React Navigation

Also called react-navigation

Part of
React Native Glossary
Also known as
react-navigation
Related
Expo RouterSafe AreaCore Components
Mentioned in
Expo RouterSafe Area
Updated

What is React Navigation in React Native?

React Navigation is the standard navigation library for React Native, providing stack, tab and drawer navigators built on native primitives.

React Navigation is the de-facto navigation library for React Native. It supplies the patterns a mobile app needs and that React Native does not ship itself: pushing screens, tab bars, drawers, and the transitions between them.

The building blocks are navigators, which you nest:

  • Native Stack — push/pop screens using the platform's own navigation controller, so gestures and animations are genuinely native
  • Bottom Tabs — the standard tab bar
  • Drawer — a slide-in side menu
<Stack.Navigator>
  <Stack.Screen name="Home" component={HomeScreen} />
  <Stack.Screen name="Post" component={PostScreen} />
</Stack.Navigator>

Newcomers should know two things. Prefer Native Stack over the older JS stack — it delegates to UINavigationController and Android's fragment system, which is faster and feels correct. And if you are starting fresh on Expo, Expo Router sits on top of React Navigation and handles the wiring for you.

See reactnavigation.org.