The Expo Ecosystem
Understanding Expo Go, EAS, and Prebuild
The Expo Ecosystem
Expo is the tooling and framework built around React Native. It removes the complexity of native builds and configuration.
Expo Go
Expo Go is a sandbox app on your phone. It lets you run your React Native code without compiling a native app.
- Pros: Instant start, no Xcode or Android Studio required.
- Cons: Cannot use custom native code (outside of the standard Expo SDK).
Development Builds (Prebuild)
This boilerplate uses Development Builds, not Expo Go. Why? Because we use advanced features like RevenueCat, Firebase, and Supabase that often require linking native binary code.
When you run npx expo prebuild, Expo generates the ios and android folders for you. This allows you to compile a custom version of the "Expo Go" app that includes your specific native libraries.
EAS (Expo Application Services)
EAS is the cloud service for Expo.
- EAS Build: compiles your app in the cloud. You don't need a fast Mac to build an iOS app.
- EAS Submit: uploads your binary to the App Store and Google Play automatically.
- EAS Update: allows you to push Over-The-Air (OTA) updates to fix bugs instantly without going through the App Store review process.
Navigation
Routing in mobile apps is different from the web. We use Expo Router.