Bulletproof Expo Structure

Project structure pattern for Expo/React Native apps. Adapted from Bulletproof React for the mobile ecosystem with Expo Router's file-based routing.

Core Principle

The app/ directory is a thin routing layer. All business logic lives in features/. Shared code lives in top-level directories. The dependency graph flows one direction only.

Directory Structure

app/                    # ROUTING ONLY — maps URLs to screens
  (tabs)/               # Tab group layout
    index.tsx           # Home tab route
    explore.tsx         # Explore tab route
    _layout.tsx         # Tab navigator config
  (auth)/               # Auth flow group
    sign-in.tsx
    sign-up.tsx
    _layout.tsx
  _layout.tsx           # Root layout (providers, theme, navigation container)
  modal.tsx             # Modal routes

features/               # BUSINESS LOGIC — one folder per feature domain
  home/
    components/         # UI specific to this feature
    hooks/              # Hooks specific to this feature
    api/                # Data fetching (queries, mutations)
    utils/              # Feature-specific utilities
    store/              # Feature-local state (Zustand slice, context)
    types.ts            # Feature types
    index.ts            # Public API — REQUIRED

components/             # SHARED UI — used across multiple features
  ui/                   # Primitives: button, input, card, icon
  layout/               # Screen wrappers, safe area, containers

lib/                    # GLOBAL UTILITIES — API client, storage, analytics
hooks/                  # GLOBAL HOOKS — use-color-scheme, use-theme-color
constants/              # GLOBAL CONSTANTS — theme, colors, config
types/                  # GLOBAL TYPES — navigation types, API types
providers/              # CONTEXT PROVIDERS — auth, theme, app-providers
assets/                 # Static files — images, fonts

What Goes Where

Code	Location	Example
Route/screen entry point	app/	app/(tabs)/index.tsx
Feature screen UI + logic	features/<name>/components/	features/home/components/home-screen.tsx
Feature data fetching	features/<name>/api/	features/home/api/use-get-stamps.ts
Feature hooks	features/<name>/hooks/	features/home/hooks/use-stamps.ts
Reusable button/card/input	components/ui/	components/ui/button.tsx
Layout wrappers	components/layout/	components/layout/screen-wrapper.tsx
API client setup	lib/	lib/api-client.ts
Global hooks	hooks/	hooks/use-color-scheme.ts
Theme config	constants/	constants/theme.ts

Dependency Rule

app/ --> features/ --> components/, lib/, hooks/, constants/, types/, providers/

• app/ imports from features/ (and shared code for layouts)
• features/ imports from shared code
• Shared code NEVER imports from features/ — this is the most critical rule
• Cross-feature imports go through index.ts only

Route Files Must Be Thin

Route files in app/ exist only to connect a URL to a screen:

// app/(tabs)/index.tsx — CORRECT
import { HomeScreen } from '@/features/home';

export default function HomeRoute() {
  return <HomeScreen />;
}

NEVER put in route files:

• Data fetching
• Business logic
• Complex component trees
• State management
• Styled components beyond basic wrappers

Feature Module Anatomy

Every feature MUST have an index.ts barrel file. Subfolders are created on-demand.

Required

• index.ts — public API. Other code imports ONLY from here.

On-Demand (create when needed)

• components/ — feature-specific UI
• hooks/ — feature-specific hooks
• api/ — data fetching (React Query hooks, fetch wrappers)
• utils/ — feature-specific helpers
• store/ — feature-local state (Zustand slice or context)
• types.ts — feature types

Public API Pattern

// features/home/index.ts
export { HomeScreen } from './components/home-screen';
export { useStamps } from './hooks/use-stamps';
export type { Stamp } from './types';

Other features and app/ files MUST import from @/features/home, never from @/features/home/components/home-screen.

Expo Router Conventions

Layouts

• _layout.tsx — defines the navigator for a directory (Stack, Tabs, Drawer)
• Every route group MUST have a _layout.tsx

Route Groups

• (tabs)/ — bottom tab navigator
• (auth)/ — auth flow (sign-in, sign-up)
• (app)/ — authenticated app shell
• Groups with () don't affect the URL path

File Naming

• index.tsx — default route for a directory
• [id].tsx — dynamic route parameter
• [...rest].tsx — catch-all route
• modal.tsx — presented as modal (configured in parent layout)
• +not-found.tsx — 404 handler

Settings

// app/_layout.tsx
export const unstable_settings = {
  anchor: '(tabs)', // Initial route group
};

Decision Guide

"Where do I put this code?"

1. Is it a screen that maps to a URL? → app/ (thin, imports from features)
2. Is it business logic for one feature? → features/<name>/
3. Is it a UI component used by 2+ features? → components/
4. Is it a primitive UI element (button, input)? → components/ui/
5. Is it a utility used by 2+ features? → lib/
6. Is it a hook used by 2+ features? → hooks/
7. Is it a type used by 2+ features? → types/
8. Is it a context provider? → providers/

"Should this be in features/ or components/?"

• If it contains business logic or data fetching → features/
• If it's pure UI with props and no domain knowledge → components/
• If in doubt, start in features/. Move to components/ when a second feature needs it.

File Naming Conventions

• kebab-case for all files and directories
• Component files: stamp-card.tsx
• Hook files: use-stamps.ts
• Type files: types.ts
• Barrel files: index.ts
• Test files: stamp-card.test.tsx (colocated with source)
• Platform-specific: icon-symbol.ios.tsx, icon-symbol.tsx (default)