State of React Native: Keynote by Sanket Sahu at React Native Meetup

Editor’s Note: This speech has been carefully adapted from Sanket Sahu’s address at the React Native Meetup. While the text has been refined for clarity and impact, it remains true to the energy, passion, and authenticity of the original moment.

My name is Sanket Sahu, and I am one of the co-founders of GeekyAnts. It is a privilege to speak to such a passionate and driven group. This keynote was independently prepared, so you might find some overlap with what Prem shared earlier.

Let me begin by introducing myself to those who may not know me. You might recognize me from a tweet that went viral a while back. I built a fully off-grid caravan where I can sleep, eat, and work. It is a mobile workspace that I use to travel in and around Bangalore. If you are curious, it is parked downstairs, so feel free to take a look after the session.

Let us now shift the focus to what brings us all here today: technology and the community behind it.

One of our proudest contributions to the open-source community is NativeBase. This library became a significant player in the ecosystem, earning over 20,000 stars on GitHub and reaching 100,000 weekly downloads on npm at its peak.

NativeBase has now evolved into gluestack, which embodies the philosophy of building apps that can run seamlessly across platforms. This concept of writing once and running everywhere reflects the core principles of React Native, and it is something we are proud to champion.

At GeekyAnts, we host the largest React Native Meetup group in the world. With nearly 8,000 members, it has grown into a thriving hub of knowledge, collaboration, and shared progress. No other React Native Meetup group globally has achieved this scale.

Last year, we hosted the React Native Conference in Berlin. It was a surreal experience to organize an event in such a stunning venue, a beautiful church in the heart of Berlin. The conference featured speakers from Meta, Expo, and other industry leaders, making it a memorable celebration of the React Native ecosystem.

Let us take a look at how React Native has grown over the years. Back in 2020, the React Native package had 370,000 weekly downloads. Fast forward to 2024, and the number has grown to nearly three million.

During our Berlin conference six months ago, I shared that the weekly downloads stood at 2.25 million. In just half a year, this has jumped to three million. This rapid rise highlights the unparalleled momentum that React Native continues to build.

React Native has seen adoption across a wide range of industries. At a recent conference in the United States, I learned that Kindle uses React Native for its custom hardware.

Looking at the top 100 business apps globally, 26 percent use React Native in some capacity. For instance, Facebook’s Marketplace section is powered by React Native, while Shopify has more than 250 screens built with it. React Native is clearly leading the way, even as Flutter and Cordova remain part of the ecosystem.

At GeekyAnts, we have seen a surge in enterprise clients adopting React Native. Many of India’s largest banking organizations are leveraging its potential to create scalable and flexible apps. React Native has evolved from a library into a comprehensive framework. Today, tools like Expo are recommended as official enhancements, much like Next.js, which complements React for the web.

Let me share an inspiring story. Nishan, a former GeekyAnts team member, has been actively contributing to React Native Core. His work includes adding features like CSS grids, gradients, and rotation support. What makes his contributions remarkable is that he does this independently, driven purely by passion for the project.

This is the true beauty of open source. It allows anyone, anywhere in the world, to make meaningful contributions that impact millions of users.

Several major companies are investing heavily in React Native. Microsoft is continuing its work on React Native for Windows. Amazon has showcased its apps, including Alexa and Amazon Shopping, as prime examples of React Native in action. Google has also officially supported React Native with its Project IDX initiative.

React Native’s latest version introduces exciting advancements. The bridgeless architecture, powered by Hermes, significantly improves performance and user experience. React Strict DOM is another innovation that allows developers to use HTML-like syntax while achieving native rendering.

New tools such as WebGPU and Skia are enabling developers to create high-performance 3D experiences and even games. Vision OS compatibility is also being developed, pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

At GeekyAnts, we are contributing to this evolution with tools like gluestack-ui. This framework simplifies the process of creating scalable and visually appealing apps, empowering developers to build more efficiently.

From startups to global enterprises, from individual developers to multinational corporations, React Native has proven its versatility, reliability, and transformative potential in the app development space.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Please stay for the exciting demos we have prepared. Let us now welcome the next speakers and continue exploring the incredible possibilities that React Native offers.

Thank you once again for being here today.