Mobile Development with React Native - Best Practices for 2024

After building numerous React Native applications, I’ve compiled the best practices that make the difference between a good app and a great one. Here’s what you need to know in 2024.

Performance Optimization

1. Use Hermes Engine

Hermes significantly improves startup time and memory usage:

// android/app/build.gradle
project.ext.react = [
  enableHermes: true
]

2. Implement Lazy Loading

const HomeScreen = lazy(() => import('./screens/HomeScreen'));

function App() {
  return (
    <Suspense fallback={<LoadingScreen />}>
      <HomeScreen />
    </Suspense>
  );
}

3. Optimize Images

Use proper image formats and implement caching:

import FastImage from 'react-native-fast-image';

<FastImage
  style={styles.image}
  source={{
    uri: imageUrl,
    priority: FastImage.priority.normal,
  }}
  resizeMode={FastImage.resizeMode.cover}
/>

State Management

Redux Toolkit

import { configureStore, createSlice } from '@reduxjs/toolkit';

const userSlice = createSlice({
  name: 'user',
  initialState: { profile: null },
  reducers: {
    setProfile: (state, action) => {
      state.profile = action.payload;
    }
  }
});

export const store = configureStore({
  reducer: {
    user: userSlice.reducer
  }
});

Navigation

React Navigation 6

import { NavigationContainer } from '@react-navigation/native';
import { createNativeStackNavigator } from '@react-navigation/native-stack';

const Stack = createNativeStackNavigator();

function App() {
  return (
    <NavigationContainer>
      <Stack.Navigator>
        <Stack.Screen 
          name="Home" 
          component={HomeScreen}
          options={{
            headerLargeTitle: true,
            headerTransparent: true
          }}
        />
      </Stack.Navigator>
    </NavigationContainer>
  );
}

Animations

Reanimated 3

import Animated, { 
  useAnimatedStyle, 
  useSharedValue, 
  withSpring 
} from 'react-native-reanimated';

function AnimatedCard() {
  const scale = useSharedValue(1);
  
  const animatedStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
    transform: [{ scale: scale.value }]
  }));
  
  const handlePress = () => {
    scale.value = withSpring(0.9, {}, () => {
      scale.value = withSpring(1);
    });
  };
  
  return (
    <Animated.View style={[styles.card, animatedStyle]}>
      <TouchableOpacity onPress={handlePress}>
        <Text>Press me!</Text>
      </TouchableOpacity>
    </Animated.View>
  );
}

Best Practices

1. Use TypeScript: Catch errors early and improve maintainability
2. Implement Error Boundaries: Gracefully handle crashes
3. Optimize Bundle Size: Use dynamic imports and tree shaking
4. Test on Real Devices: Simulators don’t catch all issues
5. Monitor Performance: Use Flipper and React DevTools

Conclusion

Building great React Native apps requires attention to detail and following best practices. Focus on performance, user experience, and code quality to create apps users love.