C++ Turbo Native Modules

caution

This documentation is still experimental and details are subject to changes as we iterate. Feel free to share your feedback on the discussion inside the working group for this page.

Moreover, it contains several manual steps. Please note that this won't be representative of the final developer experience once the New Architecture is stable. We're working on tools, templates and libraries to help you get started fast on the New Architecture, without having to go through the whole setup.

This guide shows you how to implement a Turbo Native Module using C++ only, a way to share the same implementation with any supported platform (Android, iOS, macOS or Windows).

Before continuing with this guide, please read the Turbo Native Modules section. As a further reference, we prepared an example for the RNTester app (NativeCxxModuleExample) and a sample run in our community repository (run/pure-cxx-module).

caution

C++ Turbo Native Modules work with the New Architecture enabled. To migrate to the New Architecture, follow the Migration guide

How to Create a C++ Turbo Native Module

To create a C++ Turbo Native Module, you need to:

1. Define the JavaScript specification.
2. Configure Codegen to generate the scaffolding.
3. Register the native module.
4. Write the native code to finish implementing the module.

Setup a Test App for the New Architecture

As first step, create a new application:

npx react-native init CxxTurboModulesGuide
cd CxxTurboModulesGuide
yarn install

On Android enable the New Architecture by modifying the android/gradle.properties file:

- newArchEnabled=false
+ newArchEnabled=true

On iOS enable the New Architecture when running pod install in the ios folder:

RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED=1 bundle exec pod install

Turbo Module Folder Setup

Create a tm folder inside the project. It will contain all C++ TurboModules of your application. The final result should look like this:

CxxTurboModulesGuide
├── android
├── ios
├── js
└── tm

1. JavaScript Specification

Create the following spec inside the tm folder:

TypeScript

NativeSampleModule.ts

import {TurboModule, TurboModuleRegistry} from 'react-native';

export interface Spec extends TurboModule {
  readonly reverseString: (input: string) => string;
}

export default TurboModuleRegistry.getEnforcing<Spec>(
  'NativeSampleModule',
);

Flow

NativeSampleModule.js

// @flow
import type {TurboModule} from 'react-native/Libraries/TurboModule/RCTExport';
// import type {TurboModule} from 'react-native'; in future versions
import {TurboModuleRegistry} from 'react-native';

export interface Spec extends TurboModule {
  +reverseString: (input: string) => string;
}

export default (TurboModuleRegistry.getEnforcing<Spec>(
  'NativeSampleModule',
): Spec);

2. Codegen Configuration

Next, you need to add some configuration for Codegen.

Application

Update your app's package.json file with the following entries:

package.json

{
  // ...
  "description": "React Native with Cxx Turbo Native Modules",
  "author": "<Your Name> <your_email@your_provider.com> (https://github.com/<your_github_handle>)",
  "license": "MIT",
  "homepage": "https://github.com/<your_github_handle>/#readme",
  // ...
  "codegenConfig": {
    "name": "AppSpecs",
    "type": "all",
    "jsSrcsDir": "tm",
    "android": {
      "javaPackageName": "com.facebook.fbreact.specs"
    }
  }
}

It adds necessary properties which we will later re-use in the iOS podspec file and configures Codegen to search for specs inside the tm folder.

caution

C++ Turbo Native Modules don't autolink and need to be manually included into the app with the described steps below.

iOS: Create the podspec file

For iOS, you'll need to create a AppTurboModules.podspec file in the tm folder - which will look like:

AppTurboModules.podspec

require "json"

package = JSON.parse(File.read(File.join(__dir__, "../package.json")))

Pod::Spec.new do |s|
  s.name            = "AppTurboModules"
  s.version         = package["version"]
  s.summary         = package["description"]
  s.description     = package["description"]
  s.homepage        = package["homepage"]
  s.license         = package["license"]
  s.platforms       = { :ios => "12.4" }
  s.author          = package["author"]
  s.source          = { :git => package["repository"], :tag => "#{s.version}" }
  s.source_files    = "**/*.{h,cpp}"
  s.pod_target_xcconfig = {
    "CLANG_CXX_LANGUAGE_STANDARD" => "c++17"
  }
  install_modules_dependencies(s)
end

You need to add it as a dependency to your application in ios/Podfile, e.g., after the use_react_native!(...) section:

if ENV['RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED'] == '1'
  pod 'AppTurboModules', :path => "./../tm"
end

Android: build.gradle, CMakeLists.txt, Onload.cpp

For Android, you'll need to create a CMakeLists.txt file in the tm folder - which will look like:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13)
set(CMAKE_VERBOSE_MAKEFILE on)

add_compile_options(
        -fexceptions
        -frtti
        -std=c++17)

file(GLOB tm_SRC CONFIGURE_DEPENDS *.cpp)
add_library(tm STATIC ${tm_SRC})

target_include_directories(tm PUBLIC .)
target_include_directories(react_codegen_AppSpecs PUBLIC .)

target_link_libraries(tm
        jsi
        react_nativemodule_core
        react_codegen_AppSpecs)

It defines the tm folder as a source for native code and sets up necessary dependencies.

