Development Build
Also called Dev client, expo-dev-client
- Part of
- React Native Glossary
- Also known as
- Dev client, expo-dev-client
- Updated
What is Development Build in React Native?
A development build is a debug build of your own app containing your native dependencies plus the Expo dev client, so you can load JavaScript from Metro and use any native library.
A development build is a debug build of your app that includes your project's native code plus a development client, letting it connect to Metro and load JavaScript at runtime.
It replaces the old Expo Go workflow for any real project. Expo Go is a prebuilt sandbox app containing a fixed set of Expo SDK modules — great for a first tutorial, useless the moment you add a native module it does not include. A development build contains your dependencies, so nothing is off-limits.
You produce one with eas build --profile development or locally with npx expo run:ios, install it once on a device or simulator, and from then on iterate in JavaScript with Fast Refresh.
The rule that follows: rebuild only when native code changes. Adding a JavaScript-only package needs no rebuild; adding expo-camera does.
Development builds also carry the dev menu and debugging tools that release builds strip. See development builds.