Understanding React Native’s New Architecture: Fabric and TurboModules Explained

React Native’s evolution brings a new architecture designed to enhance performance, improve interoperability, and streamline the development process. The introduction of Fabric and TurboModules marks a significant shift in how React Native apps interact with native applications.

At MetaDesign Solutions, we’ve delved into this new architecture to leverage its benefits. In this blog, I’ll explain Fabric and TurboModules, their advantages, and how they impact React Native development services.

The Motivation Behind the New Architecture

The original React Native architecture relies on a “bridge” to communicate between JavaScript and native code. While effective, this approach has limitations:

• Performance Bottlenecks: The bridge can become a bottleneck for high-frequency updates.
• Complexity: Managing asynchronous communication adds complexity.
• Limited Flexibility: Difficulties in integrating with native user interface (UI) components.

Goal: Overcome these challenges by redesigning the core architecture, enabling scheduled updates and better interoperability with native platforms.

Introducing Fabric

What is Fabric?

Fabric is the new rendering system in React Native that revamps how the UI layer interacts with the native application. This new architecture working group ensures that the architecture is optimized for performance and scalability, and it addresses many of the shortcomings of the legacy renderer.

Key Features

1. Synchronous Communication
   • Direct Calls: Enables synchronous communication between JavaScript and native code.
   • Reduced Overhead: Eliminates the need for the bridge in certain scenarios.
2. Concurrent Rendering Support
   • Compatibility with React Concurrent Mode: Allows React to prepare multiple versions of the view hierarchy simultaneously.
   • Smooth User Experience: Enhances animations and interactions.
3. Simplified UI Layer
   • Unified Components: Easier integration of native and custom components.
   • Performance Optimization: More efficient rendering pipeline, enabled by default.

Benefits of Fabric

• Improved Performance: Faster rendering and reduced latency.
• Better Integration: Seamless incorporation of native UI elements.
• Enhanced Developer Experience: Simplified codebase, improved debugging, and better internals of React Native.

Understanding TurboModules

What are TurboModules?

TurboModules reimagine how native modules are registered and accessed in React Native, focusing on lazy loading and efficient initialization, which makes them a great choice for the future of React Native development.

Key Features

1. Lazy Loading
   • On-Demand Initialization: Modules are loaded only when required, reducing unnecessary load at startup.
   • Faster Startup Times: Reduces initial app load time by not loading unused modules.
2. Simplified Bridge Interaction
   • Direct Invocation: Calls to native modules are more direct and efficient.
   • Improved Performance: Less overhead in communication between JavaScript and native code.
3. Type Safety
   • Strong Typing: Uses TypeScript and Flow for type definitions.
   • Error Reduction: Catches issues at compile-time, improving app stability.

Benefits of TurboModules

• Efficiency: Optimized module loading and execution.
• Scalability: Better handling of large numbers of modules.
• Maintainability: Cleaner and more manageable code for long-term development.

How to Adopt the New Architecture

Enabling Fabric and TurboModules

Note: As of now, Fabric and TurboModules may still be in development or require specific configurations. Always consult the official React Native documentation for the latest instructions.

Steps:

1. Update React Native: Ensure you’re using React Native 0.76 or later, which supports the new architecture.
2. Enable Flags: Set flags in your build configurations to activate Fabric and TurboModules.
3. Migrate Modules: Update your native modules to be compatible with TurboModules.
4. Testing: Thoroughly test your app to identify and fix any issues that arise due to the new architecture.

Example Configuration:

bash