React Native vs React

Before starting, it is important to understand one key difference.

React is used to build web interfaces. It uses HTML elements like:

• div: container;
• p: text;
• img: images.

React Native does not use HTML.

Instead, it provides its own components:

• View: container;
• Text: for all text;
• Image: for images.

This means you do not write web code anymore. You build mobile interfaces using these components.

Styling is also different.

You do not use traditional CSS files. Instead, styles are written directly in JavaScript using objects.

At this stage, the idea is simple: React Native uses the same concepts as React, but different building blocks.