Building native modules for React Native
summary
Built and published a real module, react-native-image-resizer, that resizes large photos using native iOS and Android APIs; shows bootstrapping options (including react-native-create-bridge with Swift/Kotlin support), keeping a test RN app alongside the module, and where to register packages in Android and Objective‑C glue. Covers debugging with Xcode/Android Studio, layout inspectors, Instruments/Android Monitor, and using RN Snoopy to profile bridge traffic. Emphasizes async bridge behavior, JSON/native arg mapping, never send large blobs over the bridge (use file paths), and handle exceptions and semver for breaking changes.
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chapters (13)
- 0:00Introduction to native modules
- 3:13Bridge overview and alternatives
- 5:45How the React Native bridge works
- 7:51Writing a native module
- 9:18iOS native module setup
- 10:22Android native module setup
- 11:24Bootstrapping a native module
- 13:51Essential native tooling
- 17:49Bridge performance and debugging
- 19:59Common pitfalls and exceptions
- 21:44Data handling best practices
- 22:48Breaking changes and updates
- 24:15Closing and resources
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