The New Architecture is Here: React Native

After 6 years of development, React Native's complete ground-up rewrite is finally here. The New Architecture in version 0.76 fundamentally changes how JavaScript and native code communicate—and the performance gains are real.

The React Native team at Meta has shipped the New Architecture as the default in React Native 0.76, marking the completion of a massive rewrite that began in 2018. This release includes full React 18 support, a new renderer written in C++, and eliminates the async bridge that previously bottlenecked performance. Over 850 libraries already support it, including all packages with 200K+ weekly downloads.

Key Takeaways

• Synchronous native calls replace async bridge, enabling 60+ FPS and instant user feedback
• New C++ renderer supports concurrent features like Suspense and Transitions across all platforms
• Lazy module loading and direct JSI communication dramatically improve app startup time
• useLayoutEffect now works properly with synchronous layout reads, fixing tooltip positioning issues
• Automatic interop layer lets most apps upgrade without breaking existing code

The article reveals how the new Event Loop implementation closes a critical gap between React DOM and React Native that's existed since the beginning.