| id | title | layout | category | permalink | next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
quick-start-getting-started |
Getting Started |
docs |
The Basics |
docs/getting-started.html |
tutorial |
Welcome to React Native! This page will help you install React Native on your system, so that you can build apps with it right away. If you already have React Native installed, you can skip ahead to the Tutorial.
Create React Native App is the easiest way to start building a new React Native application. It allows you to start a project without installing or configuring any tools to build native code.
No Xcode or Android Studio installation is required. Assuming that you have Node installed, you can run the following commands to create a new React Native project called "AwesomeProject":
npm install -g create-react-native-app
create-react-native-app AwesomeProject
cd AwesomeProject
npm start
This will start a development server for you, and print a QR code in your terminal.
Install the Expo client app on your iOS or Android phone, make sure your phone is on the same network as your computer, and scan the QR code in your terminal to open your project. Create React Native App also has a user guide you can reference if you have questions specific to the tool.
Once you've created your project and opened it in the Expo client app, you can proceed to the Tutorial.
Because you don't build any native code with Create React Native App, it's not possible to include custom native modules beyond the React Native APIs and components that are available in the Expo client app.
If you know that you'll eventually need to include your own native code, Create React Native App is still a good way to get started. In that case you'll just need to "eject" eventually to create your own native builds. If you do eject, the native build instructions below will be required to continue working on your project.
If you're integrating React Native into an existing project, you'll want to skip Create React Native App and go directly to setting up the native build environment. See below for instructions on configuring a native build environment for React Native.
Follow these instructions if you need to build native code in your project. For example, if you "ejected" from Create React Native app, or if you are integrating React Native into an existing application, you'll need this section.
The instructions are a bit different depending on your development operating system, and whether you want to start developing for iOS or Android. If you want to develop for both iOS and Android, that's fine - you just have to pick one to start with, since the setup is a bit different.
Development OS: macOS Linux Windows
You will need Node, Watchman, the React Native command line interface, and Xcode.
You will need Node, Watchman, the React Native command line interface, a JDK, and Android Studio.
You will need Node, the React Native command line interface, a JDK, and Android Studio.
You will need Node, the React Native command line interface, Python2, a JDK, and Android Studio.
We recommend installing Node and Watchman using Homebrew. Run the following commands in a Terminal after installing Homebrew:
brew install node
brew install watchman
If you have already installed Node on your system, make sure it is version 4 or newer.
Watchman is a tool by Facebook for watching changes in the filesystem. It is highly recommended you install it for better performance.
Follow the installation instructions for your Linux distribution to install Node 4 or newer.
We recommend installing Node and Python2 via Chocolatey, a popular package manager for Windows.
Android Studio, which we will install next, requires a recent version of the Java SE Development Kit (JDK) which can be installed using Chocolatey.
Open a Command Prompt as Administrator, then run:
choco install nodejs.install
choco install python2
choco install jdk8
If you have already installed Node on your system, make sure it is version 4 or newer. If you already have a JDK on your system, make sure it is version 8 or newer.
You can find additional installation options on Node.js's Downloads page.
Node comes with npm, which lets you install the React Native command line interface.
Run the following command in a Terminal:
npm install -g react-native-cli
If you get an error like
Cannot find module 'npmlog', try installing npm directly:curl -0 -L https://npmjs.org/install.sh | sudo sh.
Node comes with npm, which lets you install the React Native command line interface.
Run the following command in a Terminal:
npm install -g react-native-cli
If you get an error like
Cannot find module 'npmlog', try installing npm directly:curl -0 -L https://npmjs.org/install.sh | sudo sh.
The easiest way to install Xcode is via the Mac App Store. Installing Xcode will also install the iOS Simulator and all the necessary tools to build your iOS app.
If you have already installed Xcode on your system, make sure it is version 8 or higher.
You will also need to install the Xcode Command Line Tools. Open Xcode, then choose "Preferences..." from the Xcode menu. Go to the Locations panel and install the tools by selecting the most recent version in the Command Line Tools dropdown.
Setting up your development environment can be somewhat tedious if you're new to Android development. If you're already familiar with Android development, there are a few things you may need to configure. In either case, please make sure to carefully follow the next few steps.
Android Studio requires a recent version of the Java SE Development Kit (JDK). Go ahead and install JDK 8 or newer if needed.
Android Studio provides the Android SDK and AVD (emulator) required to run and test your React Native apps. Download Android Studio, then follow the installation instructions. Choose Custom installation when prompted by the Setup Wizard, and proceed to the next step.
Android Virtual Devices allow you to run Android apps on your computer without the need for an actual Android phone or tablet. Choose Custom installation when running Android Studio for the first time. Make sure the boxes next to all of the following are checked:
Android SDKAndroid SDK PlatformPerformance (Intel ® HAXM)Android Virtual Device
Then, click "Next" to install all of these components.
If you've already installed Android Studio before, you can still install HAXM (Windows|Mac) without performing a custom installation.
Android Virtual Devices allow you to run Android apps on your computer without the need for an actual Android phone or tablet. Choose Custom installation when running Android Studio for the first time. Make sure the boxes next to all of the following are checked:
Android SDKAndroid SDK PlatformAndroid Virtual Device
Click "Next" to install all of these components, then configure VM acceleration on your system.
