blogs
Notes on React, React Native, and the craft of building software.
latestInside Maffs: Building a Scientific Calculator with AI, Graphs, and 6 Themes
A technical deep-dive into Maffs — the recursive descent parser, AI-powered Nerd Mode, interactive graph plotting, unit conversion, theme system, and the paywall that ties it all together.
React Native · Architecture · AI
6 Rejections, 1 Approval: Shipping In-App Purchases with React Native & RevenueCat
The full story of getting Maffs through Apple App Review — from RevenueCat cache bugs and missing legal links to Paid Apps Agreement gotchas and duplicate build numbers.
React Native · IAP · App Store
Petal is Live: Architecture, Features, and Production Patterns
A deep dive into Petal's architecture: multi-currency support, social subscription sharing, trial management, local-first sync queues, and the design patterns that make it different from typical subscription trackers.
React Native · Architecture · Expo
My App Was Crashing in Production and I Had No Idea Why
How a missing env variable, a splash screen trap, and a side effect in useMemo led to a production crash — and the debugging methodology that uncovered it all, layer by layer.
React Native · Expo · Debugging
From SubXtract to Petal — Rebuilding with AI and a New Mindset
How Apple's broken payment gateway, my brother's dev account, and a year of AI-assisted development led me to build Petal — a better subscription tracker.
AI Dev · React Native · Indie Dev
SubXtract - A Subscription Tracker App
My new Subscription Tracker app
react native · expo · zustand
Realtime Collaboration with React
A comprehensive guide on building real-time collaborative applications with React using tools like WebSockets and WebRTC.
React · WASM · WebRTC
Simplifying Side Effects: Dependencies in React’s useEffect
Dive into the nuances of managing dependencies in React’s useEffect hook. This detailed guide uncovers common challenges, solutions, and practical techniques to write cleaner and more efficient side effects in your React applications.
React · Hooks · useEffect
Using Native Code in React Native: A Beginner’s Guide
Learn how to integrate custom native modules into your React Native app to unlock the full power of the platform.
React Native · Native Code
Exploring the Latest React 19
React, the popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces, has reached a significant milestone with the release of React 19. Officially released on December 5, 2024, this version brings a slew of exciting updates and improvements that aim to enhance the development experience and the performance of React applications. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the key features and changes introduced in React 19.
React · Version Release
Advanced Hooks Pattern and Techniques
React Hooks revolutionized the way we write React components, providing a more direct API to React’s core features. While basic hooks like useState and useEffect are widely known, there’s a world of advanced hook patterns that can dramatically improve your React application’s architecture, performance, and maintainability.
React · Hooks
Implementing Custom Theming in a React Native App
Theming is essential for creating consistent and visually appealing user interfaces in mobile apps. It allows for easy customization and ensures your app can adapt to user preferences, like light or dark modes. In this blog post, I’ll walk you through how I implemented custom theming in my React Native app.
React Native · React Navigation · Context API
Master animations in React Native with Reanimated 2
React Native Reanimated 2 is a powerful library that allows you to create high-performance animations and interactions in your React Native applications. This library is built on top of Reanimated and provides a simple and intuitive API for creating complex animations.
React Native · Reanimated
Understanding Compound Components in React
Compound components are a powerful pattern in React that allows you to create flexible and reusable UI components. This pattern can help you build more maintainable and scalable applications by separating concerns and providing a clean API for your components.
React