How are Hot Reloading and Live Reloading in React Native different?

Hot Reloading and Live Reloading are two features in React Native designed to enhance the development experience by allowing developers to see the immediate impact of their code changes without manually restarting the application. However, they function differently and serve distinct purposes.

Hot Reloading

Hot Reloading allows developers to inject new versions of the files they have edited into the running application without losing the current state of the app. This means that any changes made to the code are immediately reflected in the app, and the app continues running from where it left off. This is particularly useful for making quick changes to the UI or for debugging, as it preserves the state of the app, allowing developers to see the effects of their changes in real-time without having to navigate back to the same state after each change.

Key Points:

• State Preservation: The current state of the app is maintained.
• Immediate Feedback: Changes are reflected instantly, which is beneficial for UI tweaks and debugging.
• Efficiency: Only the modified files are reloaded, making the process faster and more efficient.

Advantages:

• Rapid development cycles due to immediate feedback.
• Enhanced productivity as developers spend less time waiting for builds and reloads.
• Useful for testing specific scenarios that require a particular state setup.

Limitations:

• May not reflect changes correctly in complex state scenarios.
• Does not support changes to native code (Java, Swift, Objective-C).

Live Reloading

Live Reloading, on the other hand, reloads the entire application whenever a file is changed. This means that the app is restarted from scratch, and the current state is lost. While this can be less efficient, it ensures that all changes are fully integrated and can be useful when developers need to see the app's behavior from a fresh start, especially when making changes that affect the overall structure or state of the app.

Key Points:

• Full Reload: The entire app is reloaded, and the current state is discarded.
• Automatic Reload: The app reloads automatically whenever a change is saved.
• Useful for Structural Changes: Ensures that all changes are...