Mike Perkowski says Callstack’s technology department oversees open source work through library maintenance and deeper research. He describes open source as a vital part of the company’s business, with research often becoming open source later.
Callstack OSS Update
Speakers
Callstack Head of Technology Mike Perkowski and colleagues discuss Callstack’s open source work, an RFC for React Native config plugins, Re.Pack and its Super Apps Showcase, and plans for Paper during a Callstack Learning and Development Day.
Mike outlines an RFC proposing that React Native core support the Expo Config Plugins specification, so React Native CLI apps could use config plugins by default. The plugins modify native files such as Xcode settings and Android files, which could reduce manual template changes during upgrades. He says the RFC is an invitation to discuss how to make the ecosystem more unified, not a committed near-term change.
Callstack’s marketing and Re.Pack contributors describe a showcase that uses Re.Pack to demonstrate a possible architecture for a super app. The repository is a prototype intended to help teams structure and connect app parts in a more realistic use case than earlier examples. Callstack also prepared technical and business resources and announced a webinar planned for May 10.
Rafik says Re.Pack 3.2.0 is in release candidate, with built-in support for remote assets and code signing in development. Later, Paper maintainer Łukasz says the team is planning version 6, with goals including stability, performance, customization, and a more approachable codebase. The team had not decided whether Paper 6 would drop Material Design 2 support, though Łukasz says removing it was likely because maintaining both versions had added more than a hundred checks.
Takeaways
- Treat the config plugins RFC as an open design discussion about React Native upgrades, not a finalized change.
- Generating native project files from plugins could reduce the manual work of checking template changes during upgrades.
- Use the Re.Pack Super Apps Showcase as an architectural example, while recognizing it is a prototype.
- Teams handling remote assets across mini apps can watch Re.Pack 3.2 for built-in support.
- Paper’s planned version 6 prioritizes codebase quality and customization, while Material Design 2 support remained undecided.
Mentioned in this talk
Search inside this talk
What was claimed 12
- role atMike Perkowski is Head of Technology at Callstack Team
“our Head of Technology, who is responsible for our open source activities”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureExpo: Config Plugins and prebuild are used to help with React Native app upgrades
“Expo has been handling this for years with ideas like Config Plugins and prebuild.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureReact Native: Proposal to support Expo Config Plugins by default in React Native CLI apps
“We want to support Expo Config Plugins by default in React Native CLI apps.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- builtCallstack Team built config plugins
“we launched a proposal ... about upstreaming the Expo Config Plugins specification into React Native core”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- role atOla is senior content specialist at Callstack Team
“I’m the senior content specialist at Callstack”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureRe.Pack: Splits JavaScript bundles into remote chunks that can be downloaded to an app
“Re.Pack is a tool that lets you split your JavaScript bundle into remote chunks”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- uses
“Super Apps Showcase takes Re.Pack as a tool and builds on top of it.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureRe.Pack: Version 3.2.0 release candidate adds built-in handling for remote assets and code signing
“Re.Pack 3.2.0 is in the RC phase.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- role atŁukasz is lead of a team of Paper maintainers at Callstack Team
“Łukasz is leading a team of Paper maintainers.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featurePaper: Version 5.7 supports two Material Design versions
“Paper is at version 5.7, and two Material Design versions are still supported.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featurePaper: Version 6 is planned to improve stability, maturity, performance, and customizability
“I think V6 will be more stable, mature, performant, and customizable.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featurePaper: Whether version 6 will drop Material Design 2 support has not been decided
“The decision hasn’t been made yet.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
