Building a Reusable Component Library with Restyle in React Native

Scalable Component Architecture with Restyle

Building a maintainable component library is essential for scaling React Native applications. Restyle, combined with atomic design principles, provides a powerful foundation for creating reusable, type-safe components that maintain consistency across your entire application.

This guide demonstrates how to architect a production-ready component library, from basic atoms to complex organisms, with comprehensive testing and documentation strategies.

Atomic Design Principles

Organize your component library using atomic design methodology:

• Atoms - Basic building blocks (Box, Text, Button)
• Molecules - Simple combinations (InputField, Card)
• Organisms - Complex components (Form, Modal)
• Templates - Page-level structures

Core UI Elements

Start with fundamental components that serve as building blocks for your entire library:

// Button Component
import { createRestyleComponent, createVariant } from '@shopify/restyle';
import { Theme } from '../theme';

const buttonVariant = createVariant({ themeKey: 'buttonVariants' });

export const Button = createRestyleComponent<
  VariantProps<Theme, 'buttonVariants'> & ComponentProps<typeof Pressable>,
  Theme
>([buttonVariant], Pressable);

// Usage
<Button variant="primary" onPress={handlePress}>
  <Text>Click Me</Text>
</Button>

Input Components

Build a comprehensive set of form inputs with consistent styling, validation, and error handling:

• TextInput - Basic text input with validation states
• Select - Dropdown selection component
• Checkbox - Toggle selection with custom styling
• Radio - Radio button groups

Card Components

Create flexible card components that adapt to different content types while maintaining consistent styling and behavior.

// Card Component
export const Card = ({ children, variant = 'default' }) => (
  <Box
    backgroundColor="cardBackground"
    borderRadius="m"
    padding="m"
    shadowColor="shadowColor"
    shadowOffset={{ width: 0, height: 2 }}
    shadowOpacity={0.1}
    shadowRadius={4}
  >
    {children}
  </Box>
);

Compound Components

Implement compound component patterns for complex UI elements that require coordinated state and behavior across multiple sub-components.

Testing Strategies

Ensure component reliability with comprehensive testing:

• Unit Tests - Test component logic and rendering
• Integration Tests - Test component interactions
• Visual Regression - Catch unintended visual changes
• Accessibility Tests - Verify WCAG compliance

Documentation and Storybook

Document your component library with Storybook for React Native, providing interactive examples and usage guidelines for all components.

Maintenance and Versioning

Establish clear versioning strategies and maintenance practices to ensure your component library remains stable and continues to serve your application's needs as it grows.

Get a Production-Ready Component Library

For Developers: AI Mobile Launcher includes a complete component library built with Restyle—buttons, cards, inputs, modals, and more—all production-ready.

For Founders: Need a mobile app with consistent UI? Contact CasaInnov for expert development with modern design systems.