When you move forward with mobile app development for your business, then you come across major decisions which you need to take even before your app gets started developing by developers. There are many development methods that are the same & you have a couple different ways to approach. Similarly, hybrid vs native applications in the market from which you need to choose. You need to find which approach is better when you choose app development companies Chicago.

One of the vital segments of the React Native development is the payment integration process and this blog is all about that. 

Well, making online payments through the web or mobile apps is a common practice today. As a result, millions of apps have the payment processing feature embedded in them. Various payment gateways are used for this purpose, like PayPal, Braintree, Stripe, Expo, RazorPay, AWS Amplify, etc. to name a few. Out of these, Stripe is one of the most widely used and fastest-growing gateways. It is also being extensively used in a diverse range of React Native apps and is a preferred choice of several React Native app development services worldwide.

So let us have a glimpse at what is Stripe, its working mechanism, and the step-by-step method to integrate it in the React Native applications.

What is Stripe?

As discussed earlier, Stripe is a popular payment gateway or a payment processing platform founded in 2010. It is used by individuals or businesses- small or large, for accepting payments via credit and debit cards, recurring payments used for subscriptions, sending payouts, and also process automated clearing house (ACH) transactions. It also serves as a third-party payment processor and supports various payment methods such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, Masterpass by Mastercard, Wechat Pay, Microsoft Pay, etc.

Stripe is quite easy to integrate due to the availability of easy-to-use APIs. Also, it provides prevention from frauds, banking, and technical infrastructure, etc. that is needed for on-line payment systems operation. A large number of eCommerce solutions are using Stripe. Currently Stripe powers the payment processing for some of the well-known brands including Lyft, Pinterest, Blue Apron, Under Armour, etc.

Working Mechanism of Stripe in React Native Apps

Let us understand how Stripe works in React Native apps with a pictorial representation.

• A payment is initiated in the frontend of a React Native app. Details like card number, expiry date, CVV, etc. are sent to Stripe.
• In case of valid details, a token is sent by the Stripe server to the app.
• After this token is received on the app, payment information along with token information has to be sent to your backend server. Your backend server will communicate with the server of Stripe along with the token and payment details.
• After successful completion of payment, Stripe sends the transaction response to the backend server.
• Then the backend server sends the payment success response to the app.

Stripe and React Native development

Stripe can be implemented in the frontend of the React Native apps in two ways as mentioned below:

1. Integrating the Stripe SDK for Android or iOS
2. Using a 3rd party library like Tipsi-stripe

Both of these methods have their share of pros and cons. The Tipsi-stripe library can be easily implemented and works smoothly. But as of now, Stripe has not ‘publicly’ approved the React Native library from Tipsi. But preferring Stripe’s SDK’s is considered a smarter choice when one is looking for maximum compliance in a production environment.

How to implement Stripe?

Note: Here we have considered the Tipsi-stripe library for integration of Stripe. Also, version 0.60 of React Native was used. Also, we considered a Firebase server for the backend part.

Step 1: Creation of Stripe Developer account and getting the API keys

For creating the account, visit Stripe.com. Note that the services provided by Stripe are limited to certain countries. After account creation and registration, you will land in the Stripe Dashboard. Then go to Developer Tab > API keys for accessing the keys. Ensure that for viewing the ‘Test Data,’ you ON the toggle. All the development tasks must be carried out with ‘Test Data’.

‘Publishable key’ is used to connect the react native app with the Strive Native SDK or Tipsi-stripe library. This key is used for generating a token. ‘Secret key’ is used in the backend for the actual payment processing, where your server makes a connection with the Stripe server using this secret key. After testing the process, you may toggle to ‘Live keys.’

Step 2: Development of a React Native app for integrating Stripe

For developing a basic app, ensure that you are equipped with all the pre-requisites pertaining to the React Native’s official documentation. Now create a blank app and run it in a simulator or device. The default start screen will appear on the simulator or device. You may use the user interface of the Tipsi-stripe library because it supports all kinds of payment options viz. Google Pay, Apple Pay, etc.

Step 3: Integration of the Tipsi-stripe library for the generation of token

Install Tipsi-stripe package for integrating Stripe functionality into your react native app. Now, set up your Podfile for the integration of appropriate pods in iOS apps and then run pod install. Then set up the Xcode project, link the Tipsi-stripe package against your Xcode project, this will install all dependencies related to CocoaPods. Import the library in your app for the generation of the token. Now initialize it with the Stripe credentials which you will get from Stripe Dashboard. The Publishable key is used for generating token only. Now replace the Publishable key with your own key.

