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What is create-react-native-app?

expo/create-react-native-app — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

13,258JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

In one sentence

Create React Native App is a deprecated command-line tool for starting new iOS and Android app projects, it has been replaced by create-expo-app and this repository now only contains a redirect notice.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((create-rn-app))
    Status
      Deprecated
      Archived by Expo
    Replacement
      create-expo-app
      npm or yarn or bun
    Background
      React Native framework
      iOS and Android
    React Native
      Meta maintained
      Write once run anywhere
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Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Start a new React Native mobile app using the replacement tool create-expo-app with npm, yarn, bun, or pnpm

USE CASE 2

Look up the available options for the new create-expo-app scaffolding tool using its help flag

USE CASE 3

Reference the migration path from the old create-react-native-app workflow to the current Expo-recommended setup

What is it built with?

JavaScriptReact Native

How does it compare?

expo/create-react-native-appalam00000/bentopdfgabrielecirulli/2048
Stars13,25813,25113,249
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity1/52/51/5
Audiencedevelopergeneralgeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

This tool is deprecated, use 'npx create-expo-app' instead.

So what is it?

This repository is deprecated and the README is a brief notice directing users elsewhere. Create React Native App was a command-line tool that helped developers start new mobile app projects using React Native. React Native is a framework maintained by Meta that lets you write JavaScript code once and run it on both iOS and Android phones. A scaffolding tool like this one handles the initial project setup, creating the folder structure and configuration files so you can start writing your app code right away without spending time on boilerplate. Expo, the company that built and maintained this tool, has replaced it with a newer package called create-expo-app. The README contains only a deprecation notice and the commands to use the replacement. Users can start a new project with npm, bun, pnpm, or yarn using the new package name. A help flag is available to list all available options. The README does not describe any features of the original tool or explain why it was replaced. It is a short redirect page with no historical documentation, setup instructions, or code examples. Anyone arriving at this repository looking for a way to start a React Native project is told simply to use the newer tool. React Native development at this point is generally done through a framework, and the official React Native documentation also recommends this. The original create-react-native-app approach predated the current recommended way of working, which centers on Expo or similar frameworks that provide more structure out of the box.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Create a new React Native app using create-expo-app with TypeScript enabled so I can start building immediately
Prompt 2
Show me the available template options for create-expo-app so I can pick the right starting point for my project
Prompt 3
Walk me through what changed between the old create-react-native-app workflow and the current create-expo-app setup
Prompt 4
Set up a new Expo React Native project with file-based routing using the latest create-expo-app template

Frequently asked questions

What is create-react-native-app?

Create React Native App is a deprecated command-line tool for starting new iOS and Android app projects, it has been replaced by create-expo-app and this repository now only contains a redirect notice.

What language is create-react-native-app written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, React Native.

How hard is create-react-native-app to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is create-react-native-app for?

Mainly developer.

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