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Cathy Lai
Cathy Lai

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Create a React Native Project (bun + Expo development built)

#reactnative #javascript #tutorial #tooling

If you’ve been building React Native apps using Expo Go, you’ve probably noticed the limitations — especially when you start needing custom native modules or deeper integration.

With Bun, a super-fast JavaScript runtime and package manager, you can spin up a new React Native project with a full development build (not Expo Go) in minutes.

Let’s walk through it step by step 👇

💡 Why Use Bun?

Bun replaces npm, yarn, and npx — it’s faster, leaner, and comes with everything you need:

  • Ultra-fast dependency installs
  • Built-in TypeScript & JSX support
  • Native support for bunx (a drop-in replacement for npx)
  • Perfect for modern Expo + React Native workflows

🧰 Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

  • macOS with Xcode installed (for iOS builds)
  • Node.js 18+ (Bun works alongside Node)
  • Watchman (brew install watchman)

Optional but recommended:

brew install cocoapods
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⚡ Step 1: Install Bun

Run this in your terminal:

curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
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Restart your terminal, then verify:

bun -v
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🌱 Step 2: Create a New Expo Project with Bun

Let’s use bunx (like npx but faster) to create a new Expo project:

bunx create-expo-app@latest dom-app
cd dom-app
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This scaffolds a fresh React Native project with Expo.

🧩 Step 3: Add the Dev Client

The Expo Dev Client lets you run your app on a physical device or simulator without Expo Go — perfect for custom native modules.

bunx expo install expo-dev-client
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🏗 Step 4: Prebuild Native Projects

This step generates the native iOS and Android projects (just like running npx expo prebuild).

bunx expo prebuild
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Now you’ll see new /ios and /android folders created.

🧑‍💻 Step 5: Run the iOS Development Build

Finally, run your app in development mode:

bunx expo run:ios
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This will compile the native iOS app and open it in the simulator. You can now debug using Metro (the local React Native bundler) — no Expo Go required.

🎉 You’re Done!

You’ve just:

  • Created a new React Native project using Bun
  • Set up a custom development client
  • Generated native builds with Expo prebuild
  • Run your project on iOS directly 🎯

🔍 Bonus: Run on Android

If you’re on macOS and have Android Studio set up:

bunx expo run:android
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⚙️ Common Commands

Command Description
bunx expo start Start the Metro bundler
bunx expo run:ios Build & run iOS app
bunx expo run:android Build & run Android app
bunx expo prebuild Rebuild native projects after config changes

🧠 Final Thoughts

Using Bun with Expo Dev Client gives you the best of both worlds:

  • Expo’s developer experience
  • Real native project control
  • Lightning-fast installs & commands

It’s a great setup for indie developers or teams who want speed without sacrificing native flexibility.

✨ TL;DR 

curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
bunx create-expo-app@latest dom-app
cd dom-app
bunx expo install expo-dev-client
bunx expo prebuild
bunx expo run:ios
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Fast. Native. Bun-powered. 🧈

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