/react-native-best-practices

Skill: Platform Differences

Navigate iOS and Android tooling, dependency management, and build systems in React Native.

Quick Reference

# Common commands
bundle install                      # Install ruby bundler
cd ios && bundle exec pod install   # Install CocoaPods deps
cd android && ./gradlew tasks       # Verify Gradle wrapper and tasks
xed ios/                            # Open Xcode

When to Use

• Setting up native development environment
• Adding native dependencies
• Debugging platform-specific issues
• Understanding build processes

Dependency Management

React Native autolinking only handles libraries structured as React Native modules. React Native packages often ship native iOS/Android code through npm, then CocoaPods/Gradle reference local files from node_modules. Pure native dependencies still need Podfile or Gradle changes.

JavaScript (npm/yarn/pnpm/bun)

Infer package manager from lockfile: package-lock.json, yarn.lock, pnpm-lock.yaml, bun.lockb.

iOS (CocoaPods)

# Install pods after npm install
bundle install
cd ios && bundle exec pod install

# Key files
ios/Podfile           # Pod dependencies
ios/Pods/             # Installed pods (gitignored)
ios/*.xcworkspace     # Open this in Xcode (not .xcodeproj)
Gemfile               # Ruby/CocoaPods version

Android (Gradle)

# Verify Gradle after adding dependencies
cd android && ./gradlew tasks

# Key files
android/build.gradle           # Project-level config
android/app/build.gradle       # App dependencies
android/gradle.properties      # Build flags
android/gradlew                # Gradle wrapper

Use exact Gradle dependency versions in production. Avoid dynamic + versions because they can change builds unpredictably.

Common Commands

# iOS
bundle install                         # Install ruby bundler
cd ios && bundle exec pod install      # Install pods
xcrun simctl list                      # List simulators

# Android  
cd android && ./gradlew clean          # Clean build
./gradlew tasks                        # List available tasks
./gradlew assembleRelease              # Build release APK

# React Native CLI
npx react-native start                 # Start Metro
npx react-native run-ios               # Run on iOS
npx react-native run-android           # Run on Android

# Expo
npx expo start                         # Start Metro (Expo)
npx expo run:ios                       # Run on iOS (dev client)
npx expo run:android                   # Run on Android (dev client)
npx expo prebuild                      # Generate native projects

Troubleshooting

Related Skills

• native-profiling.md - Use IDE profilers
• native-turbo-modules.md - Build native modules
• upgrading-react-native.md - Upgrade React Native safely