React Native Now Recommends Using Frameworks for New Apps
Key Points
- Expo is now the officially recommended framework for new React Native apps
- React Native CLI moved to community package but remains supported
- Frameworks provide production-ready tooling for navigation, builds, and upgrades
Summary
React Native has updated its official guidance to recommend using frameworks like Expo for building new applications. This change, announced at React Conf, positions frameworks as the best way to create production-ready React Native apps by providing essential tooling and APIs out of the box.
Key Points
- Framework-first approach: React Native now officially recommends using frameworks instead of bare React Native CLI for new projects
- Expo as primary recommendation: Expo is currently the only officially recommended community framework, offering best-in-class developer experience
- Production-ready tooling: Frameworks provide essential tools for navigation, state management, upgrades, dependency management, and native builds
- Migration support: Existing apps can migrate to Expo, with official migration guides available
- Continued CLI support: The
react-native initcommand remains available via@react-native-community/clifor those who prefer bare React Native - Library developer guidance: New recommendations provided for React Native library developers on which APIs to use
- Future framework ecosystem: Guidelines established for other frameworks to become officially recommended