Each app development project should have the best user experience as its primary goal. Although React Native app development aims to provide you with everything you need to create a performant application, there are times when manual optimization is required. To do this, developers must approach their work with a performance optimization perspective from the outset.
The majority of contemporary mobile devices show 60 frames in a second, which means you have 16.67 milliseconds to show a frame for the app to remain responsive. Any performance below this will be subpar, and the Interface could even seem unresponsive.
In this post, we’ll go through how to use the following techniques to enhance your React Native app’s performance. So let’s get started.
How does React Native work?
The JavaScript and Native codes are the two components that make up a React Native application. These two cannot normally speak with one another on their own since they are utterly different from one another.
They are limited to doing so via the React Native Bridge (sometimes known as the Shadow Tree). The Bridge lies between the Native and JavaScript code and transmits serialized JSON objects back and forth from the JavaScript thread to the Native thread.
Despite the fact that Facebook is developing an enhanced React Native architecture (and a justification for why you shouldn’t give up on React Native) that will allow the JavaScript codes to communicate with the Native codes directly through the JavaScript Interface (JSI). When dealing with complicated processes, the existing design is prone to performance difficulties. For this reason, it’s crucial to optimize your React Native application before releasing it for use in live environments.
Let’s examine some recommended practices for raising a React Native application’s performance.
Top 10 Practices for React Native to Improve Apps Performance
React Native app development services are a popular framework for building cross-platform mobile applications that are fast and efficient. However, building high-performance React Native apps requires careful consideration of various best practices to optimize the app’s performance. Let’s now discuss the ten best practices for building high-performance React Native apps.
1. Use PureComponent
One of the easiest ways to optimize your React Native app’s performance is by using PureComponent. PureComponent implements the shouldComponentUpdate() method, which performs a shallow comparison of the component’s props and state. This way, only components whose props or state have changed will update. PureComponent is a simple way to avoid unnecessary re-renders and optimize the app’s performance.
2. Keep render() Pure
The render() method is a critical method in React Native. It is responsible for rendering the component’s user interface. However, it is essential to keep the render() method pure, meaning that it should not change the state or props. If the render() method changes the state or props, it can cause unnecessary re-renders, which can slow down the app’s performance.
3. Use FlatList or SectionList
When rendering large lists in React Native, it is better to use FlatList or SectionList instead of ListView. FlatList and SectionList offer better performance and memory efficiency. They are also more flexible and offer features such as scroll paging and item animations.
4. Use VirtualizedList
For long lists that have more than 50 items, it is better to use VirtualizedList. VirtualizedList only renders the visible items, making it more efficient. This feature can significantly improve the app’s performance, especially when dealing with long lists.
5. Use the DevTools profiler
The React Native DevTools profiler is a powerful tool that can help you identify the slowest components in your app. You can use it to optimize the components that are causing the app to slow down. The profiler provides information about the time each component takes to render, which can help you optimize your app’s performance.
6. Use Image Resizing
Images can have a significant impact on the app’s performance, especially when dealing with large images. Therefore, it is essential to resize images before using them in the app. Resizing images can reduce their size, making them load faster and reducing the app’s memory usage.
7. Use InteractionManager
InteractionManager is a powerful tool in React Native that allows you to schedule tasks that require a lot of processing power. These tasks can include fetching data or rendering a complex component. By using InteractionManager, you can ensure that these tasks do not affect the app’s performance and that they do not cause any lag or stutter.
8. Use shouldComponentUpdate
Although PureComponent is an easy way to optimize your React Native app’s performance, it is not always the best option. In some cases, you may need to implement shouldComponentUpdate() with a more precise comparison of props and states. This way, only the components whose props or state have changed will update, making the app more efficient.
9. Use PropTypes
PropTypes is a powerful feature in React Native that allows you to validate the props passed to your components. By validating props, you can ensure that the data passed to the components is of the expected type. This feature can prevent runtime errors and improve the app’s performance.
10. Use React.memo()
React.memo() is a function in React Native that can memoize functional components. Memoization is a technique that caches the results of a function, so if the function is called again with the same arguments, it returns the cached result instead of re-running the function. By memoizing functional components, you can improve the app’s performance by reducing unnecessary re-renders.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, building high-performance React Native apps requires careful consideration of various best practices.
Performance can be impacted by a variety of elements, including animations, huge graphics, and complex computations. It’s critical to locate and address the causes of these memory leaks and poor performance.
It’s interesting to see that we can track memory use with both Xcode and Android Studio. As was already said, there are several tools and techniques available to us for the speed optimization of React Native apps. Use these optimization strategies in the subsequent React Native project you work on.
If you are looking for more updates on React Native Performance, go to the react native official website. Or reach out to a top mobile app development company to validate your app development process much more efficiently.
Author bio- Amara works with the editorial team of DianApps, a leading company offering the best mobile app development company also a top Salesforce development company. Exploring the latest technologies, reading about them, and writing her views have always been her passion. She seeks new opportunities to express her opinions, explore technological advancements, and document the details. You can always find her enjoying books or articles about varied topics or jotting down her ideas in a notebook.
