While we will add Android support to our project in later chapters, the majority of this book focuses on iOS development. In order to develop for iOS, you must have access to an Apple Mac computer capable of running Xcode 7 or later. Xcode is only necessary for building and testing React Native apps. You’re welcome to edit your code in any editor or IDE of your choosing.

In addition to Xcode, React Native requires a few other tools. These include Homebrew, Node.js (6.5.0 or later), npm (3.10.3 or later), Watchman, the React Native CLI, and Google Chrome for debugging. We’ll explain what all these tools are and how to install them in Chapter 2, Saying Hello World in React Native.

In Chapter 9, Refactoring for Android, we’ll update our project so it can run on both platforms. Android has its own set of software requirements including the Java Development Kit (JDK 1.8 or later) and Android Studio. Once again, we’ll walk you through how to install and configure these tools in Chapter 9, Refactoring for Android.

Finally, in Chapter 12, React Native Tools & Resources, we’ll evaluate software that can aid your React Native workflow and allow you to build React Native apps for even more platforms. All of these installations are completely optional. However, it’s worth noting that the React Native plugin for Universal Windows Platform will require a computer or virtual machine running Windows 10 and Visual Studio 2015 Community.