Android Studio installs the most recent Android SDK by default. React Native, however, requires the Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) SDK. To install it, launch the SDK Manager, click on "Configure" > "SDK Manager" in the "Welcome to Android Studio" screen.
The SDK Manager can also be found within the Android Studio "Preferences" menu, under Appearance & Behavior → System Settings → Android SDK.
Select the "SDK Platforms" tab from within the SDK Manager, then check the box next to "Show Package Details" in the bottom right corner. Look for and expand the Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) entry, then make sure the following items are all checked:
Google APIsAndroid SDK Platform 23Intel x86 Atom_64 System ImageGoogle APIs Intel x86 Atom_64 System Image
Next, select the "SDK Tools" tab and check the box next to "Show Package Details" here as well. Look for and expand the "Android SDK Build Tools" entry, then make sure that Android SDK Build-Tools 23.0.1 is selected.
Finally, click "Apply" to download and install the Android SDK and related build tools.
The React Native command line interface requires the ANDROID_HOME environment variable to be set up.
Add the following lines to your ~/.profile (or equivalent) config file:
export ANDROID_HOME=${HOME}/Library/Android/sdk
export PATH=${PATH}:${ANDROID_HOME}/tools
export PATH=${PATH}:${ANDROID_HOME}/platform-tools
Type source ~/.profile to load the config into your current shell.
Please make sure you export the correct path for
ANDROID_HOME. If you installed the Android SDK using Homebrew, it would be located at/usr/local/opt/android-sdk.
Add the following lines to your ~/.profile (or equivalent) config file:
export ANDROID_HOME=${HOME}/Android/Sdk
export PATH=${PATH}:${ANDROID_HOME}/tools
export PATH=${PATH}:${ANDROID_HOME}/platform-tools
Type source ~/.profile to load the config into your current shell.
Please make sure you export the correct path for
ANDROID_HOMEif you did not install the Android SDK using Android Studio.
Go to Control Panel → System and Security → System → Change settings → Advanced System Settings → Environment variables → New, then enter the path to your Android SDK.
Restart the Command Prompt to apply the new environment variable.
Please make sure you export the correct path for
ANDROID_HOMEif you did not install the Android SDK using Android Studio.
Follow the Watchman installation guide to compile and install Watchman from source.
Watchman is a tool by Facebook for watching changes in the filesystem. It is highly recommended you install it for better performance, but it's alright to skip this if you find the process to be tedious.
You can see the list of available AVDs by opening the "AVD Manager" from within Android Studio.
Once in the "AVD Manager", select your AVD and click "Edit...". Choose "Android 6.0 - API Level 23" under Device, and "Intel Atom (x86_64)" under CPU/ABI. Click OK, then select your new AVD and click "Start...", and finally, "Launch".
It is very common to run into an issue where Android Studio fails to create a default AVD. You may follow the Android Studio User Guide to create a new AVD manually if needed.
If you have a physical Android device, you can use it for development in place of an AVD. Plug it in to your computer using a USB cable and enable USB debugging before proceeding to the next step.
Use the React Native command line interface to generate a new React Native project called "AwesomeProject", then run react-native run-ios inside the newly created folder.
# skip this first command if you ejected from Create React Native App
react-native init AwesomeProject
cd AwesomeProject
react-native run-ios
You should see your new app running in the iOS Simulator shortly.
react-native run-ios is just one way to run your app. You can also run it directly from within Xcode or Nuclide.
Use the React Native command line interface to generate a new React Native project called "AwesomeProject", then run react-native run-android inside the newly created folder:
# skip this first command if you ejected from Create React Native App
react-native init AwesomeProject
cd AwesomeProject
react-native run-android
If everything is set up correctly, you should see your new app running in your Android emulator shortly.
react-native run-android is just one way to run your app - you can also run it directly from within Android Studio or Nuclide.
Now that you have successfully run the app, let's modify it.
- Open
index.ios.jsin your text editor of choice and edit some lines. - Hit
Command⌘ + Rin your iOS Simulator to reload the app and see your change!
- Open
index.android.jsin your text editor of choice and edit some lines. - Press the
Rkey twice or selectReloadfrom the Developer Menu to see your change!
Congratulations! You've successfully run and modified your first React Native app.
Use the React Native command line interface to generate a new React Native project called "AwesomeProject", then run react-native run-android inside the newly created folder:
# skip this first command if you ejected from Create React Native App
react-native init AwesomeProject
cd AwesomeProject
react-native run-android
Use the React Native command line interface to generate a new React Native project called "AwesomeProject", then run react-native run-android inside the newly created folder.
# skip this first command if you ejected from Create React Native App
react-native init AwesomeProject
cd AwesomeProject
react-native run-android
If everything is set up correctly, you should see your new app running in your Android emulator shortly.
Now that you have successfully run the app, let's modify it.
- Open
index.android.jsin your text editor of choice and edit some lines. - Press the
Rkey twice or selectReloadfrom the Developer Menu to see your change!
Congratulations! You've successfully run and modified a React Native app.
-
If you want to add this new React Native code to an existing application, check out the Integration guide.
-
If you can't get this to work, see the Troubleshooting page.
-
If you're curious to learn more about React Native, continue on to the Tutorial.
-
If you want to add this new React Native code to an existing application, check out the Integration guide.
-
If you can't get this to work, see the Troubleshooting page.
-
If you're curious to learn more about React Native, continue on to the Tutorial.