React Native Patterns

Performance and architecture patterns for React Native + Expo apps. Rules ranked by impact — fix CRITICAL before touching MEDIUM.

This is a starting point. The skill will grow as you build more mobile apps.

When to Apply

Building new React Native or Expo apps
Optimising list and scroll performance
Implementing animations
Reviewing mobile code for performance issues
Setting up a new Expo project

1. List Performance (CRITICAL)

Lists are the #1 performance issue in React Native. A janky scroll kills the entire app experience.

Pattern	Problem	Fix
ScrollView for data	`<ScrollView>` renders all items at once	Use `<FlatList>` or `<FlashList>` — virtualised, only renders visible items
Missing keyExtractor	FlatList without `keyExtractor` → unnecessary re-renders	`keyExtractor={(item) => item.id}` — stable unique key per item
Complex renderItem	Expensive component in renderItem re-renders on every scroll	Wrap in `React.memo`, extract to separate component
Inline functions in renderItem	`renderItem={({ item }) => <Row onPress={() => nav(item.id)} />}`	Extract handler: `const handlePress = useCallback(...)`
No getItemLayout	FlatList measures every item on scroll (expensive)	Provide `getItemLayout` for fixed-height items: `(data, index) => ({ length: 80, offset: 80 * index, index })`
FlashList	FlatList is good, FlashList is better for large lists	`@shopify/flash-list` — drop-in replacement, recycling architecture
Large images in lists	Full-res images decoded on main thread	Use `expo-image` with placeholder + transition, specify dimensions

FlatList Checklist

Every FlatList should have:

tsx

<FlatList
  data={items}
  keyExtractor={(item) => item.id}
  renderItem={renderItem}           // Memoised component
  getItemLayout={getItemLayout}     // If items are fixed height
  initialNumToRender={10}           // Don't render 100 items on mount
  maxToRenderPerBatch={10}          // Batch size for off-screen rendering
  windowSize={5}                    // How many screens to keep in memory
  removeClippedSubviews={true}      // Unmount off-screen items (Android)
/>

2. Animations (HIGH)

Native animations run on the UI thread. JS animations block the JS thread and cause jank.

Pattern	Problem	Fix
Animated API for complex animations	`Animated` runs on JS thread, blocks interactions	Use `react-native-reanimated` — runs on UI thread
Layout animation	Item appears/disappears with no transition	`LayoutAnimation.configureNext(LayoutAnimation.Presets.easeInEaseOut)`
Shared element transitions	Navigate between screens, element teleports	`react-native-reanimated` shared transitions or `expo-router` shared elements
Gesture + animation	Drag/swipe feels laggy	`react-native-gesture-handler` + `reanimated` worklets — all on UI thread
Measuring layout	`onLayout` fires too late, causes flash	Use `useAnimatedStyle` with shared values for instant response

Reanimated Basics

tsx

import Animated, { useSharedValue, useAnimatedStyle, withSpring } from 'react-native-reanimated';

function AnimatedBox() {
  const offset = useSharedValue(0);
  const style = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
    transform: [{ translateX: withSpring(offset.value) }],
  }));

  return (
    <GestureDetector gesture={panGesture}>
      <Animated.View style={[styles.box, style]} />
    </GestureDetector>
  );
}

3. Navigation (HIGH)

Pattern	Problem	Fix
Expo Router	File-based routing (like Next.js) for React Native	`app/` directory with `_layout.tsx` files. Preferred for new Expo projects.
Heavy screens on stack	Every screen stays mounted in the stack	Use `unmountOnBlur: true` for screens that don't need to persist
Deep linking	App doesn't respond to URLs	Expo Router handles this automatically. For bare RN: `Linking` API config
Tab badge updates	Badge count doesn't update when tab is focused	Use `useIsFocused()` or refetch on focus: `useFocusEffect(useCallback(...))`
Navigation state persistence	App loses position on background/kill	`onStateChange` + `initialState` with AsyncStorage

