Table of Contents
Mobile Dev Builder’s Companion Book¶
From React Native to Expo & EAS — a guide to building and deploying mobile apps¶
Contents¶
📖 Preface¶
Part I – Foundations of Cross-Platform Mobile Development¶
Chapter 1: Why Mobile Feels Different from Web
1.1 Web vs. mobile mindset shift
1.2 React Native as the bridge between JavaScript and native UI
1.3 Understanding Expo’s role
Chapter 2: The Expo Ecosystem
2.1 Expo SDK and its prebuilt modules
2.2 Metro bundler explained
2.3 Expo Go vs Dev Client vs Production
Part II – Getting Started with Your First Project¶
Chapter 3: Scaffolding a React Native App
3.1 Using create-expo-app
3.2 Project structure explained
3.3 Adding Tailwind with NativeWind
Chapter 4: Running Your App on Web and Device
4.1 Fast Refresh & Live Reload basics
4.2 Running with Expo Go on physical devices
4.3 When and why to switch to Dev Client
Part III – Surviving Dependency Hell¶
Chapter 5: Library Compatibility Issues
5.1 Common problem packages (react-native-reanimated, gesture-handler)
5.2 Using expo-doctor and expo install
5.3 How to interpret red Metro errors
Chapter 6: Babel, Metro, and You
6.1 What Babel does in React Native projects
6.2 Metro bundler workflow (port 8081)
6.3 Hot reload vs full reload
Part IV – Building Natively with EAS¶
Chapter 7: Introduction to EAS (Expo Application Services)
7.1 Why Expo Go is not enough
7.2 Installing and configuring EAS CLI
7.3 Understanding eas.json build profiles
Chapter 8: Your First Native Build
8.1 Running eas build -p android --profile development
8.2 Installing and testing the Dev Client APK
8.3 Differences between dev, preview, and production builds
Chapter 9: Connecting Dev Client to Metro
9.1 Running expo start --dev-client
9.2 Using tunnels, hotspots, and deep links
9.3 USB fallback with adb reverse
Part V – Practical Lessons and Next Steps¶
Chapter 10: Tips from the Trenches
10.1 Avoiding common Expo pitfalls
10.2 Best practices for project hygiene
10.3 Debugging strategies that actually work
Chapter 11: Where to Go Next
11.1 Adding navigation and advanced UI (React Navigation, NativeWind)
11.2 Camera, file upload, and native APIs
11.3 Preparing for Play Store and App Store deployment
Technical Appendices (Cheat Sheets & Guides)¶
A. CLI Commands Reference (Expo, EAS, adb)
B. Comparison: Expo vs CRA/Vite (for web devs crossing into mobile)
C. Troubleshooting Flowchart (Metro, builds, dependencies)
D. Starter Project Template (Expo + NativeWind)