Expo Patterns

Comprehensive skill for building production mobile apps with Expo and React Native.

Overview

Expo provides managed workflow for React Native development:

• Simplified native module configuration
• EAS Build for cloud-based app building
• OTA updates with expo-updates
• Push notifications with expo-notifications
• Cross-platform APIs for camera, location, etc.

Use When

This skill is automatically invoked when:

• Initializing new Expo/React Native projects
• Configuring native features (camera, location, notifications)
• Setting up EAS Build for iOS/Android
• Managing app signing and certificates
• Implementing OTA updates

Security: Credentials

CRITICAL: Never commit signing credentials

❌ NEVER commit: .p12, .mobileprovision, keystore files ✅ ALWAYS use: eas secret:create for sensitive values ✅ ALWAYS add to .gitignore: *.jks, *.p12, *.mobileprovision

Available Scripts

Script	Description
scripts/init-expo-project.sh	Initialize new Expo project with TypeScript
scripts/setup-eas-build.sh	Configure EAS Build profiles
scripts/setup-notifications.sh	Set up push notifications

Available Templates

Template	Description
templates/app.json	Expo app configuration
templates/eas.json	EAS Build configuration
templates/env.example	Environment variables template

CLI Commands

# Create new project
npx create-expo-app my-app --template tabs

# EAS Build
eas build --platform ios --profile development
eas build --platform android --profile preview

# Submit to stores
eas submit --platform ios
eas submit --platform android

Best Practices

1. Use expo-router for file-based routing
2. Use expo-secure-store for tokens
3. Set up EAS Build for consistent builds
4. Implement OTA updates for quick fixes