Why my builds don't run on my laptop
My React Native app has never been compiled on my own machine. Not once. That started as a limitation and turned into the thing that keeps my releases boring. The setup During development I don't build at all. The JavaScript layer runs in Expo Go on a physical phone over the local network — save a file, see it on the device a second later. That covers the overwhelming majority of what I write:…
The author's React Native app never compiles on their own laptop. This limitation has now become the main issue preventing frequent releases. During development, the JavaScript layer runs in Expo Go on a physical phone over the local network, allowing instant updates. Native code requires a separate build process using EAS, which cannot be performed locally due to various system-specific dependencies.
This remote build setup is defined by configuration files, ensuring consistent build environments. The author's monthly build credits are insufficient for continuous local builds, leading to a more cautious approach. To overcome this, they only build every two to three days, using the limited builds for thorough testing before deployment.
This constraint has improved code quality by catching more issues early on. Additionally, batching multiple native changes into single builds for device testing provides better verification. The author advises against trying to make local native builds work, as a stable build environment outweighs the convenience of faster iteration.
Instead, they suggest finding the right layer responsible for the desired output to avoid silent failures.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
