What Is the Hermes Module?

If you are a software developer, chances are that you have come across the term “Hermes Module” at some point in your career. In this article, we will be taking a closer look at what the Hermes Module is, and why it is so important.

What is the Hermes Module?

Simply put, the Hermes Module is a lightweight JavaScript engine that was developed by Facebook. It is designed to be used specifically with React Native applications, and its main purpose is to optimize the performance of these applications.

How Does the Hermes Module Work?

The Hermes Module works by executing JavaScript code ahead of time (AOT), rather than just-in-time (JIT) like most other JavaScript engines. This means that instead of waiting until runtime to compile and execute JavaScript code, the code is compiled and optimized before it even runs.

This approach has several benefits. Firstly, it improves startup times for React Native applications.

Because the code has already been compiled ahead of time, there is no need to spend time compiling it at runtime. This can make a significant difference in terms of user experience, as users are more likely to abandon an application if it takes too long to load.

Secondly, because the code has already been optimized before it runs, this can result in better overall performance for the application. The Hermes Module uses various techniques such as function inlining and dead code elimination to optimize the code as much as possible.

How Do You Use the Hermes Module?

If you are developing a React Native application and want to use the Hermes Module, there are a few things that you need to do.

Firstly, you need to make sure that your React Native version supports Hermes. At the time of writing (August 2021), versions 0.64 and above support Hermes out of the box.

Once you have confirmed that your version of React Native supports Hermes, you can enable it by adding the following line to your `metro.config.js` file:

“`
module.exports = {
resolver: {
sourceExts: [‘jsx’, ‘js’], // add this line
},
transformer: {
getTransformOptions: async () => ({
transform: {
experimentalImportSupport: false,
inlineRequires: false,
hermesParser: true, // add this line
},
}),
},
};
“`

This will tell the React Native packager to use the Hermes Module instead of the default JavaScript engine.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Hermes Module is an important tool for optimizing the performance of React Native applications. Its use of ahead-of-time compilation and various optimization techniques make it a powerful tool for improving startup times and overall performance. If you are developing a React Native application, it is definitely worth considering whether the Hermes Module could benefit your project.