You need to add it as a dependency to your application in android/app/build.gradle, e.g., at the very end of that file:

build.gradle

android {
   externalNativeBuild {
       cmake {
           path "src/main/jni/CMakeLists.txt"
       }
   }
}

note

Ensure to pick the correct android/app/build.gradle file and not android/build.gradle.

3. Module Registration

iOS

To register a C++ Turbo Native Module in your app you will need to update ios/CxxTurboModulesGuide/AppDelegate.mm with the following entries:

#import "AppDelegate.h"

#import <React/RCTBundleURLProvider.h>
+ #import <React/CoreModulesPlugins.h>
+ #import <ReactCommon/RCTTurboModuleManager.h>
+ #import <NativeSampleModule.h>

+ @interface AppDelegate () <RCTTurboModuleManagerDelegate> {}
+ @end

// ...

᠆ (Class)getModuleClassFromName:(const char *)name
{
  return RCTCoreModulesClassProvider(name);
}

+ #pragma mark RCTTurboModuleManagerDelegate

+ - (std::shared_ptr<facebook::react::TurboModule>)getTurboModule:(const std::string &)name
+                                                       jsInvoker:(std::shared_ptr<facebook::react::CallInvoker>)jsInvoker
+ {
+   if (name == "NativeSampleModule") {
+     return std::make_shared<facebook::react::NativeSampleModule>(jsInvoker);
+   }
+   return nullptr;
+ }

This will instantiante a NativeSampleModule associated with the name NativeSampleModule as defined in our JavaScript spec file earlier.

Android

Android apps aren't setup for native code compilation by default.

1.) Create the folder android/app/src/main/jni

2.) Copy CMakeLists.txt and Onload.cpp from node_modules/react-native/ReactAndroid/cmake-utils/default-app-setup into the android/app/src/main/jni folder.

Update Onload.cpp with the following entries:

// ...

#include <react/renderer/componentregistry/ComponentDescriptorProviderRegistry.h>
#include <rncli.h>
+ #include <NativeSampleModule.h>

// ...

std::shared_ptr<TurboModule> cxxModuleProvider(
    const std::string &name,
    const std::shared_ptr<CallInvoker> &jsInvoker) {
+ if (name == "NativeSampleModule") {
+   return std::make_shared<facebook::react::NativeSampleModule>(jsInvoker);
+ }
  return nullptr;
}

// ...

Update CMakeLists.txt with the following entries, e.g., at the very end of that file:

// ...

# This file includes all the necessary to let you build your application with the New Architecture.
include(${REACT_ANDROID_DIR}/cmake-utils/ReactNative-application.cmake)

+ # App needs to add and link against tm (TurboModules) folder
+ add_subdirectory(${REACT_ANDROID_DIR}/../../../tm/ tm_build)
+ target_link_libraries(${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME} tm)

This will instantiante a NativeSampleModule associated with the name NativeSampleModule as defined in our JavaScript spec file earlier.

4. C++ Native Code

For the final step, you'll need to write some native code to connect the JavaScript side to the native platforms. This process requires two main steps:

• Run Codegen to see what it generates.
• Write your native code, implementing the generated interfaces.

Run Codegen

info

Follow the Codegen guide for general information.

On iOS Codegen is run each time you execute in the ios folder:

RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED=1 bundle exec pod install

You can inspect the generated AppSpecsJSI.h and AppSpecsJSI-generated.cpp files inside the CxxTurboModulesGuide/ios/build/generated/ios folder.

Those files are prefixed with AppSpecs as this matches the codegenConfig.name parameter added earlier to package.json.

On Android Codegen is run each time you execute:

yarn android

You can inspect the generated AppSpecsJSI.h and AppSpecsJSI-generated.cpp files inside the CxxTurboModulesGuide/android/app/build/generated/source/codegen/jni folder.

You only need to re-run codegen if you have changed your JavaScript spec.

The C++ function generated for our JavaScript spec file looks like:

virtual jsi::String reverseString(jsi::Runtime &rt, jsi::String input) = 0;

You can directly work with the lower level jsi:: types - but for convience C++ Turbo Native Modules automatically bridge into std:: types for you.

Implementation

Now create a NativeSampleModule.h file with the following content:

note

Due to current differences in the CMake and CocoaPod setup we need some creativity to include the correct Codegen header on each platform.

