react-native-macos
[deprecated in favor of https://microsoft.github.io/react-native-windows/] React Native for macOS is an experimental fork for writing desktop apps using Cocoa
A deprecated experimental fork that brought React Native to macOS desktop apps, now abandoned in favor of Microsoft's official React Native for Windows and macOS project.
This repository holds a deprecated experimental fork of React Native designed for building macOS desktop applications. React Native is a framework, originally created by Facebook, that lets developers write user interfaces in JavaScript using a component model similar to what is used for web pages. This project extended that approach to the macOS desktop using Apple's native Cocoa framework rather than a web browser.
The project is no longer maintained, and the README points readers to an official Microsoft version of React Native for desktop platforms. That project, called React Native for Windows (which also covers macOS), took over where this fork left off.
While it was active, the workflow started with installing a command-line tool and running a couple of commands to create a new project and launch it on macOS. Developers who already had React Native experience for iOS or Android would find the patterns familiar, since the documentation and component APIs largely matched the iOS version.
The README includes screenshots of a sample app called RNTesterApp, which demonstrated common UI components running on the Mac desktop. There was also guidance for folding the macOS target into an existing cross-platform project that already had iOS or Android builds set up.
The code is released under the MIT license. Because the project is deprecated, it is not suited for new work; the Microsoft-maintained fork is the recommended path forward for anyone wanting to build Mac desktop apps with React Native.
Where it fits
- Understand the history of React Native on macOS before adopting the Microsoft-maintained successor.
- Review how Cocoa native components were bridged into React Native as a reference for the current implementation.