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mrousavy/react-native-mmkv

8,322TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

TLDR

A React Native storage library that is about 30x faster than AsyncStorage by calling native C++ code directly through JSI, with support for encryption, multiple instances, and React hooks for automatic re-renders.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((react-native-mmkv))
    What it does
      Fast key-value storage
      Synchronous reads
      Encrypted storage
    Tech Stack
      TypeScript
      C++ via JSI
      React Native
    Use Cases
      Replace AsyncStorage
      Secure token storage
      iOS widget sharing
    Features
      React hooks
      Multi-instance
      AES encryption
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Replace AsyncStorage with instant synchronous reads and writes for user preferences and session tokens in a React Native app.

USE CASE 2

Store encrypted sensitive data like authentication tokens on iOS and Android using AES-128 or AES-256.

USE CASE 3

Share persistent storage between a React Native app and an iOS home screen widget using Apple App Groups.

USE CASE 4

Bind stored values to React component state so the UI automatically re-renders when data changes.

Tech stack

TypeScriptC++React NativeJavaScript

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Uses Nitro Modules in v4, requires native module linking and an Expo config plugin if using Expo.

No license information stated in the explanation, check the repository directly for terms.

In plain English

React Native MMKV is a storage library for React Native apps that lets you save and retrieve small pieces of data, like user preferences or session tokens, very quickly. It wraps MMKV, a key-value storage framework originally built by WeChat for their mobile apps, and makes it available to JavaScript code running in React Native. The library claims to be around 30 times faster than AsyncStorage, which is the storage solution built into React Native by default. The speed comes from how the library connects JavaScript to the native device code. Instead of going through the older React Native bridge, which passes messages back and forth asynchronously, this library uses a lower-level mechanism called JSI that allows JavaScript to call C++ functions directly and synchronously. That means when you read or write a value, the result is available immediately without waiting for a Promise or callback. You can store strings, numbers, booleans, and raw binary buffers. The library also supports optional encryption, so stored data can be protected with a key using AES-128 or AES-256. You can create multiple separate storage instances, which is useful for keeping different users' data isolated from one another, or for separating app-wide settings from per-user data. Storage can also be shared with iOS app extensions or widget targets through Apple's App Groups feature. For React developers, the library provides hooks that make storage values behave like regular state, so when a stored value changes, any component using it re-renders automatically. It works on iOS, Android, and Web. Installation follows standard React Native package steps, and there is a separate Expo integration. Version 4, the current release, uses a newer binding system called Nitro Modules. An upgrade guide is included in the docs for anyone migrating from version 3.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I replace AsyncStorage with react-native-mmkv in my existing React Native app and convert all async reads to synchronous ones?
Prompt 2
Set up an encrypted MMKV storage instance in React Native to store JWT tokens securely on both iOS and Android.
Prompt 3
Create a custom React hook using react-native-mmkv that reads a user preference, keeps it in state, and persists the value across app restarts.
Prompt 4
Configure react-native-mmkv to share a storage instance between a React Native app and an iOS home screen widget using App Groups.
Prompt 5
Migrate a React Native app from react-native-mmkv v3 to v4 Nitro Modules, what changes are required in the setup and usage code?
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