React Native Expo Bare Workflow: what you should know

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  • August 04,2025

React Native Expo Bare Workflow: what you should know

The React Native Expo Bare Workflow gives developers full native project control by ejecting from Expo’s managed environment. It enables custom native code integration but requires manual setup and maintenance of iOS & Android projects, ideal for advanced apps needing native features.

React Native Expo Bare Workflow: What You Should Know

1 ) Introduction to Expo Workflows  

Expo offers two main workflows for building React Native apps: Managed and Bare. The managed workflow simplifies development by handling native configurations and dependencies for you, making it perfect for beginners or simple apps. The bare workflow, conversely, provides full native control, allowing integration of custom native modules and more complex features.

2 ) Why Eject to Bare Workflow?  

Developers often eject from Expo’s managed workflow to the bare workflow when they require functionality not supported in the managed environment, such as advanced native modules or in app purchases. Ejecting provides access to native iOS and Android projects but demands additional setup and maintenance.

3 ) Steps to Eject to Bare Workflow  

  Run the eject command (`expo eject`) and select the Bare option to generate native iOS and Android projects.  

  Install Cocoapods (for iOS) to manage Swift and Objective C dependencies by running `sudo gem install cocoapods` and then `pod install` within the `ios` directory.  

  Remove or replace imports from the Expo package that are no longer available in the bare workflow (e.g., `Notifications`, `AppLoading`, `SplashScreen`).  

  Reconfigure modules that may break after ejecting by reinstalling them or substituting them with alternatives.

4 ) Common Challenges and Solutions  

  Notifications: Migrating from Expo’s notification module can be tricky and often requires third party libraries like `react native push notification ios` and custom wrappers.  

  expo facebook: After ejecting, some modules may fail due to missing native dependencies; reinstalling with `react native unimodules` and running pods can fix this.  

  expo constants: The app’s manifest may return `null` after ejecting. Setting `Constants.manifest` manually with the app’s JSON manifest resolves this.  

  expo sentry: Initialization may need to shift from a function load to a component constructor to work correctly in the bare workflow.

5 ) Trade offs of the Bare Workflow  

Moving to the bare workflow trades away some of the simplicity and out of the box features provided by the managed workflow. Developers must handle native configuration, dependency management, and debugging complex issues on their own but gain the flexibility to customize the app at the native level.

6 ) Summary Advice  

  The bare workflow is ideal for advanced React Native developers who need to integrate native functionality unsupported by Expo managed workflow.  

  Beginners or projects without complex native needs benefit from sticking to the Expo managed workflow for rapid and hassle free development.  

  Always commit your code frequently when migrating workflows due to the complexity and potential for breakage.  

  Be prepared to dive deeper into native iOS and Android development concepts when working in the bare workflow.

In conclusion, ejecting to Expo’s bare workflow offers enhanced customizability and access to native features but demands more setup and maintenance compared to Expo’s managed workflow. Understanding these trade offs helps developers choose the right approach for their React Native projects.

 

 

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