To generate the token, the ‘paymentRequestWithCardForm’ method can be used from the library. This method will open the card details Stripe form. User will receive a token from the Stripe after entering the card details in the above form.

Step 4: Creation of Firebase function or any other backend server

For completing the payment, we can create a Firebase cloud function (or any other backend server) and execute it using REST calls from your app. This function will interact with the Stripe server and successfully complete the payment. The sub-steps involved in this process are as follows:

• Create a Firebase project and cloud functions
• In the app Install Firebase tools
• Connect your React Native development environment to the Firebase console.
• Developing a Firebase function for making payment requests. This function accepts request object from the app, then sends the request of payment to the Stripe server and returns the response from Stripe to the application.
• Testing the Firebase Function internally using firebase serve, as external API calls are allowed by Firebase only for paid accounts.
• Deploying Firebase Function to live server

Step 5: Connection of the app with the deployed live Firebase server and completion of the payment

The final step involves making an HTTP call to the Firebase function and completing the payment request using the generated token. In this way, payment processing happens in the React Native apps using the Stripe gateway.

Also read our article "How to Migrate Chat Applications from Layer to Firebase?“.

Concluding Lines:

In this blog, we learned that there are two important sections in the Stripe payments- frontend for the tokenization process and backend for the payment requesting and completion. The Tipsi-stripe package is used for the frontend part and any server can be used for the backend part. We have gone through the significant steps involved in this process which will be very helpful to React Native developers and every React Native app development company aiming to design top-notch apps with a sleek payment processing feature.

We hope this blog was useful to you! Please share your thoughts in the comments section. For any other details, you may mail us at sales.enquiry@biz4solutions.com!

While developing a mobile app, start-ups have the aim of reaching a wider audience at once and building a brand out of their product. Cross-platform app development allows the building of attractive mobile apps for multiple platforms using a single code-base and enabling start-ups to reach a large market in one go. However, in the past, when companies had to build an app, the only option was to build separate apps for different platforms. React Native framework is a functional cross-platform program for developing powerful apps for both platforms- Android and iOS. It has great potential for building innovative applications for different businesses. After the tremendous success of React Native, many businesses, especially start-ups prefer this framework.

Why choose React Native mobile app development for your start-up?

As we can see, many successful names in the business world have used React Native. It has already become a winning choice of many. Have a look at the positive potentials of React Native that benefit a start-up.

Budget-friendly: Using this framework, the developers can write a single code and run it on both platforms. It makes the work smoother and faster for React Native developers. This reduces the development time by approximately 30–35%. It also reduces the cost to a great extent which is the best benefit to a start-up.

Faster time-to-market: React Native helps faster development of MVP version of the apps which is a plus point for start-ups. MVP version makes the basic product available in the market at the earliest for grabbing the attention of the investors quickly, thus giving a competitive edge to the app owners.

Better UI/UX : If compared with other frameworks like AngularJS, React Native looks like a JavaScript library and not as a framework. It provides a simplified and platform-specific user interface in mobile apps. Also, the apps are more responsive with reduced loading times. React Native uses third-party libraries for developers.

Enhanced Security: The apps built using React Native are difficult to hack. React Native uses JavaScript, which is the core programming language and the chances of errors are very less. So, these apps have high security and reliability.

Reusability of Native components: With this framework, start-ups can extend the functionalities of their apps by using native components like GPS, phone camera, maps, etc. It provides a Native UX feeling to the apps making them more useful and captivating. However, the developers should know about native development to leverage this benefit.

Availability of talented pool: As said earlier, this framework uses JavaScript, which is the most popular language. It is known to more than 67% developers, as per a survey conducted by Stack Overflow. So, there is a huge pool of talented developers available.

Stable framework with big community support: React Native is comparatively new, yet much stable framework. Thanks to Facebook and its active support. Facebook itself uses the React Native framework on Facebook and Instagram mobile apps. Their team consistently works on improving the framework. They keep introducing innovative features, new libraries and functionalities. So, with React Native mobile app development, start-ups get the support of a huge community and the chances of failure of the apps are rare.

