We mentioned React Native utilizes JavaScript to produce the app's interface. Unlike its competitors (e.g. Ionic), React Native does not rely on webviews, but the actual real materials provided by native platforms. It has built-in access to the native views and components, and can utilize native-written code and allow the API access to OS-specific features inside the app.

React Native uses the concept of “bridge”, which allows for asynchronous communication between the JavaScript and Native elements - the bridge concept lies at the very heart of React Native’s flexibility. Native and JavaScript elements are completely different technologies, but they are able to communicate.

This type of architecture offers the benefit of using a lot of OS-native features, but also comes with important challenges; e.g. constant use of bridges inside the app may significantly slow down its performance. If you’re building an app that involves many events, a lot of data, etc.

The effective development for multiple platforms at once is the biggest and strongest advantage of React Native. Utilizing the same code base for different platforms carries other benefits: faster development and time-to-market of your app, easier and cheaper maintenance (you take care of one not multiple code bases), and a smoother onboarding process for new developers joining the project.

Compared to other cross-platform development solutions, React Native's “bridge” concept can be seen as revolutionary. Since React Native apps allow usage of natively written code it is not as laggy as web-based cross-platform solutions. The official claim is that React Native gives “native-like” performance, but it is not necessarily true, the best way to put it is that it gives “near-native” experience.