React Native Architecture

Production-ready patterns for React Native development with Expo, including navigation, state management, native modules, and offline-first architecture.

When to Use This Skill

• Starting a new React Native or Expo project
• Implementing complex navigation patterns
• Integrating native modules and platform APIs
• Building offline-first mobile applications
• Optimizing React Native performance
• Setting up CI/CD for mobile releases

Core Concepts

1. Project Structure

src/
├── app/                    # Expo Router screens
│   ├── (auth)/            # Auth group
│   ├── (tabs)/            # Tab navigation
│   └── _layout.tsx        # Root layout
├── components/
│   ├── ui/                # Reusable UI components
│   └── features/          # Feature-specific components
├── hooks/                 # Custom hooks
├── services/              # API and native services
├── stores/                # State management
├── utils/                 # Utilities
└── types/                 # TypeScript types

2. Expo vs Bare React Native

Quick Start

# Create new Expo project
npx create-expo-app@latest my-app -t expo-template-blank-typescript

# Install essential dependencies
npx expo install expo-router expo-status-bar react-native-safe-area-context
npx expo install @react-native-async-storage/async-storage
npx expo install expo-secure-store expo-haptics

// app/_layout.tsx
import { Stack } from 'expo-router'
import { ThemeProvider } from '@/providers/ThemeProvider'
import { QueryProvider } from '@/providers/QueryProvider'

export default function RootLayout() {
  return (
    <QueryProvider>
      <ThemeProvider>
        <Stack screenOptions={{ headerShown: false }}>
          <Stack.Screen name="(tabs)" />
          <Stack.Screen name="(auth)" />
          <Stack.Screen name="modal" options={{ presentation: 'modal' }} />
        </Stack>
      </ThemeProvider>
    </QueryProvider>
  )
}

Patterns

Pattern 1: Expo Router Navigation

// app/(tabs)/_layout.tsx
import { Tabs } from 'expo-router'
import { Home, Search, User, Settings } from 'lucide-react-native'
import { useTheme } from '@/hooks/useTheme'

export default function TabLayout() {
  const { colors } = useTheme()

  return (
    <Tabs
      screenOptions={{
        tabBarActiveTintColor: colors.primary,
        tabBarInactiveTintColor: colors.textMuted,
        tabBarStyle: { backgroundColor: colors.background },
        headerShown: false,
      }}
    >
      <Tabs.Screen
        name="index"
        options={{
          title: 'Home',
          tabBarIcon: ({ color, size }) => <Home size={size} color={color} />,
        }}
      />
      <Tabs.Screen
        name="search"
        options={{
          title: 'Search',
          tabBarIcon: ({ color, size }) => <Search size={size} color={color} />,
        }}
      />
      <Tabs.Screen
        name="profile"
        options={{
          title: 'Profile',
          tabBarIcon: ({ color, size }) => <User size={size} color={color} />,
        }}
      />
      <Tabs.Screen
        name="settings"
        options={{
          title: 'Settings',
          tabBarIcon: ({ color, size }) => <Settings size={size} color={color} />,
        }}
      />
    </Tabs>
  )
}

// app/(tabs)/profile/[id].tsx - Dynamic route
import { useLocalSearchParams } from 'expo-router'

export default function ProfileScreen() {
  const { id } = useLocalSearchParams<{ id: string }>()

  return <UserProfile userId={id} />
}

// Navigation from anywhere
import { router } from 'expo-router'

// Programmatic navigation
router.push('/profile/123')
router.replace('/login')
router.back()

// With params
router.push({
  pathname: '/product/[id]',
  params: { id: '123', referrer: 'home' },
})

Pattern 2: Authentication Flow

// providers/AuthProvider.tsx
import { createContext, useContext, useEffect, useState } from 'react'
import { useRouter, useSegments } from 'expo-router'
import * as SecureStore from 'expo-secure-store'

interface AuthContextType {
  user: User | null
  isLoading: boolean
  signIn: (credentials: Credentials) => Promise<void>
  signOut: () => Promise<void>
}

const AuthContext = createContext
how to use react-native-architecture
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use react-native-architecture on Cursor
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1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add react-native-architecture
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill react-native-architecturecopy
The skills CLI fetches react-native-architecture from GitHub repository wshobson/agents and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│   • Amp
│   • Antigravity
│   • Cline
│   • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/react-native-architecture
Reload or restart Cursor to activate react-native-architecture. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /react-native-architecture) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
Additional Resources
›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?