commands.md

Commands

React Native CLI comes with following commands:

• bundle
• config
• init
• info
• install
• link
• log-android
• log-ios
• ram-bundle
• run-android
• run-ios
• start
• uninstall
• unlink
• upgrade

bundle

Usage:

react-native bundle <flag>

Builds the JavaScript bundle for offline use.

--entry-file <path>

Path to the root JS file, either absolute or relative to JS root.

--platform [string]

default: ios

Either "ios" or "android".

--transformer [string]

Specify a custom transformer to be used.

--dev [boolean]

default: true

If false, warnings are disabled and the bundle is minified.

--minify [boolean]

Allows overriding whether bundle is minified. This defaults to false if dev is true, and true if dev is false. Disabling minification can be useful for speeding up production builds for testing purposes.

--bundle-output <string>

File name where to store the resulting bundle, ex. /tmp/groups.bundle.

--bundle-encoding [string]

default: utf8

Encoding the bundle should be written in (https://nodejs.org/api/buffer.html#buffer_buffer).

--max-workers [number]

Specifies the maximum number of workers the worker-pool will spawn for transforming files. This defaults to the number of the cores available on your machine.

--sourcemap-output [string]

File name where to store the sourcemap file for resulting bundle, ex. /tmp/groups.map.

--sourcemap-sources-root [string]

Path to make sourcemaps sources entries relative to, ex. /root/dir.

--sourcemap-use-absolute-path

default: false

Report SourceMapURL using its full path.

--assets-dest [string]

Directory name where to store assets referenced in the bundle.

--reset-cache

default: false

Removes cached files.

--read-global-cache

default: false

Try to fetch transformed JS code from the global cache, if configured.

--config [string]

Path to the CLI configuration file.

config

Usage:

react-native config

Output project and dependencies configuration in JSON format to stdout. Used by autolinking.

init

Available since 0.60.0

IMPORTANT: Please note that this command is not available through react-native-cli, hence you need to either invoke it directly from @react-native-community/cli or react-native package which proxies binary to this CLI since 0.60.0, so it's possible to use it with e.g. npx.

Usage (with npx):

npx react-native init <projectName> [options]

Initialize a new React Native project named in a directory of the same name. You can find out more use cases in init docs.

Options

--version [string]

Uses a valid semver version of React Native as a template.

--directory [string]

Uses a custom directory instead of <projectName>.

--template [string]

Uses a custom template. Accepts following template sources:

• an npm package name
• an absolute path to a local directory
• an absolute path to a tarball created using npm pack

Example:

npx react-native init MyApp --template react-native-custom-template
npx react-native init MyApp --template typescript
npx react-native init MyApp --template file:///Users/name/template-path
npx react-native init MyApp --template file:///Users/name/template-name-1.0.0.tgz

A template is any directory or npm package that contains a template.config.js file in the root with following of the following type:

type Template = {
  // Placeholder used to rename and replace in files
  // package.json, index.json, android/, ios/
  placeholderName: string;
  // Directory with template
  templateDir: string;
  // Path to script, which will be executed after init
  postInitScript?: string;
};

Example template.config.js:

module.exports = {
  placeholderName: 'ProjectName',
  templateDir: './template',
  postInitScript: './script.js',
};

--npm

Force use of npm during initialization

info

Usage:

react-native info

Get relevant version info about OS, toolchain and libraries. Useful when sending bug reports.

install

Usage:

react-native install <packageName>

Installs single package from npm and then links native dependencies. If install detects yarn.lock in your project, it will use Yarn as package manager. Otherwise npm will be used.

link

Will be replaced by autolinking soon.

Usage:

react-native link [packageName]

Links assets and optionally native modules.

Options

--all

Link all native modules and assets.

--platforms [list]

Pass comma-separated list of platforms to scope link to.

log-android

Usage:

react-native log-android

Starts logkitty displaying pretty Android logs.

log-ios

Usage:

react-native log-ios

Starts iOS device syslog tail.

ram-bundle

Usage:

react-native ram-bundle [options]

Builds JavaScript as a "Random Access Module" bundle for offline use.

Options

Accepts all of bundle commands and following:

--indexed-ram-bundle

Force the "Indexed RAM" bundle file format, even when building for Android.

run-android

Usage:

react-native run-android [options]

Builds your app and starts it on a connected Android emulator or device.

Options

--root [string]

Override the root directory for the Android build (which contains the android directory)'.

