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react-native-update npm version

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react-native-update provides over-the-air update capabilities for React Native apps. For full documentation, visit:

React Native New Architecture is supported.

Quick Start

See the docs:

Advantages

  1. react-native-update provides a dedicated global service with fast and reliable worldwide delivery.
  2. Tiny update packages generated with bsdiff/hdiff are typically only tens to hundreds of KB, instead of the tens of MB usually required by full-bundle update systems. On top of that, the diff algorithm is specifically optimized for Hermes bytecode (see the comparison below), shrinking patches even further.
  3. The library tracks new React Native stable releases closely, supports Hermes bytecode, and supports the new architecture. Note: Android RN 0.73.0 to 0.76.0 new architecture is unavailable because of upstream issues; versions below 0.73 or above 0.76.1 are supported.
  4. When updating across multiple versions, clients only need to download one update package instead of applying every intermediate version in sequence.
  5. Command-line tools and a web dashboard are both available, making release workflows simple and CI-friendly.
  6. The dashboard ships with built-in analytics (version distribution, update success rate), staged (gray) rollouts by percentage, and release health monitoring β€” no need to build your own data pipeline to keep every release under control.
  7. Built-in crash rollback keeps updates safe and reliable, and health monitoring helps you catch and stop a bad release early.
  8. Meta information and open APIs make the system more extensible.
  9. Paid technical support is available.

Diff Algorithm Comparison

Traditional diff algorithms operate on raw bytes. Hermes bytecode, however, is full of offset tables β€” a small JS change shifts every subsequent offset, which dramatically amplifies the binary difference. Before running hdiff, we apply a delta-friendly reversible transform tailored to HBC (Hermes bytecode): offset bitfields are delta-encoded so the offset-shift amplification disappears at the source. The layout description table is shipped with each patch, so when Hermes evolves, clients need zero upgrades β€” compatibility is automatic.

The numbers below are measured on real release bundles of a React Native 0.86 app (Hermes HBC v98, ~4.4 MB bytecode); every patch is verified by an actual round-trip before its size is recorded. Full methodology, fixtures, and runnable code: hbc-diff-benchmark.

Hermes bytecode (.hbc) β€” what ships in production Hermes apps:

Scenario Full OTA (gzip) bsdiff bsdiff+lzma hdiff hdiff + HBC transform
One-line text change 1901.5 KB 93.7 KB 87.7 KB 89.0 KB 63.5 KB (βˆ’28% / βˆ’29%)
Small feature (~60 LOC) 1913.9 KB 411.6 KB 330.9 KB 328.0 KB 285.5 KB (βˆ’14% / βˆ’13%)
Medium feature (~300 LOC) 1973.7 KB 551.6 KB 430.6 KB 431.6 KB 398.4 KB (βˆ’7% / βˆ’8%)

Plain-text JS bundle β€” non-Hermes apps (same scenarios, same app):

Scenario Full OTA (gzip) bsdiff bsdiff+lzma hdiff
One-line text change 807.2 KB 0.3 KB 0.7 KB 0.1 KB
Small feature (~60 LOC) 813.1 KB 7.4 KB 7.4 KB 5.8 KB
Medium feature (~300 LOC) 837.7 KB 38.4 KB 37.4 KB 28.7 KB

Text bundles have no offset tables, so they diff cleanly without any transform β€” patches are hundreds of bytes to tens of KB, and hdiff still beats bsdiff by ~20–25% on the larger changes. The offset-shift amplification is a Hermes-bytecode-specific problem, which is exactly why the HBC transform exists.

Highlights:

  • Incremental updates save 5–30Γ— bandwidth compared to full-bundle OTA (63.5 KB vs 1.9 MB for a one-line change).
  • The bsdiff+lzma control group (same bsdiff delta, lzma compression) shows the compressor accounts for most of the bsdiff-vs-hdiff gap β€” the further 7–29% cut from the HBC-aware transform is pure algorithmic gain, largest on the small, frequent updates that dominate real OTA traffic.
  • Patch generation with hdiff is 2–4Γ— faster than bsdiff; the transform itself costs single-digit milliseconds.
  • Safety first: section bounds and bitfield ranges are fully validated before any byte is touched, and the pipeline automatically falls back to plain hdiff on any mismatch.

Comparison With Other OTA Libraries

Category react-native-update expo-update react-native-code-push
Price / Cost Free tier with multiple paid plans, bandwidth included Free tier with multiple paid plans, extra bandwidth charges apply ❌ Discontinued (Microsoft App Center shut down on March 31, 2025)
Package Size ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tens to hundreds of KB (incremental) ⭐⭐⭐ Full bundle updates (usually tens of MB) ❌ Discontinued
Hermes-specific diff βœ… HBC-aware transform, smallest patches ❌ Full bundle ❌ Discontinued
Staged (gray) rollout βœ… Built-in, percentage-based βœ… Supported ❌ Discontinued
Analytics βœ… Built-in (version distribution, success rate) ⚠️ Limited ❌ Discontinued
Release health monitoring βœ… Built-in ❌ Not available ❌ Discontinued
Technical Support βœ… Paid dedicated support ⚠️ Community support ❌ Discontinued
Server Deployment βœ… Hosted service or paid private deployment βœ… Hosted by Expo (EAS Update) ❌ Discontinued
Bandwidth Usage ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very low (incremental) ⭐⭐⭐ Higher (full bundle) ❌ Discontinued