Expo
An open-source platform and framework built around React Native that heavily simplifies the process of developing, testing, and deploying mobile apps.
What it is
Expo abstracts away the agonizing complexity of native mobile development. It manages the underlying iOS and Android configuration files, provides a massive library of native APIs (camera, notifications), and allows developers to preview their app live on physical devices simply by scanning a QR code without opening Xcode or Android Studio.
When you would use it
You use Expo as the default toolkit whenever starting a new React Native project to avoid the severe headaches of manual native device configuration.
Common operations
- Rapidly prototyping and testing a mobile app on physical hardware over Wi-Fi.
- Utilizing Expo Application Services (EAS) to build and submit apps to the app stores via the cloud.