edgarmokua / lowki

Lowki is a chat app that is built in React Native and Firebase.

Lowki

Lowki is a chat app that is built in React Native and Firebase.

Table of contents

• General info
• Technologies
• How I worked on this project
• How to navigate on this project
• Why I built the project this way
• If I had more time i would change this
• Available Scripts

General Info

Lowki is a chat app that is built in React Native and Firebase.
Download Expo Go on your device and scan the QR code from here https://expo.dev/@jmokua/lowki in order to use Lowki Application
Sign in or Log in to access the chats and create chat rooms.

Technologies

Project is created with:

• @react-native-community/masked-view version: 0.1.1
• @react-navigation/native version: 5.9.4
• @react-navigation/stack version: 5.14.5
• expo version: 41.0.1
• expo-status-bar version: 1.0.4
• firebase version: 8.2.3
• react version: 16.13.1
• react-dom version: 16.13.1
• react-native version: 0.63.4
• react-native-elements version: 3.4.2
• react-native-gesture-handler version: 1.10.3
• react-native-reanimated version: 2.1.0
• react-native-safe-area-context version: 3.2.0
• react-native-screens version: 3.0.0
• react-native-web version: 0.13.12
• expo-splash-screen version: 0.10.2
• expo-updates version: 0.5.4
• react-native-unimodules version: 0.13.3

How I worked on this project

My goal was to simulate a professional work environment:

• I built this app based on the application Signal Designs.
• I worked with tasks on my personal to do list that i created.

How to navigate on this project

The application uses Firebase authentication to sign up or Log in users.
Users can then create chat rooms where they can communicate freely.

Why I built the project this way

I didn't use state management library such as Redux on purpose. For this app simple useState is sufficient. I realised that more and more projects don't use Redux since GraphQL or react-query are often used to manage data.
React Native Elements is a great library for styling when using React Native. It performs the same functions as Material-UI and provides styling for various components.
My plan is to become a Full Stack Developer eventually but for now i am focusing on Front End and that is why i chose to use an existing API rather than create a custom server. I have basic Backend knowledge as well.

If I had more time i would change this

• Create more precise commits
• Create branches and use pull requests to generate a good workflow
• Use Trello to handle my tasks during development
• Add End to End encryption
• Allow for personal chat rooms to be created
• Improve on the UI
• Integrate the use of GIFs

Available Scripts

$npm start