Expo Router and React Native: A Guide to Navigation

What is Expo Router?

Expo Router is a library that provides a simple and intuitive way to handle navigation in React Native applications. It’s built on top of the React Navigation library and provides a file-based routing system, similar to Next.js.

Getting Started with Expo Router

To get started with Expo Router, you can create a new project using the Expo CLI and choose the “expo-router” template. This will set up a basic project structure with Expo Router configured.

npx expo init myproject --template expo-router

Handling Deep Linking and Dynamic Routing

One of the key features of Expo Router is its ability to handle deep linking and dynamic routing. You can use the Link component from Expo Router to create links between screens, and the router will automatically handle the navigation.

import { Link } from 'expo-router';

const HomeScreen = () => {
  return (
    <View>
      <Link to="/about">Go to about screen</Link>
    </View>
  );
};

Customizing the Navigation Stack

Expo Router also provides a simple way to customize the navigation stack and perform custom transitions. You can use the Stack component from Expo Router to create a stack navigator and customize the header styles for each screen.

import { Stack } from 'expo-router';

const App = () => {
  return (
    <Stack>
      <Stack.Screen name="home" component={HomeScreen} />
      <Stack.Screen name="about" component={AboutScreen} />
    </Stack>
  );
};

Other Navigation Libraries for React Native

In addition to Expo Router, React Native also provides other navigation libraries, such as React Navigation and Native Navigation. Each library has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of which one to use depends on the specific needs of your project.

• React Navigation: A popular navigation library for React Native that provides a lot of customization options.
• Native Navigation: A navigation library that provides a native-like navigation experience for React Native apps.

When choosing a navigation library, consider the specific needs of your project, such as the level of customization required, the complexity of your app’s navigation flow, and the performance requirements.