Top 30 React Native Interview Questions and Answers

This article lists the top 50 React Native interview questions and answers in the software development industy.

React Native is highly relevant in hiring software developers, especially those who specialize in mobile app development. With the increasing demand for mobile apps across industries, many companies are turning to React Native as a cost-effective and efficient way to build mobile apps for both iOS and Android platforms using a single codebase.

Therefore, developers with React Native skills are highly sought after by companies looking to develop or maintain mobile apps. Having experience with React Native can significantly increase a developer’s employability and job opportunities, as well as their earning potential.

Why Interview Questions?

Interview questions are questions that you will be asked by an interviewer during a job interview to assess a your qualifications, skills, experience, and suitability for a particular role. If you are applying for the role of a React Native developer, be rest assured that you will write a technical interview.

We have put together a list of the top 30 React Native interview questions that you might encounter in your technical interview.

Top 30 React Native Interview Questions

1. What is React Native? React Native is a JavaScript framework that allows developers to build mobile applications for iOS and Android platforms using a single codebase.
2. What are the advantages of using React Native? React Native provides a number of advantages, including faster development times, cost savings, easier maintenance, and better performance.
3. What are the differences between React and React Native? React is a JavaScript library for building web applications, while React Native is a framework for building mobile applications. The two are similar in terms of syntax and concepts, but React Native has additional components and features specific to mobile development.
4. How does React Native handle platform-specific differences? React Native provides platform-specific components and modules that allow developers to access native functionality for each platform. Additionally, React Native provides a unified API that allows developers to write cross-platform code.
5. What are some of the key features of React Native? Some key features of React Native include hot reloading, which allows developers to see changes to their code in real time, a modular architecture, which makes it easy to add and remove features, and a large ecosystem of third-party libraries and tools.
6. How does React Native handle performance on mobile devices? React Native uses native components and modules to provide optimal performance on mobile devices. Additionally, React Native provides tools for measuring and optimizing performance, such as the Performance Monitor.
7. What is JSX? JSX is a syntax extension for JavaScript that allows developers to write HTML-like code within their JavaScript files. JSX is used in React Native to define the structure and appearance of components.
8. What is a component in React Native? A component is a self-contained unit of functionality in React Native. Components can be reused across multiple screens and can contain a combination of UI elements and logic.
9. What is state in React Native? State is an object that represents the current state of a component. State can be updated using the setState method, which triggers a re-render of the component.
10. What is props in React Native? Props, short for properties, are parameters that are passed to a component. Props can be used to customize the appearance and behavior of a component.
11. What is the difference between state and props in React Native? State represents the internal state of a component, while props represent external parameters that are passed to a component. State can be updated using the setState method, while props cannot be changed within a component.
12. What is the difference between controlled and uncontrolled components in React Native? Controlled components are components that are managed by React Native and have their state updated via props. Uncontrolled components are components that manage their own state.
13. What is the purpose of the render method in React Native? The render method is used to define the structure and appearance of a component. The render method returns a tree of React components, which are then rendered to the screen.
14. What is the difference between the constructor and the render method in React Native? The constructor is used to initialize the state of a component, while the render method is used to define the structure and appearance of a component.
15. How does React Native handle navigation between screens? React Native provides several navigation libraries, including React Navigation and React Native Navigation, that allow developers to create complex navigation systems between screens.
16. What is Redux in React Native? Redux is a state management library for JavaScript applications. Redux provides a central store that holds the state of the application, which can be updated via actions.
17. What is the purpose of the createStore method in Redux? The createStore method is used to create a new Redux store. The createStore method takes a reducer function as an argument, which is used to update the state of the store.
18. What is a reducer in Redux? A reducer is a pure function that takes in the current state and an action object, and returns a new state based on the action type. The reducer function receives the previous state and the dispatched action, and returns a new state based on the action type. Here’s an example of a basic reducer:

const initialState = {
  count: 0
}

function counterReducer(state = initialState, action) {
  switch (action.type) {
    case 'INCREMENT':
      return { count: state.count + 1 };
    case 'DECREMENT':
      return { count: state.count - 1 };
    default:
      return state;
  }
}

19. How do you install a React Native application?

To install and create a React Native application, follow these steps:

a. Install Node.js and npm on your computer if you haven’t already.

