Project News: NativeScript v8.0

New version signals growth and evolution

This week, the NativeScript, an incubation project at the OpenJS Foundation, shipped version 8. NativeScript is an open source community driven framework which empowers JavaScript developers with access to native platform APIs directly. This release will include some major upgrades including streamlined development with a JavaScript-focused stack and improved efficiency with iOS and Android development, which is especially timely given feature parity is of utmost importance. Additionally, v8.0 will make cross-platform development effective, practical, and fun. Read the project’s blog here.

“NativeScript brings together the convenience of web development with the capabilities and performance of the native mobile world,” said NativeScript Technical Steering Committee member, Stanimira Vlaeva.

What’s new?

Users can expect the following updates in the latest release: 

* Official Apple M1 support

* webpack5 support

* First class a11y support

* CSS box-shadow support (requested since 2015!)

* CSS text-shadow support

* New `hidden` binding property for more performance dialing cases

* New official eslint rules for NativeScript projects

* New `RootLayout` container – offering more dynamic creative view development

* New @nativescript/debug-ios package for deep view level investigations on your simulator or device

* New @nativescript/apple-pay plugin

* New @nativescript/google-pay plugin

* New website and revamped docs to better represent the current and future of NativeScript

* The first official NativeScript Best Practices Guide

* and more streamlining of core to further prepare for continual evolutionary enhancements

NativeScript 8.0 will bring some valuable benefits including 

• Reducing the costs with multiple platform deliveries and enhance long term maintenance of TypeScript based tech stacks
• The ability for managers to engage with the large JavaScript resource workforce
• The ability to integrate with any popular frontend framework that teams would like to use
  

This new release signals solid footing for growth and natural modern JavaScript evolutions by addressing some of the oldest requested features. These include adding structural integrity with official eslint package, adding support for creative view development via new RootLayout, affirming broad use case applicability via new Capacitor integration, support for latest webpack5 and a revamped website and documentation refresh,  to name a few.

Get Involved!

Come join the fun! Git clone https://github.com/NativeScript/NativeScript and experiment with the source for any desire you may have. Get involved in public discussions surrounding NativeScript via the RFCs board: https://github.com/NativeScript/rfcs/discussions. Join Discord channel to be in touch: https://discord.gg/RgmpGky9GR