Summary:

React Native is a promising option if you are looking for developing a cross-platform app for your start-up. You can have a great app in the market quickly and easily while being cost-effective. This framework has a vibrant ecosystem and works well in combination with other frameworks as well. It provides plenty of benefits that start-ups can leverage to get outstanding apps developed. Looking at this huge scope, many React Native app development services are popping up across the globe.

If you want to develop your React Native app contact us, Biz4Solutions, a leading React Native app development company. We have helped many of our clients- start-ups as mid-sized companies- to develop outstanding mobile apps that truly looks like Native apps.

We can help to let your start-up grow and flourish!

Contact us today!

Why has React Native made a buzz in the software world? What’s the big deal about this framework that is not even a decade old? What’s the reason that the demand for every React Native app development company across the globe has significantly risen?

Well, if one is looking for a platform that is smart, smooth, user-friendly, cost-effective, and allows composing of feature-rich applications, React Native is the ideal solution. So in this article, we’ll first have a glance at the origins of React Native. Then we will discuss the top reasons behind the growing popularity of React Native development and know why it is worthy of increasingly being used in diverse software development projects.

The Origin of React Native Framework

While working on the Facebook app, Jordan Walke, a software engineer there, designed a robust framework to cope up with technical limitations and the app and to meet the growing expectations of the end-users. This framework could also support languages like JavaScript, HTML, etc.

Also, if React is a JavaScript library shaped on flux patterns to provide a high-performing UI, React Native took a step further. It could utilize React like syntax but it is basically a stand-alone framework that makes use of a specific platform’s native APIs for rendering some code components. This process ultimately leads to speedy and low-cost development. Not only mobile app development but React Native’s component-based structure also makes it accessible to web developers. Also, the developers don’t need to have the knowledge of React for using React Native. If one has a grasp on platform APIs, vanilla JavaScript, mobile design patterns, etc then the developer can easily start using this framework.

Top Reasons why React Native development is Widely Adopted

Owing to the myriad benefits React Native offers, it has already been used by famous giants like Instagram, Skype, Airbnb, Tencent QQ, SoundCloud Pulse, Tesla, Walmart, UberEats, Baidu Mobile, and many more. So here we have outlined some of the top benefits it offers to the ones using it.

Cross-platform Functionality: This framework allows developing a single code and using it on multiple platforms, thus providing cross-platform functionality. React Native enables code sharing of about 96% codes with additional API integrations. Due to this, it eliminates the need to know Swift for iOS development or Android-specific Java language; thus saving time and effort.

Native-like Performance and UI: This technology makes use of native modules and components which leads to the development of natively rendering apps. As a result, these apps have performance and UI close to native apps.

High Efficiency at Minimal Costs: Due to the features like code reusability, ‘hot reload’ feature, declarative coding style, etc. the development process becomes faster and quite efficient while ensuring cost-effectiveness.

Flawless API Integration: Since this framework comes with the feature of using components, it is much easier to fetch data from the APIs. For instance, if one wants to integrate the ‘Google Maps’ feature in the app, React Native allows linking of the plugin with the Native module, thus allowing easy customization of the app.

Easy Learning Curve: With the basic knowledge in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, even a new developer can start working on React Native. They can simply Google the components that need to be used and work accordingly. Since JavaScript is known to many, one can easily learn React Native too.

Ease of Code Transition: This framework allows easy transition of the code from React to Native code and vice-versa without much hassle. This is so because with some caution, React Native easily aligns with native platform conventions.

The Downsides of React Native Development in Brief

Though it is a successful and highly beneficial technology, yet it has its share of quirks. Let’s explore them:

• Although this framework has been in the market for more than 5 years now and is one of the highly engineered frameworks, many bugs are found while coding, and several other issues are faced.
• The React Native developers quite often face package incompatibility issues.
• Also, the custom module ecosystem of React Native is still quite small and several modules are still in their beta versions.
• Security is low in comparison to native apps as JavaScript bases libraries are used.
• Since the framework is owned by Facebook, there are rare chances that Facebook may someday end this project and a plethora of apps built using this technology may get closed or not function up to the mark.

Wrap-up:

We have seen how React Native has become a winning choice for developing high-performing native-like apps. Despite being a comparatively younger technology, it is being widely used in commercial projects. Many tech-Gurus and technology enthusiasts even claim that this framework has a dazzling future and will soon dominate the software development world.

