Upgrading React Native

Overview

Covers the full React Native upgrade workflow: template diffs via Upgrade Helper, dependency updates, Expo SDK steps, and common pitfalls.

Typical Upgrade Sequence

Route

Choose the right upgrade path via

upgrading-react-native.md

Diff

Fetch the canonical template diff using Upgrade Helper via

upgrade-helper-core.md

Dependencies

Assess and update third-party packages via

upgrading-dependencies.md

React

Align React version if upgraded via

react.md

Expo

(if applicable): Apply Expo SDK layer via

expo-sdk-upgrade.md

Verify

Run post-upgrade checks via upgrade-verification.md

Quick start: detect current version and fetch diff

npm pkg get dependencies.react-native --prefix " $APP_DIR " npm view react-native dist-tags.latest

Example: upgrading from 0.76.9 to 0.78.2

1. Fetch the template diff

curl -L -f -o /tmp/rn-diff.diff \ "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/react-native-community/rn-diff-purge/diffs/diffs/0.76.9..0.78.2.diff" \ && echo "Diff downloaded OK" || echo "ERROR: diff not found, check versions"

2. Review changed files

grep -n "^diff --git" /tmp/rn-diff.diff

3. Update package.json, apply native changes, then install + rebuild

npm install --prefix " $APP_DIR " cd " $APP_DIR /ios" && pod install

4. Validate: both platforms must build successfully

npx react-native build-android --mode debug --no-packager xcodebuild -workspace " $APP_DIR /ios/App.xcworkspace" -scheme App -sdk iphonesimulator build When to Apply Reference these guidelines when: Moving a React Native app to a newer version Reconciling native config changes from Upgrade Helper Validating release notes for breaking changes Quick Reference File Description upgrading-react-native.md Router: choose the right upgrade path upgrade-helper-core.md Core Upgrade Helper workflow and reliability gates upgrading-dependencies.md Dependency compatibility checks and migration planning react.md React and React 19 upgrade alignment rules expo-sdk-upgrade.md Expo SDK-specific upgrade layer (conditional) upgrade-verification.md Manual post-upgrade verification checklist monorepo-singlerepo-targeting.md Monorepo and single-repo app targeting and command scoping Problem → Skill Mapping Problem Start With Need to upgrade React Native upgrade-helper-core.md Need dependency risk triage and migration options upgrading-dependencies.md Need React/React 19 package alignment react.md Need workflow routing first upgrading-react-native.md Need Expo SDK-specific steps expo-sdk-upgrade.md Need manual regression validation upgrade-verification.md Need repo/app command scoping monorepo-singlerepo-targeting.md