About 5 months ago, my team and I released the Ntopor App and while we got mostly positive feedback on the product, our reach was limited to the dev community, which had mostly feedback on what needed to be added. And while all the feedback is valid, with a small team, we could not possibly immediately get on them, and considering the constraints we faced while dealing with conflicting dependencies and environments while working on the first version of the app, we needed a way to optimize our work flow while also maximizing efficiency and improving the overall quality of the app.
That is when I was introduced to Expo by my colleague.
After working for Expo for the last 4 months to move all I had done on the app with bare react native workflow to Expo, I got to experience a lot of how this tool works and interact a lot with the community surrounding it.
I’m here to share my honest experience, warts and all. Buckle up for a ride through the joys and potential hiccups of this amazing tool.
The Sunny Side:
☀️ Expo offers potentially one of the best environments for development and testing in a team during mobile application development. It provides a server where you can set up and create a development build that you can share with your team, which eliminates completely the issue most teams face with mismatching package dependencies and development environments.
☀️ The Expo community is fantastic! Whether you have a question or just want to share your latest creation, there’s always someone willing to help. It also has a wide array of resources to learn from, which is great for someone just starting out.
☀️ The deployment pipeline on Expo is one of it’s best features and what got me very interested in the tool. With a few minutes of configuration and going through the documentation, you can set up a robust deployment pipeline to rapidly release new versions of your app to the various stores or to push and apply hot fixes directly into the app using simple commands from your machine without the need to go through the exhausting process that it usually is.
The Not-So-Sunny Side:
Customization Constraints: While Expo offers flexibility, there are limitations. If you need pixel-perfect control or access to native modules, you might hit some roadblocks. It’s more of a guided tour than a wild, open-road adventure.
Dependency Management Nuances: While pre-configured dependencies are great, they can sometimes lead to version conflicts or unexpected behavior. Keeping track of versions requires extra attention.
The Verdict:
Is Expo a silver bullet? Not quite. But for rapid prototyping, small to medium-sized apps, or learning React Native, it’s a fantastic option. Just be aware of its constraints.
Overall:
I’m impressed with Expo’s ease of use, built-in features, and supportive community. However, keep its limitations in mind. If you prioritize customization and raw performance, native development might be your calling.
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