--variant [string]

default: 'debug'

Specify your app's build variant.

--appFolder [string]

default: 'app'

Specify a different application folder name for the Android source. If not, we assume is "app".

--appId [string]

Specify an applicationId to launch after build.

--appIdSuffix [string]

Specify an applicationIdSuffix to launch after build.

--main-activity [string]

default: 'MainActivity'

Name of the activity to start.

--deviceId [string]

builds your app and starts it on a specific device/simulator with the given device id (listed by running "adb devices" on the command line).

--no-packager

Do not launch packager while building.

--port [number]

default: process.env.RCT_METRO_PORT || 8081

--terminal [string]

default: process.env.REACT_TERMINAL || process.env.TERM_PROGRAM

Launches the Metro Bundler in a new window using the specified terminal path.

--tasks [list]

default: 'installDebug'

Run custom gradle tasks. If this argument is provided, then --variant option is ignored. Example: yarn react-native run-android --tasks clean,installDebug.

--no-jetifier

default: false

Do not run jetifier – the AndroidX transition tool. By default it runs before Gradle to ease working with libraries that don't support AndroidX yet.

run-ios

Usage:

react-native run-ios [options]

Builds your app and starts it on iOS simulator.

Options

--simulator [simulator_name]

Explicitly set the simulator to use. Optionally include iOS version between parenthesis at the end to match an exact version, e.g. "iPhone 6 (10.0)".

Default: "iPhone X"

Notes: simulator_name must be a valid iOS simulator name. If in doubt, open your AwesomeApp/ios/AwesomeApp.xcodeproj folder on XCode and unroll the dropdown menu containing the simulator list. The dropdown menu is situated on the right hand side of the play button (top left corner).

Example: this will launch your projet directly onto the iPhone XS Max simulator:

react-native run-ios --simulator "iPhone XS Max"

--configuration [string]

Explicitly set the scheme configuration to use default: 'Debug'.

--scheme [string]

Explicitly set Xcode scheme to use.

--project-path [string]

Path relative to project root where the Xcode project (.xcodeproj) lives. default: 'ios'.

--device [string]

Explicitly set device to use by name. The value is not required if you have a single device connected.

--udid [string]

Explicitly set device to use by udid.

--no-packager

Do not launch packager while building.

--verbose

Do not use xcpretty even if installed.

--port [number]

Runs packager on specified port

Default: process.env.RCT_METRO_PORT || 8081

start

Usage:

react-native start [option]

Starts the server that communicates with connected devices

Options

--port [number]

Specify port to listen on

--watchFolders [list]

Specify any additional folders to be added to the watch list

--assetExts [list]

Specify any additional asset extensions to be used by the packager

--sourceExts [list]

Specify any additional source extensions to be used by the packager

--platforms [list]

Specify any additional platforms to be used by the packager

--providesModuleNodeModules [list]

Specify any npm packages that import dependencies with providesModule

--max-workers [number]

Specifies the maximum number of workers the worker-pool will spawn for transforming files. This defaults to the number of the cores available on your machine

--transformer [string]

Specify a custom transformer to be used

--reset-cache, --resetCache

Removes cached files

--custom-log-reporter-path, --customLogReporterPath [string]

Path to a JavaScript file that exports a log reporter as a replacement for TerminalReporter

--verbose

Enables logging

--https

Enables https connections to the server

--key [path]

Path to custom SSL key

--cert [path]

Path to custom SSL cert

--config [string]

Path to the CLI configuration file

uninstall

Usage:

react-native uninstall <packageName>

Unlinks single package native dependencies and then uninstalls it from package.json. If uninstall detects yarn.lock in your project, it will use Yarn as package manager. Otherwise npm will be used.

unlink

Will be replaced by autolinking soon.

Usage:

react-native unlink <packageName> [options]

Unlink native dependency linked with the link command.

Options

--platforms [list]

Scope unlinking to specified platforms

upgrade

Usage:

react-native upgrade [npm-version]

Upgrade your app's template files to the specified or latest npm version using rn-diff-purge project. Only valid semver versions are allowed.

Using this command is a recommended way of upgrading relatively simple React Native apps with not too many native libraries linked. The more iOS and Android build files are modified, the higher chance for a conflicts. The command will guide you on how to continue upgrade process manually in case of failure.

Note: If you'd like to upgrade using this method from React Native version lower than 0.59.0, you may use a standalone version of this CLI: npx @react-native-community/cli upgrade.