Build Faster and Smarter With React Native Enterprise Framework

Łukasz describes a large app with generic and branded iOS and Android variants, where a smoke test suite kept pull requests waiting for results. Native builds took about 35 minutes, so the team added RNF caching to one pipeline. Cached builds then took around three or four minutes, while JavaScript bundling and signing still took a few minutes.

Michał describes RNF as free, open source tooling that runs on a team’s own machines or CI. It combines a CLI for development and release builds with a remote cache that checks whether native project inputs have changed. The goal is to avoid rebuilding when changes are limited to JavaScript, which the speakers say accounts for much of day-to-day work.

RNF uses project fingerprints to determine whether a native build can be reused, drawing on Expo Fingerprint. Developers with access to the project’s GitHub Actions can download an available build to review a branch or test it on a device. This can avoid local native setup such as installing CocoaPods, and lets QA and developers test pull requests sooner.

The framework is modular, supports plugins and platforms, and can replace the JavaScript bundler; the speakers name Metro and Re.Pack, which supports Rspack or Webpack. Brownfield plugins package a React Native app as an iOS XCFramework or Android fat AAR for use in a native app. The team says these options support gradual adoption, including for Community CLI users and companies adding React Native to native projects.

Michał says RNF focuses on Community CLI users and companies adopting React Native in existing native apps, especially where custom setups make migration difficult. He says RNF is not yet an officially recognized React Native framework; upgrade support, navigation, and app publishing experience are among the areas still on the roadmap. He recommends Expo for teams whose needs and setup fit it.