React Native Version 0.67 Release
Article Summary
React Native 0.67 isn't just another version bump. The team has completely overhauled how they ship releases, and it's a masterclass in scaling open source.
The React Native team announced version 0.67 alongside major improvements to their release process. As part of their push for more frequent releases, they've tackled the coordination and testing bottlenecks that previously delayed new features reaching the community.
Key Takeaways
- 379 commits from 74 contributors shipped in this release
- New Release Tester program caught critical Hermes regression before public launch
- Gradle bumped to 7.2, Kotlin to 1.5.31, DatePickerAndroid removed
- Release documentation now prevents single person bottlenecks
- Companies like Rainbow, Mattermost, and Ledger piloted the testing program
React Native is shipping faster by formalizing community testing and eliminating tribal knowledge from their release pipeline.
About This Article
React Native releases were blocked by tribal knowledge and unclear responsibilities. There was no formal process for community testing of release candidates before public launch.
The team wrote comprehensive release documentation in the react-native wiki and defined explicit roles and responsibilities. They also started a Release Tester program where open source apps commit to testing release candidates.
A release tester from Margelo found a critical Hermes 0.10 regression during 0.67 RC testing. Without this catch, the regression would have shipped to the community.