Chapter 2 of 12 ~15 min read

Project Setup, Expo CLI & Architecture

cordova create & config.xml vs npx create-expo-app & app.json, EAS Build vs cordova build android.

1. Project Creation & CLI Tooling

In 2026, the official React Native documentation strongly advises starting all new projects with Expo. Expo is to React Native what Vite/Next.js is to modern web development: zero native build pain, automatic OTA updates, and standard file-based routing.

Cordova CLI

# 1. Global install
npm install -g cordova

# 2. Create project
cordova create MyApp com.myorg.app MyApp

# 3. Add Android platform
cd MyApp
cordova platform add android

# 4. Add plugins
cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-camera

# 5. Build and run
cordova build android
cordova run android --device

Expo / React Native CLI

# 1. Create modern project with Expo Router
npx create-expo-app@latest MyApp

# 2. Navigate to project
cd MyApp

# 3. Start interactive development server
npx expo start

# 4. Add platform libraries with compatible versions
npx expo install expo-camera expo-image-picker

# 5. Run on Android emulator / connected device
npx expo run:android

2. Configuration: config.xml vs app.json

Cordova used XML-based config.xml with preferences and plugin tags. React Native with Expo uses standard JSON in app.json:

Cordova config.xml

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<widget id="com.example.myapp" version="1.0.0">
    <name>MyApp</name>
    <description>A Cordova App</description>
    <preference name="Orientation" value="portrait" />
    <preference name="android-minSdkVersion" value="24" />
    <preference name="android-targetSdkVersion" value="35" />
    <platform name="android">
        <icon src="res/android/icon.png" />
    </platform>
</widget>

Expo app.json

{
  "expo": {
    "name": "MyApp",
    "slug": "myapp",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "orientation": "portrait",
    "icon": "./assets/icon.png",
    "userInterfaceStyle": "automatic",
    "android": {
      "package": "com.example.myapp",
      "adaptiveIcon": {
        "foregroundImage": "./assets/adaptive-icon.png",
        "backgroundColor": "#ffffff"
      }
    },
    "plugins": ["expo-camera"]
  }
}

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