b. Install React Native CLI by running the following command in your terminal:

npm install -g react-native-cli

c. Create a new React Native project by running the following command in your terminal:

npx react-native init <project-name>

d. Navigate to the project directory by running the following command in your terminal:

cd <project-name>

e. Start the development server by running the following command in your terminal:

npx react-native start

f. Open a new terminal window and run the app on either iOS or Android by running one of the following commands:

npx react-native run-ios //For iOS
npx react-native run-android //For android

20. What are the limitations of React Native? React Native is still a relatively new framework and may not have all the features and capabilities of native app development. It may also have compatibility issues with certain devices or operating systems.

21. What is the difference between React Native and React Native Web? React Native Web is a library that allows developers to build web applications using React Native components. It is not a separate framework but rather an extension of React Native.

22. What is the Virtual DOM? The Virtual DOM is a lightweight copy of the actual DOM that allows React to update the user interface efficiently without having to redraw the entire page.

23. What is the lifecycle method in React Native? The lifecycle method is a set of methods that are called at different stages of a component’s life cycle, such as when it is created, updated, or destroyed.

24. What is the Flux architecture? Flux is an architecture pattern for building client-side web applications that allows developers to manage the flow of data through an application in a unidirectional manner.

25. What is the difference between React Native and Ionic? React Native is a framework for building cross-platform mobile applications using React, while Ionic is a framework for building hybrid mobile applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

26. What is the difference between React Native and Flutter? React Native is a framework for building cross-platform mobile applications using JavaScript and React, while Flutter is a framework for building native mobile applications using Dart.

27. What is the difference between a functional component and a class component in React? A functional component is a simpler and more concise way of defining a component using a function, while a class component is a more complex way of defining a component using a class.

Functional components are a simpler and more concise way of defining a component in React. They are defined as JavaScript functions that return JSX, which describes the user interface of the component.

Functional components don’t have a state or lifecycle methods, but they can use React Hooks to achieve similar functionality. For example, the useState() hook can be used to add state to a functional component, while the useEffect() hook can be used to perform side effects such as fetching data or updating the DOM.

Here’s an example of a simple functional component in React:

import React from 'react';

function Greeting(props) {
  return <h1>Hello, {props.name}!</h1>;
}

export default Greeting;

In this example, the Greeting component takes a name prop and renders a greeting message using it. The props argument is an object that contains all the props passed to the component.

Functional components are a great option for simple, stateless components that only need to render content based on their props. They are also easier to test and optimize than class components.

Class components are one of the ways to define a component in React. They are defined as classes that extend the React.Component base class and have a render() method that returns JSX describing the component’s user interface.

Class components can have a state that is managed using the setState() method. They also have access to lifecycle methods, which allow them to perform actions at specific points in the component’s lifecycle, such as when it is mounted or updated.

Here’s an example of a simple class component in React:

import React from 'react';

class Counter extends React.Component {
  constructor(props) {
    super(props);
    this.state = { count: 0 };
    this.handleClick = this.handleClick.bind(this);
  }
  
  handleClick() {
    this.setState({ count: this.state.count + 1 });
  }
  
  render() {
    return (
      <div>
        <p>Count: {this.state.count}</p>
        <button onClick={this.handleClick}>Increment</button>
      </div>
    );
  }
}

export default Counter;

28. What is the difference between props and context? Props are external inputs to a component that are passed down from a parent component, while context is a way to pass data between components without having to pass props through every level of the component tree.

29. What is the difference between AsyncStorage and LocalStorage? AsyncStorage is a built-in storage system for React Native that allows developers to store data on the device, while LocalStorage.

30. List some ways you can optimize an application.

There are many different ways to optimize an application. Let’s take a look at some of our options. We can:

• Compress or convert our raw JSON data instead of just storing it
• Make reduced-sized APK files for CPU architectures
• Optimize native libraries and the number of state operations
• Use key attributes on list items
• Compress images and other graphic elements
• Use Proguard to minimize app size and strip parts of our bytecode along with its dependencies

These are some of the top React Native questions and answers that you can encounter in your technical interview. It is not advisable to cram these questions, but it’s important that you practice and understand them so that you can answer them in any given circumstance.