By Cary Grant Regarding native mobile apps and web APIs, the security measures tend to be relatively straightforward. When signing a third-party app or integrating with the native web app, you must go through all the security checks before building your app. However, when it comes to React Native apps, things are a bit different. React Native is based on JavaScript and runs as an isolated environment separate from your native codebase. We don’t want to reveal our source code or expose our API directly. However, sometimes we may have to compromise to meet our quality standards for open source software development. When that happens, the best way to react is by enabling security through isolation. This walks you through how you can implement proper React Native app security by following a few simple guidelines.
What is React Native App Security?
Building an application with React Native security requires you to choose between two directions: Building an application that runs only in the browser. This is the default approach, and it’s the one we recommend. We are building an application that runs exclusively in the native codebase. This is the approach don’t always have to worry about security concerns when you’re developing an application exclusively in a given language, like C# for the web or Objective-C for the app. In these cases, the only thing that matters is that the code is written securely. However, when using React Native, things are a bit different. The react native runtime environment is not just a wrapper around your code; it’s also your app. Therefore, you may need to worry about the security implications of your code running in the native environment.
Keep your source code secret.
When building an app with React Native, you need extra care to protect the source code. This is not only because it’s the most critical code in your project but also because it’s typically the hardest to steal. While anyone can see the compiled code, it would take an attacker a lot of effort to be able to reverse-engineer your source code and figure out how you’re building your app. It’s much easier to steal the binary code, which is just a series of instructions in machine code. When possible, develop your app as a .zip file instead of a .exe or .jar file. This way, even if someone gains access to your source code, they won’t be able to reverse-engineer the back-end code.
Don’t grant access to known immoral people.
The React Native team has consistently added features that help secure your app. You can, for example, prevent third-party apps from gaining access to your camera or microphone by opting out of permissions. By default, any button, menu item, or another component you add to your app must have corresponding permission. If you don’t want to give specific app permission, remove that component from your app and name a different one that does have that permission.
Add an exhaust button.
Like our earlier example, we can also use the standard Android app to provide an exhaust button. The user is directed to the home screen by clicking on the button. When the app runs in the browser, this button prevents the browser from running in an expendable state. If the app is stopped, the controller is pushed and released by the user to clean the screen. If we leave the button enabled in our React Native app, the user will have to click on it every time they want to exit the app. This is a significant drain on their time, especially if you’re using the app on a production server. You can add an exhaust button to your React Native app by creating a file called exit.ios.js in your project and adding the following code:
Don’t display simple user input.
Another thing to take care of when building an appsealing with React Native is displaying user input. By default, your app will give the user a simple “Welcome to React Native” message when they start it for the first time. If you want to display more information or provide the user with a way to create an account, you can do that too. However, the above example shows that the user shouldn’t be offered any more information than is necessary to help them get started.
Benefits of react-native security
When it comes to building an application with React Native, we don’t want to reveal our source code or expose our API directly. However, sometimes we may have to compromise in order to meet our own standards of quality for open source software development. When that happens, the best way to react is by enabling security through isolation.
Where we can use react native security
First of all, you can use this functionality to sign third-party apps. These apps won’t be distributed through the usual app stores. Instead, they will be served through a custom channel. You can choose this channel carefully, as it could have access restrictions or even a firewall built-in. You can also use it to integrate with the native web app. This can be done when you have to access a third-party app from the web or when you want to incorporate it with a native web app. You can choose between giving full access or limited access, depending on your business requirement. You can also use this functionality to integrate with an internal app. This can be a great way to protect sensitive data by encrypting them within a single file.
Conclusion
React Native is an exciting technology with a lot of potential. It allows you to build apps that are both modern and efficient. It is an excellent match for the way people consume content and information. It also has great potential for building apps that will help people stay safe. However, just because it is a great technology doesn’t mean you should use it in an irresponsible or unethical way. It would help if you used it in a responsible manner that follows the rules of both the platform and your company. Before moving forward, make sure you have done proper research and applied all the available security controls. You can find the complete list of rules and their descriptions in the React Native documentation. At Appsealing, you will get the best deal.