A Guide For Developing React Native Offline First Apps
React Native has long been a favorite among product owners worldwide for developing mobile applications. Nevertheless, despite the application’s progress, Internet performance and accessibility have become essential for practically all mobile apps. As a result, it becomes important to consider the perspective of the consumer who has no website access or a poor internet connection. This is the reason why React Native’s offline support is becoming more and more well-liked by Businesses and product owners. Everything you need to know about React Native offline support and other matters, such as advantages and how to implement it, add-on libraries that will simplify your implementation and some advice for offline React Native support, has been compiled in this blog article.
Introduction
We now rely more than ever on these mobile applications due to the growing popularity of mobile devices in daily life. Back then, mobile apps became inherent in human life a decade ago. However, due to the internet’s limited accessibility, most had little utilization. The accessibility trend continued, though, and today most projects need a live internet connection while offering some functionality with restricted access in many cases. The majority of mobile applications now come with these offline capabilities thanks to React Native offline support, which is currently one of the most practical choices for business owners around. Examine the why and how now.
React Native Offline First: What Is Its Meaning?
Building React native applications that allow continuous operation without internet connection access is known as “offline-first.” However, given that most mobile users have internet access, the million-dollar issue is why we require React Native offline functionality.
Well! Simple is the reply. But what if not? This includes situations in which there is a poor or restricted internet connection. Additionally, consumers frequently become aware of the differences between the mobile application’s user-friendliness and the internet when internet availability is restricted. There, offline-first is offered as a solution for this restricted functionality. The additional advantage of the offline-first approach is that it allows you to store data more quickly and locally.
Because of this, the interruption will exist regardless of the mobile connection, which will impact the user experience. Users may complete their next action more quickly since less time is spent in the UI loading indications, saving data locally later, and syncing that data to the services in the background. This enables the user to receive the same responsive user interface and experience irrespective of their internet connection, which might be 3G, 4G, 5G, or none.
Offline-First Applications Importance
Businesses are increasingly turning to React Native offline-first applications for several reasons. The reasons why offline React Native applications are popular and useful for entrepreneurs all around are listed below.
1. Cuts on Data Costs
Offline-first apps, as the name implies, imply that internet usage is limited. Viewing material cached on a user’s device without using their data plan is crucial for users with restricted data plans.
2. Improved Syncing
Applications designed to run exclusively offline employ synchronization algorithms focusing on accurate data updating whenever a data connection is available. It prevents data loss or corruption and maintains the accuracy of user data.
3. Improved Accessibility
Your end users may access your application even when there is little or no internet connectivity, which is frequent in rural or distant places, by using the offline first React Native method. Increasing the number of users and guaranteeing that they have unrestricted access to your application’s features and content will make it easier and more accessible.
4. Enhancing Performance
The offline-first approach requires server requests that minimize latency and increase application performance. It makes a quicker and more responsive UX possible, particularly in places with poor internet access.
5. Enhanced UX
Offering the add-on experience to access the mobile application development provides a seamless and dependable user experience even without an internet connection. Additionally, the end users are relieved of the concern that they may lose their work or data if connectivity is lost and can continue using the service uninterrupted.
Workflow of Offline First Apps
It is essential to comprehend how offline-first applications function before moving on to React Native offline-first apps. So let’s get started as soon as possible:
The user application first tests to see if the user has internet connectivity when it launches.
After verifying that there is no internet connectivity, user activities are kept in an offline database that is not accessible to other program users.
The database is synchronized with the online database after the user returns to internet connectivity or access; at this point, the information is sent to the other application users.
Let’s look at an architectural flow of how to use the offline-first apps to learn the metric better:
Offline Support in React Native Applications: Methods for Implementation
Use restrictions, caching, and request queues are some of the most popular techniques for implementing offline React Native functionality.
Usage Restrictions
As the name suggests, in this method, the user will initially see a message stating that the application is currently unable to connect with the server or does not have an active internet connection, which means that some features—exactly the ones that require an active internet connection to function—will not be operational.