Expo Router Structure

app/
├── _layout.tsx          # Root layout (tab navigator)
├── index.tsx            # Home tab
├── (tabs)/
│   ├── _layout.tsx      # Tab bar config
│   ├── home.tsx
│   ├── search.tsx
│   └── profile.tsx
├── [id].tsx             # Dynamic route
└── modal.tsx            # Modal route

4. UI Patterns (HIGH)

Pattern	Problem	Fix
Safe area	Content under notch or home indicator	`<SafeAreaView>` or `useSafeAreaInsets()` from `react-native-safe-area-context`
Keyboard avoidance	Form fields hidden behind keyboard	`<KeyboardAvoidingView behavior={Platform.OS === 'ios' ? 'padding' : 'height'}>`
Platform-specific code	iOS and Android need different behaviour	`Platform.select({ ios: ..., android: ... })` or `.ios.tsx` / `.android.tsx` files
Status bar	Status bar overlaps content or wrong colour	`<StatusBar style="auto" />` from `expo-status-bar` in root layout
Touch targets	Buttons too small to tap	Minimum 44x44pt. Use `hitSlop={{ top: 10, bottom: 10, left: 10, right: 10 }}`
Haptic feedback	Taps feel dead	`expo-haptics` — `Haptics.impactAsync(Haptics.ImpactFeedbackStyle.Light)` on important actions

5. Images and Media (MEDIUM)

Pattern	Problem	Fix
Image component	`<Image>` from react-native is basic	Use `expo-image` — caching, placeholder, transition, blurhash
Remote images without dimensions	Layout shift when image loads	Always specify `width` and `height`, or use `aspectRatio`
Large images	OOM crashes on Android	Resize server-side or use `expo-image` which handles memory
SVG	SVG support isn't native	`react-native-svg` + `react-native-svg-transformer` for SVG imports
Video	Video playback	`expo-av` or `expo-video` (newer API)

6. State and Data (MEDIUM)

Pattern	Problem	Fix
AsyncStorage for complex data	JSON parse/stringify on every read	Use MMKV (`react-native-mmkv`) — 30x faster than AsyncStorage
Global state	Redux/MobX boilerplate for simple state	Zustand — minimal, works great with React Native
Server state	Manual fetch + loading + error + cache	TanStack Query — same as web, works in React Native
Offline first	App unusable without network	TanStack Query `persistQueryClient` + MMKV, or WatermelonDB for complex offline
Deep state updates	Spread operator hell for nested objects	Immer via Zustand: `set(produce(state => { state.user.name = 'new' }))`

7. Expo Workflow (MEDIUM)

Pattern	When	How
Development build	Need native modules	`npx expo run:ios` or `eas build --profile development`
Expo Go	Quick prototyping, no native modules	`npx expo start` — scan QR code
EAS Build	CI/CD, app store builds	`eas build --platform ios --profile production`
EAS Update	Hot fix without app store review	`eas update --branch production --message "Fix bug"`
Config plugins	Modify native config without ejecting	`app.config.ts` with `expo-build-properties` or custom config plugin
Environment variables	Different configs per build	`eas.json` build profiles + `expo-constants`

New Project Setup

bash

npx create-expo-app my-app --template tabs
cd my-app
npx expo install expo-image react-native-reanimated react-native-gesture-handler react-native-safe-area-context

8. Testing (LOW-MEDIUM)

Tool	For	Setup
Jest	Unit tests, hook tests	Included with Expo by default
React Native Testing Library	Component tests	`@testing-library/react-native`
Detox	E2E tests on real devices/simulators	`detox` — Wix's testing framework
Maestro	E2E with YAML flows	`maestro test flow.yaml` — simpler than Detox

Common Gotchas

Gotcha	Fix
Metro bundler cache	`npx expo start --clear`
Pod install issues (iOS)	`cd ios && pod install --repo-update`
Reanimated not working	Must be first import: `import 'react-native-reanimated'` in root
Expo SDK upgrade	`npx expo install --fix` after updating SDK version
Android build fails	Check `gradle.properties` for memory: `org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx4g`
iOS simulator slow	Use physical device for performance testing — simulator doesn't reflect real perf

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