The React Native New Architecture Migration Process for 2026

Source: Dev.to

Understanding React Native’s New Architecture: A 2026 Perspective

React Native’s New Architecture represents the most significant overhaul since the framework launched. The changes affect how your JavaScript talks to native code, how screens render, and how your app loads native features.

The Evolution of React Native Architecture: Why the Change

The old bridge system created a bottleneck. Every interaction between JavaScript and native code required data serialization, async message passing, and deserialization on the other side. Frame drops happened when the queue backed up, and touch responses felt sluggish on complex screens.

React Native 0.76, released in December 2024, became the first version fully stable with the New Architecture. Meta rebuilt the communication layer from scratch to eliminate these constraints.

The shift enables features that simply weren’t possible before:

• Concurrent rendering
• Synchronous layout calculations
• Direct memory access between JavaScript and C++

These open doors for real‑time camera processing, complex gesture handling, and buttery‑smooth animations.

Core Components Explained: Fabric, TurboModules, Codegen, and JSI

Four pillars form the foundation of React Native’s New Architecture. Understanding each helps you plan your migration strategy.

JavaScript Interface (JSI)

JSI replaces the async bridge with direct, synchronous communication. Your JavaScript code can now hold references to C++ objects and call native methods without serialization overhead.

Think of it this way: the old bridge was like sending letters back and forth. JSI is like picking up the phone. Response times drop from milliseconds to microseconds in many scenarios.

Fabric Rendering System

Fabric rebuilds how React Native draws your UI. It creates a synchronous layout pipeline that calculates where every element goes before anything hits the screen.

Result: UI consistency across iOS and Android improves dramatically. Animations run smoother, touch responses feel instant, and complex list scrolling no longer stutters.

TurboModules

TurboModules replace the old Native Modules with a smarter loading system. Instead of initializing every native module at startup, TurboModules load on demand.

An app with 50 native modules might only need 5 during the first user interaction. TurboModules delay loading the other 45 until actually needed, dropping startup times significantly in module‑heavy applications.

Codegen

Codegen generates type‑safe bindings between JavaScript and native code automatically. You define TypeScript or Flow interfaces once, and Codegen produces the native glue code.

• Catches type mismatches at build time rather than runtime
• Reduces crashes in production
• Speeds up development cycles
• Improves tooling integration across your IDE

Key Benefits for Your Application in 2026: Performance, Stability, and Developer Experience

Benchmarks from 2025 show concrete improvements:

Hermes V1, introduced in React Native 0.82, pushes performance further with improved bytecode compilation. Static Hermes development continues, aiming to compile type‑annotated JavaScript directly to native code for C++‑level performance.

“The new architecture actually in my opinion is like production ready for anything new. If you have to upgrade then it’s a lot of pain, but we are working on hopefully migrating to the new architecture by the end of this year.”
— Hardik Vasa, Apps Engineer at Headout and React Native Contributor (April 2025)

Preparing Your Large‑Scale Application for Migration

Migration success depends more on preparation than execution. Teams that skip the audit phase discover compatibility issues mid‑sprint and scramble to rewrite timelines.

Comprehensive Codebase Audit: Identifying Dependencies and Challenges

1. Catalog every native module and third‑party library.
2. Create a spreadsheet with columns for:
   • Package name and version
   • New Architecture support status (check package repositories)
   • Last update date (abandoned packages pose the highest risk)
   • Critical path status (does a feature block your revenue?)

Run the following command to generate your dependency tree:

npx react-native info

Cross‑reference each package against the React Native Directory, which tracks New Architecture compatibility.

Common problem areas

• Custom native modules written in Java/Kotlin or Objective‑C/Swift without TypeScript specs
• Libraries using the old NativeModules API directly
• Bridged components that manipulate the view hierarchy outside React’s control
• Hybrid components mixing native and JavaScript rendering (WebViews are notorious)

Essential Prerequisites and Tooling Updates for a 2026 Migration

Minimum requirements

• React Native 0.76 or higher (0.82+ recommended for Hermes V1)
• Xcode 15+ for iOS builds
• Android Studio Hedgehog or later with Kotlin 1.9+
• Node 20 LTS or higher
• CocoaPods 1.15+ for iOS dependency management

Update react-native.config.js to enable Codegen and configure TypeScript strict mode—Codegen relies on accurate type definitions to generate correct native bindings.

Crafting a Phased Migration Strategy: A Roadmap for Success

Shopify’s team established three core principles that guided their migration:

1. Minimize initial code changes. Enable the architecture first; optimize later.
2. Maintain dual architecture compatibility. Apps should build and run on both old and new systems during transition.
3. Ensure performance stability. No regressions; rollback immediately if metrics drop.

Migration Phases

Securing Organizational Buy‑in and Team Readiness

Migration costs developer time, so leadership needs concrete numbers to approve the investment.

Business case framing

• Performance gains: Faster startup times correlate with higher retention.
• Reduced maintenance burden: The old architecture won’t receive major updates.
• Future‑proofing: New React features (Suspense, Concurrent Mode) require the New Architecture.
• Developer velocity: Better tooling and debugging reduce time‑to‑ship.

Duolingo reportedly reduced dev costs by 40 % after migrating to Re