What is the difference between React and React Native?

Experience Level: Junior
Tags: React

Answer

React and React Native are both JavaScript libraries created by Facebook.

React is used for building web applications while React Native is used for building mobile applications.

React is a declarative, efficient, and flexible JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It allows developers to create reusable UI components and manage the state of the application. React uses a virtual DOM to update the UI efficiently and minimize the number of DOM manipulations. React is used for building web applications that can run on any browser and platform.

React Native is a framework for building mobile applications using JavaScript and React. It allows developers to build mobile applications for iOS, Android, and other platforms using a single codebase. React Native uses native components instead of web components to render the UI. This means that the UI components are rendered using the native APIs of the platform, which results in better performance and a more native look and feel. React Native also provides access to native APIs, which allows developers to build applications that can access device features such as the camera, GPS, and accelerometer.

In summary, React is used for building web applications while React Native is used for building mobile applications. React uses web components to render the UI while React Native uses native components. React is used for building applications that can run on any browser and platform while React Native is used for building applications that can run on iOS, Android, and other platforms using a single codebase.

// Example of React component
import React from 'react';

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Hello, World!</h1>
      <p>This is a React component.</p>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

// Example of React Native component
import React from 'react';
import { View, Text } from 'react-native';

function App() {
  return (
    <View>
      <Text>Hello, World!</Text>
      <Text>This is a React Native component.</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

export default App;
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