Let’s look at how to implement usage restrictions in your React Native application designed to run offline first and show an offline notification when there isn’t an internet connection. Refer to the following steps:
Step:1
Utilizing npm, install the @react-native-community/netinfo dependency:
npm install @react-native-community/netinfo
Step: 2 (iOS)
If you’re working with iOS, use the following command in the console:
cd ios pod install
Step:2 (Android)
Modify your android/build.gradle configuration for the support of android.
buildscript {
ext {
buildToolsVersion = "28.0.3"
minSdkVersion = 16
compileSdkVersion = 28
targetSdkVersion = 28
supportLibVersion = "28.0.0"
}
}
Step:3
Build the Offline.Notice.js component inside the app/components.
import React from 'react';
import { View, Text, Image, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';
import { useNetInfo } from '@react-native-community/netinfo';
const OfflineNotice = () => {
const netInfo = useNetInfo();
if (netInfo.type !== 'unknown' && netInfo.isInternetReachable === false)
return (
<View style={styles.container}>
<Image
style={styles.image}
source={require('../assets/images/offline.png')}
/>
<Text style={styles.text}>No Internet Connection</Text>
</View>
);
return null;
};
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
container: {
alignItems: 'center',
justifyContent: 'center',
height: '100%',
width: '100%',
zIndex: 1,
},
image: {
height: 500,
width: 500,
},
text: {
fontSize: 25,
},
});
export default OfflineNotice;
Step:4
Use the OfflineNotice component in App.js by importing it:
import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { StyleSheet, SafeAreaView } from 'react-native';
import LandingScreen from './Screens/LandingScreen';
import userApi from './api/user';
import OfflineNotice from './components/OfflineNotice';
const App = () => {
const [users, setUsers] = useState([]);
const getUser = async () => {
const tempUser = await userApi.getUsers();
setUsers([...users, tempUser]);
};
return (
<>
<OfflineNotice />
<SafeAreaView style={styles.container}>
<LandingScreen getUser={getUser} users={users} />
</SafeAreaView>
</>
);
};
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
container: {
flex: 1,
},
});
export default App;
By showing an offline notice when there is no access to the internet, you may effectively integrate the Usage Restrictions into your React Native application by following the steps outlined above.
Caching
This will allow the application to download the server’s answer and save it to the device’s local storage. When the application cannot connect to the internet, you can retrieve and render the data from the local storage. The best illustration of how caching functions is the download capability of YouTube and comparable apps.
Redux With Caching
By utilizing the redux-persist in your React Native apps, React app development team enable Redux caching by following the steps listed below:
Step:1
Install all necessary dependencies by running the following command:
npm install redux react-redux redux-saga redux-persist @redux-devtools/extension @react-native-async-storage/async-storage
Step:2
Add the following code to app/store/index.js to update your Redux store configuration:
import { createStore, applyMiddleware } from 'redux';
import { composeWithDevTools } from '@redux-devtools/extension';
import createSagaMiddleware from 'redux-saga';
import { persistStore, persistReducer } from 'redux-persist';
import AsyncStorage from '@react-native-async-storage/async-storage';
import reducers from '../reducer';
import sagas from '../sagas';
const sagaMiddleware = createSagaMiddleware();
const persistConfig = {
key: 'root',
storage: AsyncStorage,
};
const persistedReducer = persistReducer(persistConfig, reducers);
export const store = createStore(
persistedReducer,
composeWithDevTools(applyMiddleware(sagaMiddleware))
);
sagaMiddleware.run(sagas);
export const persistor = persistStore(store);
Step:3
With the help of the Persistgate component in index.js, you can wrap your app component.
import React from 'react';
import { AppRegistry } from 'react-native';
import { Provider } from 'react-redux';
import { PersistGate } from 'redux-persist/integration/react';
import App from './app/App';
import { name as appName } from './app.json';
import { store, persistor } from './app/store';
const ConnectedApp = () => {
return (
<Provider store={store}>
<PersistGate persistor={persistor} loading={null}>
<App />
</PersistGate>
</Provider>
);
};
AppRegistry.registerComponent(appName, () => ConnectedApp);
Following these steps, you could use redux-persist in your React Native project to effectively combine caching with Redux. You can cache and retrieve data without any problems thanks to the PersistGate component, which ensures that your Redux store is persisted and rehydrated between app runs.
Request Queue
As the name says, this one stores all feature requests, which we can then implement whenever the application has access to the internet or is back online. Users may implement and make changes even without internet access due to the offline edit function of Google Docs and the note-taking software that has this feature integrated since the changes made are stored inside the server.
