New Player in Cross-Platform Dev: Valdi

Snapchat just open-sourced Valdi, the internal framework powering parts of the app for nearly eight years. It introduces a fresh take on cross-platform UI: write TypeScript components, then compile them directly to native iOS, Android, and macOS views. No JS runtime, no bridge, just native performance with a declarative model.

🤳 Breakdown: Valdi vs React Native

Performance

  • React Native: JS runs at runtime; fast with the new architecture but still JS-driven.

  • Valdi: TypeScript is compiled ahead of time to native; zero JS thread overhead.

Developer Experience

  • RN: Massive ecosystem, Expo, Metro, DevTools, community libraries.

  • Valdi: React-like syntax but early ecosystem and tooling.

Platforms

  • RN: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, web (RN Web).

  • Valdi: iOS, Android

Architecture

Both use Yoga for layout, but Valdi renders everything natively with no runtime layer.

🎙️Listen to podcast and find more about Valdi from Callstack

New Releases

  • 📦 react-native-nitro-device-info 1.2.1 exposes isHardwareKeyStoreAvailable (great for secure-storage flows) and a new liquid-glass prop for checking advanced display features.

  • 📦 react-native-audio-api 0.10.0 introduces breaking changes to the audio decoder/stretcher modules, adds faster worklets, Android background mic permissions, thread-pool improvements, and a huge batch of bug fixes to make audio apps more stable.

  • 📦 react-native-ble-nitro 1.8.0 switches subscribeToCharacteristic to an async subscription model for improved error handling and platform compatibility.

  • 📦 Radon IDE brings a wave of improvements: physical Android device support, Apollo + Redux DevTools, a heavily upgraded Network Inspector, and new Radon AI features.

  • 📦 React Native big cleanup landed: RCT_EXPORT_MODULE was removed from Core modules, cutting out slow +load calls and paving the way for faster app startup.

Deep Dives

  • 🎥 Beto Getting started with Meta Horizon Development using Expo

  • 🎥 Simon Grimm Build a Food Delivery App with React Native (Expo Router, Maps, Reanimated, Zustand) | Wolt Clone

  • 📝 Keith Kurak How to integrate EAS workflows with Github actions

  • 📝 Laurens Lambert Building a midi over bluetooth app using Expo modules

  • 📝 Jan Jaworski Using Expo Libraries on Horizon OS: A Guide to Compatibility

Recent Jobs

Events

Happy Friday and see you next week!
💬 Got questions or want to chat?
DM me on X @adnansahinovich or visit nativeweekly.com for weekly digest.

Keep reading

No posts found

© 2025 Nativeweekly.

Privacy policy

Terms of use

Powered by beehiiv