react native starter

The Problem

Mobile teams often spend weeks wiring up navigation, theming, and a basic UI library before they can deliver product features. Without a vetted starter, each project repeats that effort, increasing time‑to‑market and inconsistency across apps.

What This Does

react-native-starter delivers a ready‑made React‑Native codebase that includes:

Core entry points – App.js, index.js, and src/components/index.js. A full set of reusable UI components (src/components/.js) such as Button.js, Card.js, and Autocomplete.js. Platform‑specific scaffolding in android/ and ios/ (Gradle files, Xcode project, native modules). A generator (generators/) powered by Plop (plopfile.js) to create new components or modules from Handlebars templates.

The repo also bundles assets (fonts, icons, sample screens) and a minimal Redux store (src/modules/AppState.js, src/modules/AppView.js).

How To Use It

Clone & install – The README prescribes the exact commands:

git clone https://github.com/flatlogic/react-native-starter.git cd react-native-starter yarn install # pulls npm packages listed in package.json

package.json defines the project’s JavaScript dependencies; no lockfile (yarn.lock) is present, so version resolution will be nondeterministic. Configure native dependencies – iOS: run pod install inside the ios/ folder (the repo includes Podfile and Podfile.lock). Android: Gradle files (android/build.gradle, android/app/build.gradle) are ready; ensure the Android SDK path is set in android/gradle.properties. Run the app – Follow the README commands that map to the scripts defined in package.json:

yarn run:ios # launches the iOS simulator via Xcode yarn run:android # builds and runs on a connected Android device or emulator

If the scripts are missing, the fallback is the standard React‑Native CLI:

npx react-native run-ios npx react-native run-android Generate new code – The Plop generator can scaffold a component:

npx plop component # prompts for name, creates files under src/components/

Templates reside in generators/component/Component.js.hbs and related spec files.

Real‑World Use

A startup building a marketplace app could replace the default screens with custom ones while reusing the provided navigation stack and theming. After cloning, the team runs yarn install, drops new screens into src/modules/, and uses the Plop generator to add feature‑specific components, keeping UI consistency across the product.

// src/modules/MarketplaceView.js (example) import React from 'react'; import { View, Text } from 'react-native'; import { Button } from '../components/Button';

export default function MarketplaceView() { return ( <View> <Text>Marketplace</Text> <Button title="Create Listing" onPress={() => {/ navigate /}} /> </View> ); }

Code Health & Issues

Low – Missing lockfile for Ruby – Gemfile is present but no Gemfile.lock; builds that rely on the optional Rails backend are non‑reproducible. Low – No JavaScript lockfile – package.json exists without yarn.lock or package-lock.json; dependency versions may drift. Medium – Limited test coverage – Only four test files (src/components/tests/.spec.js) are present; core navigation and native modules lack automated tests. Low – CI configuration present but unused – .travis.yml exists, yet the repository has no badge or recent build status; the CI may be outdated for modern React‑Native pipelines. Low – Asset bloat – assets/ contains ~150 image/font files, inflating repository size without impact on core functionality. Low – No TypeScript – Entire codebase is JavaScript; teams requiring static typing will need to migrate manually.

No obvious security secrets are stored in the repo, and linting (.eslintrc) and formatting (.prettierrc) are configured.

The Bottom Line

react-native-starter supplies a functional, UI‑rich React‑Native foundation that can shave weeks off initial setup for small to medium teams. Its primary drawbacks are the lack of lockfiles and modest test suite, which introduce reproducibility and reliability risks. Use it if you need a quick visual scaffold and are comfortable adding your own CI, lockfiles, and deeper testing.