning is absolutely necessary.
Left console.log
The console.log statement is very helpful in coding. Console.log gives assistance in troubleshooting the app’s execution. One of the most common mistakes that new React Native developers make is that they keep the statements(log) as it is.
If you keep all the techniques and logistics inside the app as it is, especially the asynchronous ones, then it can significantly hamper the performance of the app. These can cause a bottleneck and cause the application to operate slowly.
Incorrect estimation
Incorrect estimation is another grave mistake that can derail your React Native app development project.
While you conduct an estimation, you need to understand that the structure of an application page can vastly differ on iOS and Android. There will be a large number of reusable components along with different layouts.
While estimating, you should also estimate the validation layout of the app. Take a note of the fact that with React Native, you will have to write more lines of code as compared to when you build a hybrid app on other platforms.
When you build a web app, you will need to check all the different endpoints offered by the backend. You should also understand the database structure and how the entities are connected.
Constraints in the abstraction layer
It is essential to add an abstraction layer in the local stage to add the best functionality to your app. But make sure that you give enough importance to this process as you can face some tricky issues if you don’t do so. If you encounter bugs in the abstraction layer, then these bugs can cause a lot of trouble for you. In the abstraction layers, there is a high reliance on third-party libraries and services. That’s why you need to invest thought capital in selecting the most appropriate third-party libraries and services for an abstraction layer.
Not optimizing images
Image optimization happens to be one of the most important processes as far as application development is concerned. A lot of app developers tend to ignore this important process. This lethargy increases the chances of getting misaligned images in the final product. Users tend to leave an app or a website if its loading time is excessive. The website or app load time depends a lot on the size of the images, and this is why image optimization is essential. Proper image optimization will help you to make the app lightweight and increase its scalability and performance. Image optimization will help you resize the images locally, and once done, you can then upload these images directly to cloud storage. This way, you will have synchronized images, and image optimization will also help you in easy upload of the images in cloud storage.
Not implementing foreign codes and modules
Foreign modules and codes help make the development process quick and simple. Many app developers make the mistake of not implementing foreign codes. The developers that do not like including foreign modules are the ones that have experienced some kind of difficulties when the integration of the foreign modules is not done properly with the application. You will inadvertently find some difficulties in integrating foreign modules into your app. Don’t let that deter you from trying out foreign modules as the benefits outweigh the issues that you might face.
Using stateless components for gaining React Native performance
Many developers tend to use stateless components as they believe that everything that was true before React16 is still true. Stateless components are the components that do not extend any kind of class. Instead of using stateless components, the React Native developers should try to focus on pure components for React Native development. You should select pure components because the re-rendering process happens only when a change is detected in states. On the contrary, in stateless components, the re-rendering process happens in proportion to the parent component. The developers can perform some other DOM functions by sending AJAX requests inside the component.
Not respecting the protocols
Sometimes the developers do not adhere to the basic protocols of React Native app development. This can prove to be a huge mistake as bugs tend to creep into the project if basic protocols are ignored. The following are a few of the best practices for React Native development
- Create aliases
- Divide components
- Declare types
- Sort imports
- Ensure components hook
- Separate the styles
- Aggregate selectors
If the developers do not follow good coding practices in their React Native development project, then this can hinder the development process. This is why it is advised to always stick to the standard protocols. For clients with a technical background, adherence to good coding standards emerges as one of the major factors that affect the cost to hire React Native developers.
Not writing a unit test
One of the biggest React Native development mistakes is working without unit tests. This is because a few developers think that an app can still perform without unit tests. While this is true to some extent, by not choosing to go for unit tests, you are taking a big risk with your React Native development project as you find out about the bugs only when you launch the app. Hence, it is better to test the app’s functionalities before you release the product in the market.
Another benefit of a well-documented unit test is that it allows the developers to access different parts of the app separately. Unit testing also allows the developers to spot a mistake early without disturbing the development process.
Ignoring the project structure
A grave mistake that the React Native developers make is that they tend to ignore the project structure. The developers should invest more time in learning about the project and in thinking about the possible pitfalls that they can face during the execution of this particular project. If the React Native developers do not do this, it could result in bad outcomes for the project in the long run. Hence, it is essential for React Native developers to have a well-structured project framework.
Improvement by subtraction
A simple way to achieve foolproof React Native development is to ensure that you do not commit common React Native development mistakes. While intelligent people learn from their own mistakes, wise ones learn from the mistakes of others. The purpose of this blog was to make you wiser for exponential growth as a React Native developer. It is necessary to learn from the common React Native development mistakes. These development mistakes can ruin your React Native app development project, so try and avoid them.
Bio:
Name: Avantika Shergil
An enthusiastic Operations Manager at TopDevelopers.co, coordinating and managing the technical and functional areas. She is an adventure lover, passionate traveler, and admirer of nature, who believes that a cup of coffee is the prime source to feel rejuvenated.
Researching and writing about technology keeps her boosted and enhances her professional journeying.
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