Expo

Overview

Expo is a development platform for React Native providing file-based routing (Expo Router), cloud builds (EAS Build), store submissions (EAS Submit), over-the-air updates (EAS Update), and 50+ SDK modules for native device APIs. Ship iOS, Android, and web apps from one codebase without managing Xcode or Android Studio.

Instructions

Setup

npx create-expo-app@latest my-app --template tabs
cd my-app && npx expo start

File-Based Routing (Expo Router)

Drop a file in

app/

, get a screen. Folder structure defines navigation hierarchy.

app/
├── _layout.tsx          # Root layout (wraps all screens)
├── index.tsx            # / (home screen)
├── about.tsx            # /about
├── (tabs)/              # Tab navigation group
│   ├── _layout.tsx      # Tab bar configuration
│   ├── index.tsx        # First tab
│   ├── explore.tsx      # Second tab
│   └── profile.tsx      # Third tab
├── settings/
│   ├── _layout.tsx      # Stack layout for settings
│   ├── index.tsx        # /settings
│   └── account.tsx      # /settings/account
├── post/
│   └── [slug].tsx       # /post/my-first-post (dynamic route)
└── +not-found.tsx       # 404 screen

Root Layout

// app/_layout.tsx
import { Stack } from "expo-router";

export default function RootLayout() {
  return (
    <Stack>
      <Stack.Screen name="(tabs)" options={{ headerShown: false }} />
      <Stack.Screen name="settings" options={{ title: "Settings" }} />
      <Stack.Screen name="modal" options={{ presentation: "modal" }} />
    </Stack>
  );
}

Tab Navigation

// app/(tabs)/_layout.tsx
import { Tabs } from "expo-router";
import { Ionicons } from "@expo/vector-icons";

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <Tabs screenOptions={{ tabBarActiveTintColor: "#007AFF" }}>
      <Tabs.Screen name="index" options={{
        title: "Home",
        tabBarIcon: ({ color }) => <Ionicons name="home" size={24} color={color} />,
      }} />
      <Tabs.Screen name="explore" options={{
        title: "Explore",
        tabBarIcon: ({ color }) => <Ionicons name="compass" size={24} color={color} />,
      }} />
      <Tabs.Screen name="profile" options={{
        title: "Profile",
        tabBarIcon: ({ color }) => <Ionicons name="person" size={24} color={color} />,
      }} />
    </Tabs>
  );
}

Navigation and Dynamic Routes

import { Link, router, useLocalSearchParams } from "expo-router";

// Declarative: <Link href="/post/hello-world">My Post</Link>
// Programmatic: router.push("/settings/account")

// app/post/[slug].tsx — Dynamic route
export default function PostScreen() {
  const { slug } = useLocalSearchParams<{ slug: string }>();
  return <Text>{slug}</Text>;
}

Deep Linking (Automatic)

Every route gets a URL automatically. Configure the scheme in

app.json

:

{ "expo": { "scheme": "myapp" } }

• myapp://

  -> Home screen

• myapp://post/hello-world

  -> Post screen

• https://myapp.com/post/hello-world

  -> Same screen (universal links)

Expo SDK Modules

// Camera
import { CameraView, useCameraPermissions } from "expo-camera";
const [permission, requestPermission] = useCameraPermissions();
const photo = await cameraRef.current?.takePictureAsync();

// Push Notifications
import * as Notifications from "expo-notifications";
const token = await Notifications.getExpoPushTokenAsync({ projectId: "your-id" });

// Secure Storage
import * as SecureStore from "expo-secure-store";
await SecureStore.setItemAsync("token", "jwt-abc123");

EAS Build, Submit, and Update

npm install -g eas-cli
eas build:configure
eas build --platform ios          # Cloud build -> .ipa
eas build --platform android      # Cloud build -> .aab
eas submit --platform ios         # App Store Connect
eas submit --platform android     # Google Play Console
eas update --branch production --message "Bug fix"  # OTA update

Examples

Example 1: Social app with tabs, stacks, and modals

User prompt: "Set up navigation for a social app — tabs for feed/search/profile, stack for post details, and modal for creating posts."

The agent creates a tab layout in

app/(tabs)/_layout.tsx

, nested stack routes for post details, and a modal route with

presentation: "modal"

. Deep linking works automatically for every route.

Example 2: Ship an urgent bug fix via OTA update

User prompt: "Push an urgent fix to production without app store review."

The agent fixes the JavaScript code, runs

eas update --channel production

, verifies the update fingerprint ensures no native code changes, and monitors rollout with rollback available if issues arise.

Guidelines

• File = route —

  app/about.tsx

  becomes

  /about

• _layout.tsx

  for navigation containers (Stack, Tabs, Drawer)

• (group)

  for route groups — organize without affecting URL

• [param]

  for dynamic routes — access via

  useLocalSearchParams

• Deep linking is automatic — every route has a URL
• Use

  expo-image

  over

  Image

  for better caching and modern format support
• Store secrets in

  expo-secure-store

  , never AsyncStorage
• Use config plugins instead of ejecting to keep managed workflow
• Use development builds for custom native modules (Expo Go cannot run them)
• Use EAS Build for reproducible cross-platform builds without local Xcode/Android Studio