Expo
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Expo is a framework and cloud service for React Native. The framework gives you a managed native project you do not edit; the service (EAS) builds, signs, submits, and updates it.
The decision that shapes everything else
Expo's workflows are a spectrum, not a switch, and the common failure is choosing before understanding what you give up.
| Workflow | You edit native code? | ios/ and android/ in Git? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Managed with config plugins | No | No — generated by prebuild |
| Prebuild checked in | Yes | Yes |
The managed workflow is not "Expo without native modules" — config plugins exist
precisely so a native dependency can be added without owning the native project.
Reach for checked-in native directories only when a change genuinely cannot be
expressed as a plugin. Going back is harder than going forward: once ios/ and
android/ are committed, prebuild will overwrite hand edits, and regenerating
becomes a merge rather than a build step.
What to verify rather than recall
Expo's release cadence is fast and SDK-versioned, so remembered values age badly.
- SDK version compatibility. Each Expo SDK pins a React Native version and a supported package range. A package version that worked on one SDK frequently does not resolve on the next.
- Config plugin options and
app.json/app.config.jskeys, which move between SDK releases. - EAS Build image and channel configuration in
eas.json.
Check these against the mirrored corpus under references/vendor/ or the release
notes rather than asserting a version.