Mobile Frameworks and CSExplore

21 May 2020

There are many options for those looking to create a mobile application. Of those options, React Native, Flutter, and NativeScript are popular frameworks that can be used in order to create mobile applications.

Framework Descriptions

React Native

React Native was released by Facebook. It’s written in JavaScript and is rendered with native code. It features fast builds and loads which allows developers to see changes immediately after saving their code. Uses a single codebase which allows for shared code across platforms. Popular apps that use React Native include Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Discord. It is also seen as the most popular option for building mobile applications with a large community.

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NativeScript

NativeScript has an accessible and beautiful platform-native UI. It also allows direct access to all iOS and Android APIs. NativeScript supports using either Angular, Vue.js, JavaScript, or TypeScript for developing applications. Similarly with React Native it features single codebase for cross-platform use. In addition, it offers free plugins, application samples, and templates on their marketplace.

GitHub Stats:

Flutter

Flutter was created by Google to make mobile, web, and desktop applications. Instead of JavaScript, it uses the Dart programming language. Flutter features fast development which allows for sub-second reload times. It also has a variety of widgets available for customizing and making a beautiful UI for an application. Organizations like Google, New York Times, and BMW have built apps using Flutter.

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Personal Thoughts For CSExplore’s Framework

CSExplore is a mobile application that aims to encourage interest and involvement in Computer Science for high-school students. Of the frameworks listed above, I think that React Native would be the best choice to use for CSExplore. I believe that all of the members have experience with React which would make developing with React Native a bit easier compared to other frameworks.

In addition, React Native is a very popular framework that created highly-used apps such as Facebook and Instagram. Although I’m not completely familiar with React Native, I’m familiar with those apps and what they look like and how they work. This leads me to believe that apps created with React Native are very capable and user-friendly.