React Native and PERN Stack Development Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the core concepts of React Native architecture, mobile components, state management, and backend development using the PERN stack.

React Native

An open-source framework by Meta that allows developers to build native mobile apps using JavaScript and React by compiling to actual native UI components.

Old Architecture (The Bridge)

An architectural model where JavaScript runs in a separate thread from the native UI thread, communicating via a serialized JSON bridge which can introduce latency.

JavaScript Interface (JSI)

A component of the New Architecture that eliminates the bridge, allowing JavaScript to hold direct C++ references and call native methods synchronously.

Fabric

The new thread-safe renderer supporting React 18 Concurrent Mode as part of the React Native New Architecture.

Turbo Modules

Lazily loaded, strongly typed native modules introduced in the New Architecture to improve performance.

Shadow Thread

A thread in the legacy architecture responsible for calculating layouts using the Yoga engine.

Expo CLI

A recommended setup tool that allows for quick app development without native tools, supporting OTA updates and cloud builds via EAS Build.

React Native CLI

A setup method requiring Xcode and Android Studio that provides full native code access, best for complex native integrations.

StyleSheet

A JavaScript object used in React Native to create Flexbox layouts, replacing traditional CSS.

SafeAreaView

A native component designed to ensure content is not hidden behind iPhone notches or Android status bars.

Pressable

The modern, recommended component for touch interactions that supports haptics and animations.

FlatList

A performance-efficient component that uses lazy rendering to display only visible items in a list.

Zustand

A library used for client-side state management, such as tracking user roles or current tabs.

React Query

A tool used for managing server-side state, such as fetching inventory data or managing requests.

EAS Build

A recommended tool for building production-ready binaries, such as .aab files for Android or .ipa files for iOS.

PERN stack

A technology stack for building web applications consisting of PostgreSQL, Express, React, and Node.js.

PostgreSQL

An open-source relational database management system (RDBMS) used as the data management tier in the PERN stack.

Express.js

A minimal and flexible web application framework for Node.js that enables route definition and middleware management.

Application Logic

Code that defines the behavior, rules, and operations of the application, such as processing user inputs or performing calculations.

API Endpoint

One end of a communication channel represented by a unique URL that points to a specific resource or function.

Middleware

The software layer that sits between the user interface and back-end logic, often acting as the "glue" that handles authentication, authorization, and data exchange.

Helmet

A security middleware in Express.js used to set various HTTP security headers to mitigate risks like clickjacking and XSS.

dotenv

A package used to manage environment variables in a separate file to keep settings like API keys secure and consistent across environments.

nodemon

A utility that monitors for any changes in source code and automatically restarts the Node.js server.

Postman

A tool used during development and testing phases to interact with and manage back-end APIs by choosing HTTP methods and sending requests.

pg

A non-blocking PostgreSQL client for Node.js that allows the application to connect to and query the database.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

A lightweight, easy-to-read data format that is the most popular choice for REST API responses.