#pragma once

#if __has_include(<React-Codegen/AppSpecsJSI.h>) // CocoaPod headers on Apple
#include <React-Codegen/AppSpecsJSI.h>
#elif __has_include("AppSpecsJSI.h") // CMake headers on Android
#include "AppSpecsJSI.h"
#endif
#include <memory>
#include <string>

namespace facebook::react {

class NativeSampleModule : public NativeSampleModuleCxxSpec<NativeSampleModule> {
 public:
  NativeSampleModule(std::shared_ptr<CallInvoker> jsInvoker);

  std::string reverseString(jsi::Runtime& rt, std::string input);
};

} // namespace facebook::react

In this case you can use any C++ type which bridges to a jsi::String - default or custom one. You can't specify an incompatible type such as bool, float or std::vector<> as it does not bridge to jsi::String and hence results in a compilation error.

Now add a NativeSampleModule.cpp file with an implementation for it:

#include "NativeSampleModule.h"

namespace facebook::react {

NativeSampleModule::NativeSampleModule(std::shared_ptr<CallInvoker> jsInvoker)
    : NativeSampleModuleCxxSpec(std::move(jsInvoker)) {}

std::string NativeSampleModule::reverseString(jsi::Runtime& rt, std::string input) {
  return std::string(input.rbegin(), input.rend());
}

} // namespace facebook::react

As we have added new C++ files run in the ios folder:

RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED=1 bundle exec pod install

for iOS. In Xcode they appear under the Pods target in the Development Pods \ TurboModules subfolder.

You should now be able to compile your app both on Android and iOS.

CxxTurboModulesGuide
├── android
│   └── app
│       │── src
│       │   └── main
│       │       └── jni
│       │           ├── CMakeLists.txt
│       │           └── OnLoad.cpp
│       └── build.gradle (updated)
├── ios
│   └── CxxTurboModulesGuide
│       └── AppDelegate.mm (updated)
├── js
│   └── App.tsx|jsx (updated)
└── tm
    ├── CMakeLists.txt
    ├── NativeSampleModule.h
    ├── NativeSampleModule.cpp
    ├── NativeSampleModule.ts|js
    └── TurboModules.podspec

5. Adding the C++ Turbo Native Module to your App

For demo purposes we can update our app's App.tsx|jsx with the following entries:

//...
import {
  Colors,
  DebugInstructions,
  Header,
  LearnMoreLinks,
  ReloadInstructions,
} from 'react-native/Libraries/NewAppScreen';
+ import NativeSampleModule from './tm/NativeSampleModule';
//...
        <View
          style={{
            backgroundColor: isDarkMode ? Colors.black : Colors.white,
          }}>
+         <Section title="Cxx TurboModule">
+          NativeSampleModule.reverseString(...) ={' '}
+          {NativeSampleModule.reverseString(
+            'the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog'
+          )}
+         </Section>;
          <Section title="Step One">
            Edit <Text style={styles.highlight}>App.tsx</Text> to change this
            screen and then come back to see your edits.
          </Section>
//...

Run the app to see your C++ Turbo Native Module in action!

App TurboModuleProvider [Optional]

You can avoid some code duplication once you added multiple C++ Turbo Native Modules by declaring an AppTurboModuleProvider:

AppTurboModuleProvider.h

#pragma once

#include <ReactCommon/TurboModuleBinding.h>
#include <memory>
#include <string>

namespace facebook::react {

class AppTurboModuleProvider {
 public:
  std::shared_ptr<TurboModule> getTurboModule(
      const std::string& name,
      std::shared_ptr<CallInvoker> jsInvoker) const;
};

} // namespace facebook::react

And implementing it:

AppTurboModuleProvider.cpp

#include "AppTurboModuleProvider.h"
#include "NativeSampleModule.h"

namespace facebook::react {

std::shared_ptr<TurboModule> AppTurboModuleProvider::getTurboModule(
    const std::string& name,
    std::shared_ptr<CallInvoker> jsInvoker) const {
  if (name == "NativeSampleModule") {
    return std::make_shared<facebook::react::NativeSampleModule>(jsInvoker);
  }
  // Other C++ Turbo Native Modules for you app
  return nullptr;
}

} // namespace facebook::react

And then re-using it in OnLoad.cpp for Android and AppDelegate.mm for iOS, e.g., via:

static facebook::react::AppTurboModuleProvider appTurboModuleProvider;
return appTurboModuleProvider.getTurboModule(name, jsInvoker);

in the corresponding functions.

Calling OS specific APIs

You can still call OS specific functions in the compilation unit (e.g., NS/CF APIs on Apple or Win32/WinRT APIs on Windows) as long as the method signatures only use std:: or jsi:: types.

For Apple specific APIs you need to change the extension of your implementation file from .cpp to .mm to be able to consume NS/CF APIs.

Extending C++ Turbo Native Modules

If you need to support some types that are not supported yet, have a look at this other guide.