What is React Native Framework - An In-depth Study

Published on Mar 19, 2018

Updated on Oct 16, 2019

React Native is much talked and developers are excited about this framework. The technology takes everything that’s great about React.js and applies it to apps leveraging developers to build mobile apps on a native platform using JavaScript, enabling better application experiences.

How better React Native is and what it promises?

React Native renders native applications for both iOS and Android mobiles. React takes charge of the view-controller and programmatically generates native views using JavaScript. It targets mobile platforms instead of targeting browsers. In other words, we can sum-up by saying, web developers are in the comfort of writing mobile applications that look and feel native, all from the JavaScript library. The upper edge in this framework is that most of the codes you write can be shared across platforms- React native makes it easy to simultaneously develop for both Android and iOS.

This means you can have all the speed and the power of a native application, with the ease of development that comes with React. The two main reasons are:

With React Native your application logic is written and runs in JavaScript, whereas your application UI is fully native; therefore you have none of the compromises typically associated with HTML5 UI.
React introduces a novel, radical and highly functional approach to constructing user interfaces. In brief, the application UI is simply expressed as a function of the current application state.

React Native Bridging Gaps

Similar to React for the Web, React Native applications are written using a mixture of JavaScript and XML –esque mark-up, known as JSX. Supporting both iOS and Android, React Native has the potential to expand across all the future platforms. You can really use React Native to build a production-ready mobile applications, using real mobile UI components, not web-views, and will look and feel like any other mobile application. It also exposes JavaScript interfaces for platform APIs, so your React Native apps can access platform features like the phone camera, or the user’s location, providing a better user experience.

React Native is coming close to bridge the gap between the performance of a native app and the ease of development of a web app. When most of the frameworks do try to mimic native UI elements, the results usually “feel” just a little off; reverse-engineering all the fine details of things like animations take an enormous amount of effort, and they can quickly become out of date. In contrast, React Native actually translates your markup to real, native UI elements, leveraging existing means of rendering views on whatever platform you are working with.

In addition, React works separately from the main UI thread, so your application can maintain high performance without sacrificing capability. The update cycle in React Native is the same as in React: when props or state change, React Native re-renders the views. The major difference between React Native and React in the browser is that React Native does this by leveraging the UI libraries of its host platform, rather than using HTML and CSS markup.

Developer Comfort Zone

For developers accustomed to working on the Web with React, this means you can write mobile apps with the performance and look and feel of a native application, while using familiar tools. React Native also represents an improvement over normal mobile development in two other areas: the developer experience and cross-platform development potential.

React Native brings all of React.JS’s better app performance, DOM abstraction (as well as manipulation in virtual DOM), and simplified programming methods for hybrid mobile development – speed and agility of web app development with native results.

React Native lets you link the plugin with a native module, so you can link the map up with the device’s functions like zoom, rotate, and the compass, while using less memory and loading faster. If your app supports older operating systems (and older devices), this can help you keep the app running smoothly. Getting started with React Native is easy—especially for JavaScript pros.

In short, React Native aims to primarily bring the power of the React programming model to mobile app development. It is the future generation framework.

Let’s rewind the clock for a moment. Thousands of years ago, humans had a simple way of keeping tabs on things—literally. They carved marks into clay tablets to track grain harvests or seal trade agreements. These ancient scribes kickstarted what would later become one of humanity’s greatest pursuits: organizing and understanding data. The journey of data began to take shape.

Now, here’s the kicker—we’ve gone from storing the data on clay to storing the data on the cloud, but one age-old problem still nags at us: How healthy is that data? Can we trust it?

