React Native Architecture

Priority: P0 (CRITICAL)

Feature-first organization for scalable mobile apps.

Organize by Feature

• Feature-First: Organize by feature/module, not by type.
• Colocation: Keep related files together (screens, components, hooks within feature).
• Separation: UI (screens/components) separate from logic (hooks/services).

See folder structure reference for full directory tree and path alias configuration.

• Atomic Components: Reusable components in /components. Feature-specific in feature folder.
• Absolute Imports: Configure tsconfig.json paths for clean imports.
• Single Responsibility: Each file has one clear purpose.
• Expo vs CLI: Structure works for both. Expo uses app.json, CLI uses index.js.

Anti-Patterns

• No Type-Based Folders: Avoid /containers, /screens at root. Use features.
• No Logic in Screens: Extract to hooks or services.
• No Circular Deps: Features should not import from each other directly.
• No Deep Nesting: Max 3 levels deep.

Navigation Strategy

• Expo Router: Use for new projects, web-parity, and file-based routing.
• React Navigation: Use for complex deep-linking, legacy apps, or high-customization needs.

Verification Checklist (Mandatory)

• Feature-First: Is the file inside a feature directory?
• Colocation: Are hooks/services colocated with screens?
• Logic-Free Screens: Is there any business logic in the screen component?
• Navigation Choice: Does the project use the navigation strategy defined above?

References

See references/folder-structure.md for full directory tree, path alias config, and service layer patterns.