Now, don’t you think this framework is worth the hype? Let us know your thoughts on this.

If you want to leverage React Native for your next project, get in touch with Biz4Solutions, a world-class React Native App development company, based in Texas. You may drop us a line at sales.enquiry@biz4solutions.com for any details.

Do the below statements sound like your objectives for your next mobile app?

• Creation of a native-like high-performing app
• Reaching a broad spectrum of the audience at once
• Cost-effective yet faster launch in the market

If yes, then React Native is a one-stop solution to meet all these goals in one go. React Native App development has gained immense popularity in a short span of time despite being an emerging framework. Even giants like Snapchat, Netflix, and Instagram have used it for their apps. Moreover, several mobile app Gurus and tech-savvy enthusiasts claim this framework to be the future of cross-platform app development.

So, this article outlines the top reasons why React Native has become a winning choice for many. Let’s explore its key benefits.

Merits of React Native Development for Cross-Platform Apps

Outstanding Performance

React Native makes use of native controls and modules which aides in building native-like cross-platform apps. Also, the React Native apps render their UI using the native APIs in place of Web View. All this results in the development of stable, reliable, and high performing apps similar to native apps.

Saves Time and Money to a Huge Extent

This framework is considered to be highly efficient as it helps in saving a great deal of time and money due to the following reasons: 

Code reusability: The notion “code once and use everywhere” is applicable in React Native. So, the React Native developers don’t need to code separately for Android and iOS platforms. They can reuse almost 80% of the code on other platforms.

Reusable components: There are various ready-made components available in React Native due to which the time and efforts required for developing them from scratch are saved. It speeds-up the development process making it quite hassle-free.

Declarative coding style: Declarative coding makes the coding process simple, understandable, and flexible. The developers can easily understand the code just by looking at it.

Hot reload feature: In case the developers change or modify the code, it instantly reflects in the app, ensuring the live tracking of the changes. This is called ‘hot reload’ feature which reduces the wait time of the developers and ensures faster implementation of any feedbacks by the end-users.

Less number of developers: Small team of skilled developers can create React Native apps making it a budget-friendly affair. 

Easy maintenance and update: Maintaining and updating the cross-platform apps built with React Native is easier and also saves time as there is no need to hire a separate team for different platforms.

Ensures Outreach to Maximum Customers

Since these apps can be simultaneously launched on both platforms, the app owner scan reach a host of end-users at once. They can conduct their promotional and sales activities with the apps which in-turn results in higher profits.

Compatible with Third-party plugins

Third-party plugins are usually considered to be insecure and vulnerable to threats. But this framework supports add-on plugins for easier app development with flexible customization. It supports two types of plugins- JavaScript Modules and Native Modules.

Simplified and Consistent User Interface

React Native is more like a JavaScript library rather than a framework. It utilizes JavaScript UI to design the user interface. Hence the UI is simple, user-friendly, and has a consistent look and feel. Also, React Native app development runs on Flexbox and SVG that provides a layout of the UI that is compatible with screen dimensions of almost every mobile device, thereby making the apps more responsive.

Modular architecture

React Native has a modular architecture that enables the developers to segregate the code functions into the blocks or modules or subsystems. These are interchangeable and free and can be re-used for APIs, making the development process much flexible, and updating process of the apps extremely easier. 

Community-driven Framework

This is an open-source community-driven framework where all the technical data and documentation is available for one and all. The experienced React developers can share their expertise and contribute to its progress. Also, it is being supported by Facebook and GitHub. Even companies like Microsoft, Infinite Red, Software Mansion, Callstack, etc. often contribute to this community.

Live updates on Stores

As React Native uses JavaScript as its core language, developers can release the updates into the apps without submitting the changes in the Stores. It enables the developers to make use of tools like expo or codepush from Microsoft to release updates in a short notice. Note that native code if any would require the developer to go through the Stores.

Final Words:

In this article, we have seen a plethora of reasons why React Native App development is being widely preferred for cross-platform apps. This framework has come up as a powerful solution for delivering robust apps while being budget-friendly. The vibrant ecosystem of this framework ensures that it has a dazzling future in the app development arena.

If you want to leverage the benefits of this amazing framework, get in touch with Biz4Solutions, a promising React Native App development company. We have 9+ years of extensive experience in designing new-age mobile apps using React Native.

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