Fabric in React Native

What Is It? Who Should Learn It?

React Native already allows developers to create high-quality, native-like experiences on both iOS and Android. And there's a new buzz around the RN community: Fabric, a new architecture for React Native that aims to improve its performance, reliability, and more. We'll cover what it is, who should start learning how to use it, and other related topics.

What is Fabric?

Fabric is a rearchitecture of React Native that is designed to enhance the framework's performance and make it more user-friendly. With Fabric, developers can:

Boost performance with a more efficient UI layer
Improve the reliability of the framework
Enhance the development experience with better error reporting

Fabric achieves these improvements by introducing a few key changes to the existing React Native architecture:

New UI layer: Fabric implements a new UI layer that is more efficient and synchronous, which helps to reduce the latency of UI updates.
JSI (JavaScript Interface) and TurboModules: Fabric takes advantage of JSI and TurboModules to make native modules more efficient and easy to use.
Concurrency: Fabric introduces concurrency features that allow React Native to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, which can result in improved app performance.

New UI Layer

Fabric's new UI layer allows React Native to execute UI operations directly on the main thread, which can help reduce the latency of UI updates. This is particularly useful for animations and other performance-sensitive operations. By moving these operations to the main thread, Fabric ensures that UI updates are carried out more quickly and smoothly.

JSI and TurboModules

With JSI, React Native can now run JavaScript code directly on the JavaScript engine without going through the bridge. This can lead to significant performance improvements, especially for large apps with complex UIs. TurboModules are a new way of implementing native modules in React Native that take advantage of JSI for better performance and ease of use.

Concurrency

One of the key features of Fabric is its support for concurrency. By allowing React Native to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, it can help to improve app performance and responsiveness, especially on devices with multiple CPU cores. This can be particularly useful for apps that have heavy workloads, such as those that involve image processing or other computationally intensive tasks.

Who Should Begin Learning Fabric?

Now that you have a better understanding of Fabric and its features, you might be wondering if you should start learning how to use it. Here are some considerations to help you decide:

Experienced React Native developers: If you're already familiar with React Native and have developed apps using the framework, learning Fabric can be a valuable addition to your skillset. By understanding the new architecture and its features, you can create even better, more performant apps.
Developers looking for better performance: If you're developing an app that requires high-performance animations or other performance-sensitive tasks, Fabric can be a game-changer. By learning how to use Fabric and taking advantage of its new UI layer, you can create smoother, more responsive apps.
Developers working with large apps: If you're working on a large app with a complex UI, Fabric can help you improve performance and make your app more reliable. By leveraging JSI and TurboModules, you can create more efficient native modules and simplify your codebase.
Developers interested in staying up-to-date: As a developer, it's important to stay up-to-date with the latest tools and technologies. Fabric is a significant update to React Native, and learning how to use it can help you stay ahead of the curve and be more competitive in the job market.
Curious developers: If you're just curious about the latest developments in the world of React Native, learning about Fabric can be a fun and rewarding experience. It's always good to be aware of new technologies and architectures, even if you don't plan to use them right away.

Getting Started with Fabric

If you've decided to dive into Fabric and want to start learning how to use it, here are some resources and steps to help you get started:

Read the official documentation: The React Native team has provided detailed documentation on Fabric, which is a great starting point for learning about the new architecture. You can find the documentation here.
Join the community: The React Native community is very active and welcoming. By joining community forums, attending meetups, and participating in online discussions, you can learn from others who are also exploring Fabric. Some popular community resources include the React Native subreddit and the Reactiflux Discord server.
Watch conference talks: Many React Native conferences have featured talks on Fabric. Watching these talks can give you a deeper understanding of the architecture and its benefits. You can find many of these talks on YouTube, such as this one from React Native EU 2019.
Explore sample projects: You can find several sample projects that demonstrate how to use Fabric on GitHub. By studying these projects, you can gain practical experience and see how others have implemented Fabric in their apps. Some examples include the React Native Fabric Example and the React Native Fabric Playground.
Experiment on your own: One of the best ways to learn any new technology is to experiment with it on your own. Try building a small app or adding Fabric to an existing project to see how it works and what benefits it provides.

Potential Challenges with Fabric

While Fabric offers many benefits, there are some potential challenges you may encounter as you start learning how to use it. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Limited backwards compatibility: Fabric introduces some breaking changes, which means that not all existing React Native components and libraries will be compatible with the new architecture. You may need to update or replace some components when migrating to Fabric.
Learning curve: As with any new technology, there can be a learning curve when it comes to understanding Fabric and its features. Be prepared to invest some time in learning the new architecture and how it differs from the current React Native implementation.
Ongoing development: Fabric is still under active development, and some features may not be fully complete or stable. It's important to stay up-to-date with the latest changes and be prepared to adapt your code as necessary.
Adoption rate: As Fabric is relatively new, its adoption rate in the React Native community may not be as high as that of the current architecture. This could affect the availability of resources, support, and third-party libraries optimized for Fabric.

Conclusion

Fabric promises to improve performance, reliability, and the overall development experience. While it may not be the perfect solution for every app or developer, it's worth considering whether Fabric might be a good fit for your project or a valuable addition to your skillset.

If you're an experienced RN developer, working on a high-performance or large app, or just interested in staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in the framework, learning about Fabric could be a worthwhile endeavor. As you explore Fabric, keep in mind the potential challenges and be prepared to invest time in learning the new architecture and adapting to its changes.

With its new UI layer, JSI, TurboModules, and support for concurrency, Fabric has the potential to take React Native to new heights and enable developers to create even better, more performant apps. So, jump in, get your hands dirty, learn, experiment, and see what Fabric has to offer for your React Native development journey. Happy coding!