Think about it. Records from centuries ago survived and still make sense today because someone cared enough to store them and keep them in good shape. That’s essentially what data observability does for our modern world. It’s like having a health monitor for your data systems, ensuring they’re reliable, accurate, and ready for action. And here are the times when data observability actually had more than a few wins in the real world and this is how it works

How Data Observability Works

Data observability involves monitoring, analyzing, and ensuring the health of your data systems in real-time. Here’s how it functions:

Data Monitoring: Continuously tracks metrics like data volume, freshness, and schema consistency to spot anomalies early.
Automated data Alerts: Notify teams of irregularities, such as unexpected data spikes or pipeline failures, before they escalate.
Root Cause Analysis: Pinpoints the source of issues using lineage tracking, making problem-solving faster and more efficient.
Proactive Maintenance: Predicts potential failures by analyzing historical trends, helping enterprises stay ahead of disruptions.
Collaboration Tools: Bridges gaps between data engineering, analytics, and operations teams with a shared understanding of system health.

Real-World Wins with Data Observability

1. Preventing Retail Chaos

A global retailer was struggling with the complexities of scaling data operations across diverse regions, Faced with a vast and complex system, manual oversight became unsustainable. Rakuten provided data observability solutions by leveraging real-time monitoring and integrating ITSM solutions with a unified data health dashboard, the retailer was able to prevent costly downtime and ensure seamless data operations. The result? Enhanced data lineage tracking and reduced operational overhead.

2. Fixing Silent Pipeline Failures

Monte Carlo’s data observability solutions have saved organizations from silent data pipeline failures. For example, a Salesforce password expiry caused updates to stop in the salesforce_accounts_created table. Monte Carlo flagged the issue, allowing the team to resolve it before it caught the executive attention. Similarly, an authorization issue with Google Ads integrations was detected and fixed, avoiding significant data loss.

3. Forbes Optimizes Performance

To ensure its website performs optimally, Forbes turned to Datadog for data observability. Previously, siloed data and limited access slowed down troubleshooting. With Datadog, Forbes unified observability across teams, reducing homepage load times by 37% and maintaining operational efficiency during high-traffic events like Black Friday.

4. Lenovo Maintains Uptime

Lenovo leveraged observability, provided by Splunk, to monitor its infrastructure during critical periods. Despite a 300% increase in web traffic on Black Friday, Lenovo maintained 100% uptime and reduced mean time to resolution (MTTR) by 83%, ensuring a flawless user experience.

Why Every Enterprise Needs Data Observability Today

1. Prevent Costly Downtime

Data downtime can cost enterprises up to $9,000 per minute. Imagine a retail giant facing data pipeline failures during peak sales—inventory mismatches lead to missed opportunities and unhappy customers. Data observability proactively detects anomalies, like sudden drops in data volume, preventing disruptions before they escalate.

2. Boost Confidence in Data

Poor data quality costs the U.S. economy $3.1 trillion annually. For enterprises, accurate, observable data ensures reliable decision-making and better AI outcomes. For instance, an insurance company can avoid processing errors by identifying schema changes or inconsistencies in real-time.

3. Enhance Collaboration

When data pipelines fail, teams often waste hours diagnosing issues. Data observability simplifies this by providing clear insights into pipeline health, enabling seamless collaboration across data engineering, data analytics, and data operations teams. This reduces finger-pointing and accelerates problem-solving.

4. Stay Agile Amid Complexity

As enterprises scale, data sources multiply, making Data pipeline monitoring and data pipeline management more complex. Data observability acts as a compass, pinpointing where and why issues occur, allowing organizations to adapt quickly without compromising operational efficiency.

The Bigger Picture:

Are you relying on broken roads in your data metropolis, or are you ready to embrace a system that keeps your operations smooth and your outcomes predictable?

Just as humanity evolved from carving records on clay tablets to storing data in the cloud, the way we manage and interpret data must evolve too. Data observability is not just a tool for keeping your data clean; it’s a strategic necessity to future-proof your business in a world where insights are the cornerstone of success.

At Mantra Labs, we understand this deeply. With our partnership with Rakuten, we empower enterprises with advanced data observability solutions tailored to their unique challenges. Let us help you turn your data into an invaluable asset that ensures smooth operations and drives impactful outcomes.

What is React Native Framework – An In-depth Study