Use the redux-offline library to implement Request Queuing in your React Native application by following the steps listed below:
Step:1
Run the command below to install the @redux-offline/redux-offline dependency:
npm install @redux-offline/redux-offline
Step:2
Add the following code to your store.js settings for your Redux store:
import { applyMiddleware, createStore, compose } from 'redux';
import { offline } from '@redux-offline/redux-offline';
import offlineConfig from '@redux-offline/redux-offline/lib/defaults';
const store = createStore(
reducer,
compose(
applyMiddleware(middleware),
offline(offlineConfig)
)
);
Step:3
Your architecture with Redux actions should be redefined using offline metadata. For instance, you may modify the setUsers action as follows:
const setUsers = users => ({
type: 'SET_USERS',
payload: users,
meta: {
offline: {
effect: { url: '/api/save-data', method: 'POST', json: { users } },
commit: { type: 'SAVE_USERS_COMMIT', meta: { users } },
rollback: { type: 'SAVE_USERS_ROLLBACK', meta: { users } }
}
}
});
The action’s meta attribute in the code above includes offline metadata. The commit property is the action to dispatch when the effect succeeds, the rollback property is the action to dispatch if the network action fails permanently, and the effect property is the network action to save the modifications.
When the app reconnects to the internet, network activities are queued and carried out using the @redux-offline/redux-offline library. The appropriate rollback action is sent to undo the changes made to the application’s state if a network activity fails permanently.
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />
More Tips for Developing React Native Offline Apps Offline
When a user uses your application offline, React Native is vital in maintaining user engagement and lowering your app bounce rate. However, the following additional recommended practices will assist you with developing offline-first React Native applications and maximizing the performance of your mobile app:
1. Utilize local databases
You may manage and save data on the device using local databases like SQLite, Realm, WatermelonDB, and others. This allows your application to run without internet connectivity and allows you to save data that can be synchronized with the server later.
2. Optimization of performance
Applications built using React-Native offline first can perform better using less data and fewer server queries. By minimizing the amount of data transmitted and received over the network and lowering server latency, you may improve the speed of your application.
3. When designing your app, be cautious to consider offline use
Consider how your user will interact with your offline-first, react-native application when developing it. Ensure your application can provide a flawless experience even if the internet is unavailable or your mobile application doesn’t have internet connectivity.
4. Synch using Synchronisation Mechanisms
When your application regains access to the internet connection, you can implement synchronization techniques that update the data with the server. You can utilize strategies like WebSockets, serverless architectures, or polling servers for updates to synchronize the data.
5. Caching is Vital
The ideal method for storing data in your application’s local database without data connectivity is caching. This procedure ensures that your application works even if you are not internet-connected. To simplify managing the cached data, you may use caching libraries like React Native Cache or React Native AsyncStorage.
6. Error-Handling Offline
One of the most important components of any mobile application is handling errors. If you use the offline-first-react-native approach, you may add error-handling methods for completing forms, making purchases, and paying bills that cannot be completed offline. The end user must also receive the appropriate feedback to understand the problem and take the required steps as soon as they restore internet access.
Thoroughly Testing
Testing is the component of your app that keeps the user experience from being negatively impacted. You may extensively test your application offline and in environments with bad connectivity to ensure it provides users with a flawless experience in these circumstances.
Conclusion
In conclusion, offline-first functionality is essential to provide an unmatched user experience. This blog article is on React Native Offline Support. If you run a business, you may build offline-first functionality in your React Native application using any of the abovementioned approaches. Also, consider the best practices that might improve the user experience on your website. But as a business owner, if you’re still unsure about the advantages and features you can add to your current React Native application or integrate into your upcoming project, hire React App Development Company, like Bosc Tech Labs, to help you understand more and select wisely.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Are React Native apps offline-compatible?
React-native-offline and redux-persist will work if your React Native app is simple and you use remote services to store your data in a database and Redux across the app. However, such techniques could cause your program to run slowly if it uses much data.
2. What does React Native’s future hold?
Additionally, it enables developers to save money by reusing code and parts. React Native also aids in the development of feature-rich apps with excellent user experiences. React Native appears to have a promising future. New features are continually being introduced, and technology is continuously getting better.
3. In 2023, what will React Native be?
An open-source alternative to mobile apps is React Native. It is React-based and makes use of a JavaScript framework. The technology enables the development of projects in many settings and operating systems. With it, you can create iOS, Android, and web applications.
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