What Is Hermes in iOS?

If you have been using iOS for a while, you might have come across the term “Hermes”. But what exactly is Hermes in iOS? In this article, we will dive into the details of what Hermes is and how it works.

What Is Hermes?

In simple terms, Hermes is a JavaScript engine that was developed by Facebook. It is specifically designed to work with React Native applications on iOS devices. The primary goal of Hermes is to improve the performance of React Native apps on iOS devices.

How Does Hermes Work?

Hermes works by optimizing the JavaScript code that runs within a React Native app. When an app uses JavaScript, it needs to be interpreted by the device’s processor. This process can be slow and can result in laggy or unresponsive apps.

To fix this problem, Hermes compiles JavaScript code ahead of time (AOT). This means that instead of interpreting the code at runtime, it is compiled into machine code before the app is installed on an iOS device. The result is faster app startup times, smoother animations, and improved overall performance.

Benefits of Using Hermes

There are many benefits to using Hermes in your React Native apps on iOS devices. Here are some of the most significant:

  • Faster Startup Times: By compiling your JavaScript ahead of time, your app will start up much faster than if it were interpreted at runtime.
  • Better Performance: Hermesis designed to optimize your code for better performance. This means smoother animations and improved overall responsiveness.
  • Reduced Memory Usage: Hermescan reduce memory usage by up to 30%. This means that your app will use less memory and run more efficiently.
  • Improved Battery Life: By reducing the amount of time your app spends interpreting JavaScript, Hermescan help improve battery life on iOS devices.

How to Use Hermes in Your React Native App

If you want to use Hermes in your React Native app, there are a few things you need to do. First, you need to make sure that your app is running on iOS 12.0 or later. This is because Hermes is only supported on iOS 12.0 and later.

Once you have confirmed that your app is running on iOS 12.0 or later, you can enable Hermes by adding the following line of code to your Xcode project:

ENABLE_HERMES = YES;

This will enable Hermes for your app and allow it to take advantage of all the performance benefits that come with it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Hermes is a powerful JavaScript engine that can help improve the performance of your React Native apps on iOS devices. By compiling JavaScript ahead of time, it can reduce startup times, improve overall performance, and even help improve battery life. If you are looking to optimize your React Native apps for iOS devices, then using Hermes is definitely worth considering.