React and React Native: Build cross-platform JavaScript and TypeScript apps for the web, desktop, and mobile

Get a big-picture view of modern React and React Native and see how they go hand-in-hand – covering TypeScript development, Vite, state management strategies, unit testing with Jest, and more.

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• New content on TypeScript, React frameworks, state management strategies, and unit testing
• Get to grips with React fundamentals and modern React techniques and architecture
• Broaden your React expertise through mobile development with React Native

Welcome to your big-picture guide to the React ecosystem.

If you’re new to React and looking to become a professional React developer, this book is for you. This updated fifth edition reflects the current state of React, including React framework coverage as well as TypeScript.

Part 1 introduces you to React. You’ll discover JSX syntax, hooks, functional components, and event handling, learn techniques to fetch data from a server, and tackle the tricky problem of state management. Once you’re comfortable with writing React in JavaScript, you’ll pick up TypeScript development in later chapters.

Part 2 transitions you into React Native for mobile development. React Native goes hand-in-hand with React. With your React knowledge behind you, you’ll appreciate where and how React Native differs as you write shared components for Android and iOS apps. You’ll learn how to build responsive layouts, use animations, and implement geolocation.

By the end of this book, you’ll have a big-picture view of React and React Native and be able to build applications with both.

• Explore React architecture, component properties, state, and context
• Work with React Hooks for handling functions and components
• Fetch data from a server using the Fetch API, GraphQL, and WebSockets
• Dive into internal and external state management strategies
• Build robust user interfaces (UIs) for mobile and desktop apps using Material-UI
• Perform unit testing for your components with Vitest and mocking
• Manage app performance with server-side rendering, lazy components, and Suspense

This book is for any JavaScript or TypeScript developer who wants to start learning how to use React and React Native for web and mobile app development.

No prior knowledge of React or React Native is required. However, a working knowledge of JavaScript is necessary to be able to follow along the content covered.

1. Why React?
2. Rendering with JSX
3. Understanding React Components and Hooks
4. State Management in React
5. Event Handling, the React Way
6. Crafting Reusable Components
7. Type Checking and Validation with TypeScript
8. Fetching Data from a Server
9. Handling Navigation with Routes
10. Code Splitting Using Lazy Components and Suspense
11. User Interface Framework Components
12. High-Performance State Updates
13. [NEW] Unit Testing in React
14. [NEW] Server Rendering and Static Site Generation with React Frameworks
15. Why React Native?
16. React Native Under the Hood
17. Kickstarting React Native Projects
18. Building Responsive Layouts with Flexbox
19. Navigating Between Screens
20. Rendering Item Lists
21. Showing Progress
22. Geolocation and Maps
23. Collecting User Input
24. Displaying Modal Screens
25. Responding to User Gestures
26. Using Animations
27. Controlling Image Displays
28. Going Offline