{"id":18134,"date":"2024-10-21T12:07:52","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T10:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pagepro.co\/blog\/?p=18134"},"modified":"2026-10-08T18:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T16:30:08","slug":"what-is-expo-js","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pagepro.co\/blog\/what-is-expo-js\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Expo? React Native Simplified (2025\u20132026 Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TL;DR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Expo is a development platform that simplifies building mobile applications with React Native by providing tools, libraries, and preconfigured environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Expo allows developers to create cross-platform mobile apps for iOS and Android using a single JavaScript or TypeScript codebase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The platform includes built-in APIs for common mobile features such as camera access, push notifications, sensors, and device storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Expo offers both a managed workflow for rapid development and a bare workflow for projects that require deeper native customization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Developers often choose Expo to speed up development, simplify configuration, and reduce the complexity of native mobile setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Understanding how Expo works helps teams decide whether it is the right platform for building and scaling React Native mobile applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction to Expo App Development<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since mobile users spend nearly 90% of their time in apps<\/strong>, mobile development become a must for businesses looking to meet the demands of their audience. For those interested in cross-platform mobile development, React Native is often a natural choice due to its great performance and thriving community. Recently, React Native team officially recommended using Expo to create new apps<\/a>.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAs of today, the only recommended community framework for React Native is Expo<\/a>. Folks at Expo have been investing in the React Native ecosystem since the early days of React Native and as of today, we believe the developer experience offered by Expo is best in class.\u201d<\/p>\nNicola Corti, Software Engineer at Meta<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With numerous public repositories on GitHub, Expo’s popularity speaks for itself. But what is Expo<\/strong>, and why has the React Native team recommended it for starting new projects? In this article, we\u2019ll explore why using Expo might be the right decision for your next project, its key features, and how it simplifies mobile development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Expo<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is Expo?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Expo is an open-source platform built around React Native<\/a> that simplifies cross-platform mobile development<\/strong>. It extends React Native’s capabilities by packaging essential features and streamlining the development workflow. Overall it improves productivity and reduces the complexity of app development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wondering if Expo is a good choice for your project?<\/p>

Ask Our Experts<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Features of Expo<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The toolkit provided to Expo devs makes the process of creating an app very efficient and accessible for programmers of all skill levels<\/strong>. Some of its most useful features include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over-the-Air Updates<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Over-the-Air (OTA) updates enable the delivery of app updates directly to users<\/strong>, without requiring app store approvals, which can take a long time to get. Great feature for teams that need to iterate and push changes frequently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unified APIs for Mobile Device Capabilities<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Using unified and pre-configured APIs allows for interaction with important features of the devices, such as cameras, GPS, and accelerometers<\/strong>. The interface for developers to interact with is consistent across iOS, Android, and web platforms, eliminating potential differences that could affect development time and quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expo CLI<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Command Line Interface (CLI) simplifies project management through commands for creating, developing, and deploying apps<\/strong>. It eliminates much of the manual configuration needed in traditional development environments<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expo Go App<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

An app built to help out with testing, Expo Go allows for real-time testing on actual devices by scanning a QR code to view their app in action<\/strong>. There\u2019s no need to build an app each time you want to check something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expo Router<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A file-based routing solution that makes navigation in mobile apps easier. Inspired by web frameworks like Next.js, it defines routes based on the project’s file structure, making navigation more intuitive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expo EAS (Expo Application Services)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

With Expo EAS, building, deploying, and managing apps is streamlined. It offers cloud-based build services, automates submissions to the App Store and Google Play, and supports over-the-air updates<\/strong>, so users don\u2019t need to reinstall apps to receive updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expo SDK<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Expo Software Development Kit is a set of libraries and APIs that provide modules for common app features like push notifications, camera access, location tracking, media playback, and more<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expo Managed Workflow<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In the Managed Workflow, Expo takes care of most of the underlying configuration, updates, and dependencies. This reduces the need for manual management of native code, letting developers focus on writing JavaScript<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n