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React Native provides a comprehensive set of core APIs that enable you to build powerful mobile applications. These APIs provide access to native platform features and utilities that work across both iOS and Android.

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Available APIs

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UI and Interaction

Alert

Display native alert dialogs and prompts

Keyboard

Control and respond to keyboard events

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Animation

Animated

Powerful animation library for creating smooth animations

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App Lifecycle

AppState

Monitor app foreground/background state

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Device Information

Dimensions

Get device screen dimensions

Platform

Platform-specific code and information

Linking

Handle deep links and external URLs

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Styling

StyleSheet

Create and manage component styles

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Usage Patterns

Most React Native APIs follow consistent patterns:

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Importing APIs

import { Alert, Platform, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';

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Event Listeners

Many APIs provide event listeners that return a subscription object: 
const subscription = AppState.addEventListener('change', (state) => {
  console.log('App state changed to:', state);
});

// Clean up
subscription.remove();

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Platform-Specific Code

Use the Platform API to write platform-specific code: 
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    ...Platform.select({
      ios: { paddingTop: 20 },
      android: { paddingTop: 0 },
    }),
  },
});

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Best Practices

Prefer using useEffect to set up and clean up event listeners:
useEffect(() => {
  const subscription = AppState.addEventListener('change', handleAppStateChange);
  return () => subscription.remove();
}, []);
Use useNativeDriver: true in Animated APIs for better performance:
Animated.timing(animatedValue, {
  toValue: 1,
  duration: 300,
  useNativeDriver: true,
}).start();
Listen for dimension changes to support device rotation:
useEffect(() => {
  const subscription = Dimensions.addEventListener('change', ({ window }) => {
    console.log('New dimensions:', window);
  });
  return () => subscription?.remove();
}, []);

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Next Steps

Explore individual API documentation to learn about specific features, methods, and examples.

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