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0002. Native baseline: RN 0.87, pure bare

  • Status: Accepted
  • Date: 2026-10-10
  • Questions: B1, B2, B6–B9

Context

Section titled “Context”

React Native 0.87.1 is the latest stable release (26 Aug 2026). It makes the strict TypeScript API the default and requires Node 22.11+, Gradle 9 / AGP 9 and Kotlin 2.2. Expo modules can run in a bare app, but install-expo-modules currently targets RN 0.86 (Expo SDK 57).

Decision

Section titled “Decision”
  • RN 0.87.1 (B1), React 19.2.3, started from react-native-community/template 0.87-stable so native diffs match the Upgrade Helper.
  • No Expo modules (B2). Community libraries only, which keeps Track A genuinely bare and different from Track B.
  • Minimum OS (B6): the RN 0.87 template defaults (Android minSdk 24, RN’s iOS minimum). Android compile SDK 37, target SDK 36.
  • Devices (B7): phones and tablets, with responsive layout tokens and portrait as the default orientation.
  • Build CLI (B8): @react-native-community/cli 20.2.0. Rock’s remote build cache is documented as an upgrade.
  • iOS dependencies (B9): CocoaPods through Bundler (Gemfile). SwiftPM stays off while experimental.

Consequences

Section titled “Consequences”
  • No expo-image, expo-secure-store or expo-updates. Their bare equivalents sit behind ports (ADR 0008, 0010).
  • Deep imports from react-native/Libraries/* fail type-checking. Lint bans them.
  • Building with Xcode 27 (iOS 27 SDK) requires the UIScene life cycle. The 0.87 template doesn’t have it, so this template backports RN’s upcoming SceneDelegate (docs/native-changes.md#uiscene).
  • Every native library must build on AGP 9 and Xcode 27. The library compatibility check in docs/version-matrix.md is required before adding one.

Alternatives considered

Section titled “Alternatives considered”
  • RN 0.86.3 with Expo modules: better image, secure-store and OTA libraries, but ties the RN version to the Expo SDK cadence.