react-native-update provides over-the-air update capabilities for React Native apps. For full documentation, visit:
- Global service: https://cresc.dev
React Native New Architecture is supported.
See the docs:
- English docs: https://cresc.dev/docs/getting-started
- react-native-update provides a dedicated global service with fast and reliable worldwide delivery.
- Tiny update packages generated with bsdiff/hdiff are typically only tens to hundreds of KB, instead of the tens of MB usually required by full-bundle update systems. On top of that, the diff algorithm is specifically optimized for Hermes bytecode (see the comparison below), shrinking patches even further.
- The library tracks new React Native stable releases closely, supports Hermes bytecode, and supports the new architecture. Note: Android RN 0.73.0 to 0.76.0 new architecture is unavailable because of upstream issues; versions below 0.73 or above 0.76.1 are supported.
- When updating across multiple versions, clients only need to download one update package instead of applying every intermediate version in sequence.
- Command-line tools and a web dashboard are both available, making release workflows simple and CI-friendly.
- The dashboard ships with built-in analytics (version distribution, update success rate), staged (gray) rollouts by percentage, and release health monitoring — no need to build your own data pipeline to keep every release under control.
- Built-in crash rollback keeps updates safe and reliable, and health monitoring helps you catch and stop a bad release early.
- Meta information and open APIs make the system more extensible.
- An MCP server lets you connect the update service to Claude Desktop, an IDE or your own agent, ask in plain language why a device never received an update, and investigate alongside GitHub, Sentry or CI. Everything is read-only and scoped per app (Cresc docs / Pushy docs).
- Paid technical support is available.
Traditional diff algorithms operate on raw bytes. Hermes bytecode, however, is full of offset tables — a small JS change shifts every subsequent offset, which dramatically amplifies the binary difference. Before running hdiff, we apply a delta-friendly reversible transform tailored to HBC (Hermes bytecode): offset bitfields are delta-encoded so the offset-shift amplification disappears at the source. The layout description table is shipped with each patch, so when Hermes evolves, clients need zero upgrades — compatibility is automatic.
The numbers below are measured on real release bundles of a React Native 0.86 app (Hermes HBC v98, ~4.4 MB bytecode); every patch is verified by an actual round-trip before its size is recorded. Full methodology, fixtures, and runnable code: hbc-diff-benchmark.
Hermes bytecode (.hbc) — what ships in production Hermes apps:
| Scenario | Full OTA (gzip) | bsdiff | bsdiff+lzma | hdiff | hdiff + HBC transform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-line text change | 1901.5 KB | 93.7 KB | 87.7 KB | 89.0 KB | 63.5 KB (−28% / −29%) |
| Small feature (~60 LOC) | 1913.9 KB | 411.6 KB | 330.9 KB | 328.0 KB | 285.5 KB (−14% / −13%) |
| Medium feature (~300 LOC) | 1973.7 KB | 551.6 KB | 430.6 KB | 431.6 KB | 398.4 KB (−7% / −8%) |
Plain-text JS bundle — non-Hermes apps (same scenarios, same app):
| Scenario | Full OTA (gzip) | bsdiff | bsdiff+lzma | hdiff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-line text change | 807.2 KB | 0.3 KB | 0.7 KB | 0.1 KB |
| Small feature (~60 LOC) | 813.1 KB | 7.4 KB | 7.4 KB | 5.8 KB |
| Medium feature (~300 LOC) | 837.7 KB | 38.4 KB | 37.4 KB | 28.7 KB |
Text bundles have no offset tables, so they diff cleanly without any transform — patches are hundreds of bytes to tens of KB, and hdiff still beats bsdiff by ~20–25% on the larger changes. The offset-shift amplification is a Hermes-bytecode-specific problem, which is exactly why the HBC transform exists.
Highlights:
- Incremental updates save 5–30× bandwidth compared to full-bundle OTA (63.5 KB vs 1.9 MB for a one-line change).
- The bsdiff+lzma control group (same bsdiff delta, lzma compression) shows the compressor accounts for most of the bsdiff-vs-hdiff gap — the further 7–29% cut from the HBC-aware transform is pure algorithmic gain, largest on the small, frequent updates that dominate real OTA traffic.
- Patch generation with hdiff is 2–4× faster than bsdiff; the transform itself costs single-digit milliseconds.
- Safety first: section bounds and bitfield ranges are fully validated before any byte is touched, and the pipeline automatically falls back to plain hdiff on any mismatch.
| Category | react-native-update | expo-update | react-native-code-push |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price / Cost | Free tier with multiple paid plans, bandwidth included | Free tier with multiple paid plans, extra bandwidth charges apply | ❌ Discontinued (Microsoft App Center shut down on March 31, 2025) |
| Package Size | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tens to hundreds of KB (incremental) | ⭐⭐⭐ Full bundle updates (usually tens of MB) | ❌ Discontinued |
| Hermes-specific diff | ✅ HBC-aware transform, smallest patches | ❌ Full bundle | ❌ Discontinued |
| Staged (gray) rollout | ✅ Built-in, percentage-based | ✅ Supported | ❌ Discontinued |
| Analytics | ✅ Built-in (version distribution, success rate) | ❌ Discontinued | |
| Release health monitoring | ✅ Built-in | ❌ Not available | ❌ Discontinued |
| Technical Support | ✅ Paid dedicated support | ❌ Discontinued | |
| Server Deployment | ✅ Hosted service or paid private deployment | ✅ Hosted by Expo (EAS Update) | ❌ Discontinued |
| Bandwidth Usage | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very low (incremental) | ⭐⭐⭐ Higher (full bundle) | ❌ Discontinued |